Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu - Rishon LeZion

Rav Mordechai Tzemach ben Salman Eliyahu (1929 — 2010) was the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel - Rishon LeZion for 10 years. Yahrzeit - 25 Sivan Burial place - Jerusalem, Har HaMenuchot He studied at the Jerusalem kabbalistic Yeshiva "Porat Yosef" and later at "HaRav Nissim." He was a student of the Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzchak Nissim, on whose behalf he organized, in 1960, the reburial in Israel of Rabbeinu Chida, who had been buried in Livorno (Italy) – today their graves lie side by side. On 25 Sivan, Rav Eliyahu ascended to the Heavenly Yeshiva. It is striking that 25 Sivan is also the day of the hillula of Rabbi Yishmael HaKohen HaGadol – about whom there is a song he loved so much, "Tanya, Amar Rabbi Yishmael," which he often asked to be played, even during his illness. This song is a Baraita (a teaching not recorded in the Mishnah), in which Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest tells of how Ha-Shem asked him to bless Him: "A story told by Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha: once I entered [the Holy of Holies] and saw there the L-rd of Hosts seated upon His throne of mercy, and He said to me: 'Yishmael, My son, bless Me.' And I answered Him: 'May it be Your will that Your mercy overcome Your anger, and Your compassion prevail over Your attribute of judgment, and may You deal mercifully with Your children and not judge them with the full measure of strictness.'" Rav Ben Shushan explains that: "For Rav Mordechai Eliyahu this was a guiding principle he followed his whole life - to treat his children with mercy and compassion.   Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rachel Imeinu Once Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was hospitalized, and on the way to the hospital he heard that Operation "Cast Lead" had begun. He immediately asked the ambulance driver to turn toward the grave of Rachel Imeinu. However unwell he felt – he wept and prayed at her grave for the soldiers of Israel. During this operation, a story spread throughout Israel about how IDF soldiers, approaching the towns from which the shelling had come, repeatedly saw a woman dressed all in black, like a Muslim woman, coming out of the houses. In fluent Hebrew she warned them of danger, raised her hands to the heavens, and pleaded with the soldiers not to enter those houses, telling them it was a trap - the houses were mined. When the soldiers asked who she was, she answered: "Rachel Imeinu." A few minutes after the soldiers left those places, the houses exploded. After the operation ended, several soldiers went to Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu to ask whether it could really be true that our Matriarch Rachel would appear in such places at such a time. And then Rav Mordechai said: "Of course, for I prayed and asked at her grave that she watch over you." (From a lesson by Anat Ben Ari)   A Trip to Paris Once Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was officially invited to France by President Jacques Chirac. Chirac was known as a pro-Arab leader who constantly pushed Israel to make territorial concessions to the Arabs, which meant relations between France and Israel were quite tense. Rabbi Eliyahu was a very outspoken man who could not stand formality, and the members of the Israeli embassy were very nervous. Although Rav Eliyahu was a very cheerful man, their fears turned out to be justified. The French decided to take Rav Eliyahu to the Louvre – the pride of France. First they took him to the halls with paintings by great artists, but Rav Eliyahu refused to look at immodest paintings; Then they took him to the royal chambers. When he was shown Napoleon's throne, he exclaimed: "How beautiful! And when did Napoleon live? Ah, how beautiful! I want to buy it - how much are you asking for it?" They quickly moved him into another hall — the bedroom of King Louis XIV, whose main exhibit was the bed of this famous libertine. The Rav listened to the translator, and then innocently asked: "You are so proud of this bed - this king must have been a man of great moral virtue?" The embassy officials blushed, while the French, losing their patience, openly laughed. The guide explained that Napoleon's chair has great historical and national significance, and of course it is not for sale — it is simply priceless, and as for King Louis, although he was not known as a particularly moral man, France is nonetheless proud of him as part of its national heritage. After this they went to President Chirac's residence, where an official ceremony was held in honor of the esteemed guest, and after many speeches and formalities, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu was invited to say a few words, to be accompanied by simultaneous translation into French. Rav Eliyahu began with a detailed description of his visit to the Louvre and the questions he had asked the guide, which drew laughter from everyone present. But then the rabbi's wife whispered to her husband that the interpreter was not translating very accurately, and, sensing that there was something behind her husband's words, she asked the Chief Rabbi of France, who was also present, to take over the translation of the rabbi's speech. Rabbi Eliyahu continued: "During my visit to the museum, I learned that the throne of Emperor Napoleon is not for sale because it has historical significance for your nation, and that King Louis XIV, though not a man of great moral virtue, is nonetheless respected and honored as a French hero. I noticed that you expected me to pay tribute to these figures, and were surprised that I did not, even though I am not French and do not live in France. If that is so, my dear friends, may I be so bold as to ask the same of you: we Jews also have our own founders of our people: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they lived 4,000 years ago and were of impeccable honesty and selflessness. And I think it is fitting to ask that you show our forefathers the respect that you demand for your own. 3,000 years ago Moses brought us into the Promised Land, and 400 years later David and Solomon acquired, purchased with money, and built up the city of Jerusalem — our capital and our holy site. This is our history. It is entirely logical that just as you expect us to show respect for your heritage, so you should respect ours. If Napoleon's chair is not for sale, how can you expect us to sell parts of Israel and Jerusalem?" The members of the Israeli embassy were in a panic: this was exactly what they had feared! An absolute silence fell, and they were certain that Chirac would storm out of the hall in fury. But a great surprise awaited them. All the French officials, including the president himself, rose and applauded the rabbi at length. Chirac warmly shook the rabbi's hand, called over one of his aides, and whispered something in his ear; the aide quickly left the room and just as quickly returned, carrying a small velvet-lined box. Chirac asked for silence, and then announced: "This medal is normally an award reserved for heads of state, but I have never heard anything like this. Your speech moved me so much that I am awarding it to you." And when he finished speaking, the hall broke into applause once again.   Soap from a Concentration Camp Near Tzfat is the grave of the great Tanna Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai and his sons, and below, if you go down the steps to the grave itself, pieces of soap brought from a concentration camp... made from murdered Jews... are buried nearby in the wall. This was Rav Mordechai's instruction, done when they built up the Tzion of Rabbi Bar Ilai.   Rulings About the Coming of Mashiach Buried with Rav Mordechai Eliyahu The Israeli kabbalist Rav Yehoshua Ben-Shushan gathered several kabbalists and, together with them, established a special rabbinical court ("Beit Din") in which they discussed matters connected to the coming of Mashiach and the Redemption. Rav Mordechai Eliyahu also took part in the sessions of this court, which met every year and issued a ruling: "The time of the Redemption has come." Before Rav Eliyahu's funeral, Rav Yehoshua Ben-Shushan revealed this to members of his family and asked that Rav Mordechai Eliyahu be buried together with the ruling. He explained that this was necessary in order to present the ruling before the Heavenly Court and, through this, hasten the Redemption. They agreed and did so (in the video recording of the funeral, one can see a large folder next to Rav Eliyahu's body containing all the documentation of the rabbinical court). All of this was told by his son — Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, the rabbi of Tzfat.   A Segula for Refuah Shleimah Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu advised a Jew who came to him seeking help for an illness (a tumor on his head) to go to the grave of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, gather sand ("chol") from the 4 corners (pinot) of his Tzion (a small bag will do), and place it on the afflicted spot on his head, saying this would certainly "heal" (merape) him. Rabbi Mordechai explained this by saying that Rabbi Elazar was very poor, and when he studied Torah he did not even have a crumb of bread, and out of hunger he ate sand. And then a Heavenly Voice proclaimed: you eat sand - this sand will become a remedy for people. His grave is a place of striking spiritual power, and is perhaps one of the few places where, in large vats of olive oil, it is customary to light candles for the living, asking for Yeshuot and Brachot. Grave of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach https://silatehilim.com/kivrei_tsadikim/элазар-бен-арах/   The Reburial of Rabbeinu Chida https://silatehilim.com/рабби-мордехай-элиягу-и-рабейну-хида-п/   Saving a Flight Across the Atlantic https://silatehilim.com/необычный-полёт-с-рабби-мордехаем-эли/   Friendship with the Baba Sali https://silatehilim.com/сипурей-цадиким-баба-сали-и-рав-мордех/   May the merit of the tzadik Rabbi Mordechai Tzemach ben Salman Eliyahu protect Am Yisrael! (Compiled from video lessons by Rav Mordechai Eliyahu)