Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu מרדכי צמח אליהו | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, 1983–1993 |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Mordechai Eliyahu March 3, 1929 |
| Died | June 7, 2010(2010-06-07) (aged 81) Jerusalem |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Spouse | Tzviya Eliyahu [he] |
| Children | |
| Parent | Salman Eliyahu |
| Alma mater | Porat Yosef Yeshiva |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Denomination | Hardal |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Ovadia Yosef |
| Successor | Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron |
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu (Hebrew:מרדכי צמח אליהו; March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010)[1][a] was an Israelirabbi,posek, and spiritual leader.
The son of a JerusalemKabbalist, in his youth, Eliyahu was active in the radical religious Jewish underground terrorist organizationBrit HaKanaim. He served as adayan inBeersheba, and in the Supreme Rabbinical Court inJerusalem. He later served as theRishon LeZion, orChief Rabbi of Israel, from 1983 to 1993.
As a leader ofReligious Zionism, Eliyahu was instrumental in moving many of its members over to the religious right, sparking the beginnings of theHardal movement. A supporter ofMeir Kahane andJonathan Pollard, Eliyahu expressed his opposition to theIsraeli disengagement from Gaza.
Eliyahu died at age 81, after complications from a heart condition. He was buried onHar HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
Mordechai Eliyahu was born in theJewish Quarter ofJerusalem, the son ofIraqi Jewish rabbiSalman Eliyahu, a JerusalemKabbalist, and his wife Mazal, who was a sister ofYehuda Tzadka.[2] The family surname wasHebraicised from Elias.[3] He had an older brother,Naim Ben Eliyahu [he], a younger sister Rachel, and brother Shimon.[4] Salman was a disciple ofYosef Hayyim (the Ben Ish Hai), who was Mazal's great-uncle.[3] The family was so poor that Eliyahu had to improvise ways in which to study, which often meant learning by candlelight. Salman died when Eliyahu was eleven, but not before he instilled in his son a love ofTorah and Kabbalah.[1][5]
In his youth, Eliyahu attendedPorat Yosef Yeshiva, and had the opportunity to learn from many great teachers such asEzra Attiya,Sadqa Hussein, andAvrohom Yeshaya Karelitz (the Chazon Ish).[5] He would later come into contact withMordechai Sharabi,Yaakov Mutzafi, andYitzhak Kaduri. Later in life, he cultivated a unique relationship withMenachem Mendel Schneerson (the Lubavitcher Rebbe).[1]
"I felt that the Jews have an inferiority complex that causes them to be disrespected by others, which in turn affects the leadership...and we decided to found an organization whose purpose is to instill Jewish pride. I believed that through the underground we could impose Torah living in the state."
As a teenager, Eliyahu teamed up withShabtai Yudelevitz [he] in order to conductJewish outreach. In 1950–1951, Eliyahu was among the leaders ofBrit HaKanaim (Hebrew: בְּרִית הַקַנַאִים, lit. Covenant of the Zealots), a radical religious Jewish underground organization which opposed the widespread trend of secularization in the country. The group was involved in torching the cars of people who drove onShabbat, and also butcher shops where non-kosher meat was sold. They once plotted to toss a smoke bomb into theKnesset during a debate on drafting Orthodox women into theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF). A member of the group was in the audience during the debate with the smoke bomb in his pocket, but lacked the opportunity to activate it.
"I admit the way that I went in the past is not appropriate for our generation; not that the Torah has changed, heaven forbid, but rather the way to instill it in the people has changed."
On May 14, 1951, the group's members were arrested by theShin Bet. Eliyahu was sentenced to ten months imprisonment for his part in the group's deeds.[6] Later in his life, he stated that even though his opinions did not change, "The path that I chose in the past was mistaken."[5]
Eliyahu receivedsemikhah (rabbinic ordination) from Sephardic Chief RabbiYitzhak Nissim.[3] The latter requested from him to arrange for the reinterment ofChaim Yosef David Azulai (the Hida) fromLivorno, Italy to Israel. On May 17, 1960, the Hida was laid to rest atHar HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.[1]
That year, Eliyahu was appointeddayan inBeersheba, the youngest one in the country.[1] He was often involved in adjudicating complicated family issues.Eliyahu was a favorite of theBaba Sali, who lived nearby inNetivot. One day, the latter insisted Eliyahu stop whatever he was doing and come visit him for a glass ofarak. Not wishing to upset the holy man, Eliyahu accepted the invitation, only to find out later that a disgruntled ex-litigant had gone to thebeth din seeking to do him harm.[7]
Four years later, Eliyahu was transferred to the Jerusalem regional beth din, and later was elected to the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem,[1] a position he would retain during his term as Chief Rabbi of Israel and afterwards.
On March 18, 1983, Eliyahu was appointedRishon LeZion (Chief Rabbi of Israel) at theYochanan Ben Zakai Synagogue in theJewish Quarter of theOld City of Jerusalem. He served concurrently with ChiefAshkenazi RabbiAvraham Shapira until 1993, when both of their terms expired.
During his term as Chief Rabbi, one of Eliyahu's focuses was on attempting to reach out tosecular Israeli Jews, giving them a better understanding of Jewish customs and their importance. He traveled extensively throughout Israel and the world, often together with Shapira, emphasizing the importance of Jewish education,Shabbat observance,niddah (family purity), fightingassimilation, and makingaliyah. Eliyahu showed a willingness to go to secular environments in order to connect with other Jews, occasionally lecturing in secularmoshavim andkibbutzim. After stepping down from his official post, Eliyahu remained active, even ramping up his work for the Jewish community in Israel and thediaspora.
As one of the spiritual leaders of theReligious Zionist movement, Eliyahu was instrumental in moving many members of that group over to the religious right, in the direction ofHaredi Judaism. One of the ways he did this was by insisting that his followers adhere torabbinic authority in all of their endeavors. He was thus considered the progenitor of theHardal movement. "Hardal" is a Hebrew acronym forHaredi Dati Le'umi, or Haredi Religious Nationalist.[6]
Eliyahu was an outspoken opponent of the 2005Israeli disengagement from Gaza. He made statements interpreted as forbidding Orthodox Jews from participating in or facilitating the expulsion of the Jews fromGush Katif, but later said he did not mean for soldiers to engage in "active refusal".[8] In January of that year, Eliyahu stated that the2004 tsunami was a (pre-emptive) "divine punishment" for Asian governments supporting the disengagement plan.[9]
In March 2006, three days before theIsraeli elections, Eliyahu stated that it was forbidden to vote for any political party that had backed the disengagement, and stressed that anyone who voted forKadima was "assisting sinners". He stressed the importance of voting for a party committed to religious education and yeshivas, but urged against voting for those religious parties that had supported the disengagement, and called for members of the religiousShas party to repent for supporting theOslo Accords.[10]
In May 2007, Eliyahu wrote a letter toPrime MinisterEhud Olmert which suggested "that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings". Shmuel Eliyahu explained that his father opposed a ground troop incursion into Gaza that would endanger IDF soldiers.[11]
In a 2007 radio interview, given to Haredi radio station Kol Haemet on the eve ofHolocaust Remembrance Day, Eliyahu was asked what was the sin of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. He said: "Those people were innocent, butReform started in Germany. Those reformers of religion started in Germany, and because it is said that the wrath of God does not distinguish between the righteous and the evil ones – this was done."[12]
Eliyahu was considered somewhat controversial for his decades-long support of what some characterize as the radical right of the Religious Zionist movement. Eliyahu was a supporter ofMeir Kahane, and was friendly with his family. He officiated at the marriage of Kahane's son,Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, and delivered the eulogy at Meir Kahane's funeral. Eliyahu was a long-time supporter ofJonathan Pollard, becoming his spiritual mentor while Pollard served time in U.S. prisons, having visited him there several times.
In 2008, at a service to remember the death of 8 Israeli students killed in theMercaz HaRav massacre, Eliyahu said, "Even when we seek revenge, it is important to make one thing clear – the life of one yeshiva boy is worth more than the lives of 1,000 Arabs. TheTalmud states that ifgentiles rob Israel of silver, they will pay it back in gold, and all that is taken will be paid back in folds, but in cases like these, there is nothing to pay back, since as I said – the life of one yeshiva boy is worth more than the lives of 1,000 Arabs".[13]
Eliyahu worked for the preservation of the Iraqi Jewish rite and the opinions of the Ben Ish Hai, and opposed the attempts ofOvadia Yosef to impose a uniform "Israeli Sephardi" rite based on theShulchan Aruch and his ownhalakhic opinions. He published aprayer book calledQol Eliyahu, based on this stance.
At the age of 24, Eliyahu marriedTzviya Eliyahu [he], the daughter of his rabbi,Nissim David Azran [he], the founder androsh yeshiva of Bet Shmuel Yeshiva inNachlaot, Jerusalem.[3] They had three sons;Shlomo Ben Eliyahu [he], a lawyer;[14]Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi ofSafed;Yosef Eliyahu [he], dean of Darchei Hora'ah LeRabbanim;[15] and Merav, a daughter.
Eliyahu suffered from a heart condition. On August 24, 2009, he collapsed in his home, and was rushed to the hospital while unconscious.[16] He died on June 7, 2010, atShaare Zedek Medical Center from complications related to his heart condition. He was 81 years old. An estimated 100,000 people attended his funeral in Jerusalem, which began at 10:00 PM on Monday, June 7, 2010.[17] He was interred on Har HaMenuchot, adjacent to the Hida.[3]
Eliyahu founded the Heichal Yaakov Synagogue, named afterJacob Safra, and Darchei Hora'ah LeRabbanim yeshiva in theKiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem, which is now headed by his son Yosef Eliyahu.
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| Preceded by | Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel 1983–1993 | Succeeded by |
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