31°46′30.8″N35°14′0.9″E / 31.775222°N 35.233583°E /31.775222; 35.233583
Porat Yosef Yeshiva (Hebrew:ישיבת פורת יוסף) is aSephardicyeshiva inJerusalem, with locations in both theOld City and theGeula neighborhood. The name Porat Yosef means "Joseph is a fruitful tree" after the biblical verse Genesis 49:22.
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Yeshivat Ohel Moed, cofounded by RabbisEzra Harari-Raful andRefael Shelomo Laniado in Jerusalem in 1904, was the forerunner to Porat Yosef Yeshiva. Harari-Raful also opened another yeshiva in 1918 that merged with Porat Yosef in 1923.[1]
The cornerstone for Porat Yosef Yeshiva was laid in Jerusalem's Old City in 1914.[2] Yosef Shalom, aBaghdadi philanthropist fromCalcutta, India, originally bought the site overlooking the Temple Mount with the intention of building a hospital. When he wrote to theBen Ish Chai ofBaghdad for his opinion, the sage persuaded him to endow a yeshiva instead.[2][3]
Construction was delayed, however, due to World War I; the yeshiva was finally inaugurated in 1923.[4] The sprawling campus consisted of a largebeth midrash (study hall); two smaller study halls for akollel for married students; and 50 other rooms including dormitories, offices and a library.[2]
There is a well known story regarding one of the students of the yeshiva who was found one morning to have become deranged that night after transgressing the words of theTalmud[5] that it is forbidden for one to sleep in a dark room alone (according to some, at night), or else the Evil Spirit will seize them. RabbiYehuda Tzadka underscored from this event that one must not take the words of the sages lightly[6]
In May 1948, shortly after the start of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, the yeshiva building was attacked and destroyed by theArab Legion. After the war's conclusion in 1949, a new home was established for the yeshiva in the Geula neighborhood, at the corner ofMalkhei Yisrael and Yosef Ben Mattityahu Streets.
Following the 1967Six-Day War, Israeli architectMoshe Safdie designed a new campus on the yeshiva's original site in the Old City, though the Geula site was retained and now the two run in parallel. The new building, based on the original design, blends tradition with modern styling. In both texture and colour, the stone walls echo the dominant building material of Jerusalem. Thesynagogue itself is a substantial structure of six stories, seating 450 worshippers. The edifice is covered by a large, semitransparent dome which permits light to enter by day, while at night it glows with interior illumination.
The yeshiva bases its curriculum on the study ofTalmud,poskim (decisors of cases in Jewish law) and the commentaries on theShulchan Aruch.
The firstrosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef in 1923 was RabbiRefael Shelomo Laniado. Upon his death in 1925, RabbiEzra Attiya succeeded him as rosh yeshiva, a position he held until his death in 1970. The Old City branch of the yeshiva was subsequently led by Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, who was succeeded by RabbiShalom Cohen, until his death in 2022. Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kopschitz was a Rosh Yeshiva in the Old City branch until his death in 2023.[7]
The Geula branch was headed by RabbiYehuda Tzadka from 1970 to 1983; he was followed by RabbiBen Zion Abba Shaul, who led the Geula branch until his death in 1998. Today the rosh yeshiva of the Geula branch is Rabbi Moshe Tzadka.[8]
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