PASSION FOR STUDYING Today marks the seventh anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Obadia Yosef z”l, who died at the age of 93. Rabbi Obadia was not only the most illustrious Chief Rabbi of Israel (Rishon LeTsion) in modern times, but also the Rabbi who led the Sephardim in Israel and the diaspora to their original customs and traditions. Rabbi Obadia Yosef’s passion was the study of the Tora, in particular, the legal aspects of Judaism (halakhot). Jewish jurisprudence is a very complex discipline and one needs to read and remember many, many books, some encyclopedic in size, to become a master in this field. Rabbi Yosef was endowed with a prodigious memory that allowed him to quote thousands of rabbinical opinions and rulings by heart. But his exceptional mental talents would not have been enough without his uninterrupted dedication to Tora study. I remember his son, Rabbi Ya’aqob Yosef z”l, with whom I studied for 2 years in Yerushalayim, who told us that his own passion for studying Tora began when he saw his father gently rocking the cradle of one of his little brothers with one hand, while holding and reading a Tora book with the other.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD TEACHER
From a very young age, Rabbi Obadia Yosef displayed the two most important signs of a great Tora luminary: a passion for Torah study and an exceptional memory. But that was not enough in the 1930s in Israel. In those days of financial depression, the world’s economic situation was chaotic and Israel (in those days“Palestine”) was obviously no exception. The family could not afford to have a child outside the job market… For a time, young Obadia Yosef was allowed to study at the most prestigious Sephardic Yeshiba, Porat Yosef, in the Old City of Jerusalem. But soon after, he was forced to quit his studies and work in his father’s shop in “shekhunat habukharim” in Jerusalem. Porat Yosef was led by a great rabbi born in Aleppo, Syria, Ribbi Ezra Attie z ”l (1887-1970) who besides being a very pious man and one of the greatest Tora scholars of his generation also had the ability to identify the intellectual potential and leadership qualities in his students. During the short time that Rabbi Yosef studied at Porat Yosef, Rabbi Attie identified his charisma, bright mind, and positive character. And when he found out that the young Obadia had to leave his studies to go to work, he became very sad. But he didn’t give up and did the unexpected. Rabbi Attie approached Rabbi Yosef’s father and begged him to let the boy return to the Yeshiba. He told his father: “If you need help in the store, I will stay here and work for you for free. Keeping me away from Tora study matters less than keeping your son away”. Rabbi Yosef’s father couldn’t say no. And realizing his son’s potential as a great Tora scholar, he allowed him to return to his studies. This was probably the most important turning point in Rabbi Yosef’s life.
RETURNING THE CROWN TO ITS ORIGIN
What characterized Rabbi Yosef as the leader of Sephardic Jews was his courage to reclaim the halakhic Sephardic voices of the past as binding in the present. It was not an easy task, considering that at that time he had to openly challenge other rabbinic leaders who also claimed to represent the authentic Sephardic approach. Rabbi Obadia’s main contribution was the restoration of Rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575) and his Shulkhan ‘arukh as the highest authority for Sephardic Jews in Israel. “Quibalnu Horaot Maran“, historically Sepharadic Jews agreed to follow the rulings of Rabbi Yosef Caro and to do no less and no more than what is stated in his books.
BEN ISH HAI or SHULCHAN ARUKH?
Uniting the Sephardic Jews of Israel around Shulchan Arukh was one of the main goals —and achievements— of Rabbi Obadia Yosef z”l. Sephardic Jews came to Israel from many countries (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Iran, etc.) and brought with them multiple local customs, and in many cases, these practices were stricter than what Jewish law requires. Pesach is a good example of these additional restrictions. Jews in Spanish Morocco, for example, used to cover the dining room table with seven tablecloths. Nobody dared to buy sugar or common oil for Passover. And many were using only cleaning products that were certified Kosher for Pesach, etc. Notably, the first book published by Rabbi Obadia Yosef was Jazon Obadia, a book on the laws of Pesach, which when first published in the 1950s was revolutionary. Because Rabbi Yosef directed his readers to renounce additional restrictions (dictated in Ben Ish Hay, or other local rabbinic authorities ) that in his opinion were not applicable in Israel, where Rabbi Yosef Caro was the ultimate authority. Something very similar happened with many laws of Nidda (family purity), Shabbat or Kashrut, just to mention a few examples. I remember once having a private meeting with Rabbi Yosef and I asked him about the Halakhic practical scope of the Ari haQadosh rules and he told me unambiguously that they are applicable “only in the field of liturgy (Tefila) or as a matter of private practice”, for everything else we should strictly follow Shulchan Arukh.
SEPHARADIM OR ASHKENAZIM?
Another reason why many Sephardic had abandoned their millennial traditions was that the Jewish educational system at the time — Jewish schools and especially Rabbinical Academies – was predominantly Ashkenazi, and the Sephardic halachic tradition was literally in danger of extinction. In the 1950s Rabbi Obadia was criticized by many rabbis, Ashkenazim and Sepharadim, who rejected his halachic authority. Part of his vision was to facilitate the practice of Judaism, something he saw as a very necessary principle for our modern days. In the 1960s and 1970s, his views were considered by many Rabbis as too “liberal”. Decades passed until his voice became the highest and undisputed authority in Sephardic communities in Israel and around the world.
Rabbi Yosef Bitton
