Hesped in Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim for Rav Ovadia Yosef z't'l by Rav Ilan Meirov

when we think about legendary leaders of the past Century I think we can all agree that the rash would make it towards the top of the list as we all know the Riva was a very young man when he took over for his illustrious father and he took his father's vision of spreading tah Across America and made that his lifelong Mission and slowly but surely with with great has become a tremendous force in the a great leader in the T with branches and Affiliates throughout the country that not only Advocate T not only Excel in Li T but they Advocate and they Excel something that's really unmatched other something that's tremendously testimony to what did over here you saw his vision become a reality before our very own eyes while was starting his Revolution here in America started his own revolution in is it was a revolution that eventually found its way to America and Canada Brazil France London Mexico Argentina and many other parts of the world it started in the 1940s the late 1940s when the state of Israel was created and the early 1950s as well when there was a great wave of immigration of saric Jews to isra and saw with with great pain how religious and traditional Jews from Yemen Morocco and other such countries made Al to is but they experienced a tremendous the secular establishment that was in control of the country that was in charge of the country they tore them away from Tora they took the little boys they cut off the PE they sent them to secular schools that in essence mocked their holy traditions and they accused them of being primitive and old schooled oldfashioned and they basically destroyed the T of these children they destroyed the Simplicity of these children of and he started guiding them to a life of nationalism without T Judaism and at the time was about 29 9 30 31 he just finished his stint of being a r in MIT in Egypt which is a story but he finished his stint over there and he saw this he saw what was taking place in is and he started formulating a vision of his own it was a vision where he would see these very kids and their children becoming becoming that Vision was his lifelong Mission he took that to heart and he put his life into it and I believe as we sit here today after witnessing approximately 1 million people coming to his Le with tens of thousands locked out of Y due to danger and security threats and after we see that there's approximately 40 to 50,000 boys and girls in his for children and you see that he has a few thousand and a few thousand they're sitting and learning believe we can all agree that his vision has indeed become a reality I tell everyone over the past week that it's not a coincidence that we know there's a famous that states that was was unhappy with the world was unhappy happy with with Humanity until came along and ask what's the problem of the Torah tells us what about it was a proced in fact's own daughter-in-law she went to them to ask and inquire about her problems with the pregnancy what no wasn't enough of weren't enough so we know the famous answer of M which is very relevant to what we're discussing here today finds says as follows he says yes it's true that there were great before no question about it however they kept their kadha to themselves they kept their to themselves they didn't go out to the people to educate to inspire to prove that there's a Creator to the universe if you had a sh you had a question you have to come to them because they didn't come to you and although you may be considered a but you're not fulfilling your mission that's how what gives on the other hand was he went down to the people Abu went down to educate to show the way to guide to inspire to prove that was it wasn't just about himself it was about going out to the public going out to the teaching people that are lower than him that there is more to life than what they think was without a doubt the a of Our Generation he was a tremendous G he was an he was he was he was a Fearless despite that despite that resume of his he didn't find it beneath his level to go to the people he would go from country to country from City to City K to Kaa sh to he would knock on doors we're talking about a man that was a great P would go knocking on people doors like the little activist of he would knock on their doors and he would try to encourage parents to send their kids to he would discuss the importance of of beauty ofab there is a we're talking about a man that was a tremendous the do that went down to the people in a fashion that's almost unheard of was without question of Our Generation you know it says every generation has it it if any of you listen to the which was given by all all of all Stripes you had and he had son they all Echo the same exact points and they said every generation has its leaders it's like every generation has a every generation has they have they're the the generation every generation has but only one in few Generations has a person like who was a hybrid of the two he was a and at the same time he was a something that's unheard of something you don't find but that's the person that we lost that's the man that we lost only a few days ago you know when we talk about his his amus was tremendous he was such a mid from a young age it was recognized everyone saw it all were Ed by his diligence by his combined together and you know he used to eat the Su walk with the sleep with the Su it was part of his life when he wrote three four years ago after his brother passed away he had terrible back pains terrible he had a fall he had terrible back pains and I asked his family I print three books and close to 1500 pages such a short time and they said exactly that that's it once he's dealing with something that is him until he's done with the topic that was that that he had that's the kind of focus he had in his learning there's a famous story was sitting and learning in his house anyone of here ever been to his house before before anyone had oh if you ever go to his house you'll notice that the whole house is full of I mean from wall to wall there's not an inch of space even between the door and the ceiling there will beim every single area of his house they say he had approximately 40,000 in his house not like some guys they just buy a whole set of everything so their bookshelf looks very nice they were all used and he knew most of them by heart so one time he had to get a SE from the top shelf he got his little ladder climbed up the shelf and starts analyzing the seph reading looking through it half hour 40 minutes hour hour and a half approximately two hours he stood there on the ladder he finished what he had to do he closed his se he puts it back in the shelf and as he's turning around to go back to his table he forgot that he was standing on a ladder so he took a step right into midair and he fell right to the ground he had a cast for about three months was telling over that when his father-in-law went to visit the he stayed there for an extended period of time longer than usual so if Z asked his father-in-law why were you there for so long usually you walk in leave why did you stay there longer than usual soash told him I wasn't visiting just any I was visiting a man he for you to stand up on a ladder forget you on a ladder and fall off I wanted to be around him a little longer that's the kind of when he was sitting on a topic the phone didn't exist his friends didn't exist it was him and the it was him and and was him and and that was if any of you saw four years ago fell and he hurt his back I went to visit I went to tell him I want you to know everything we do with and queens and we told him how he inspired us and the felt very good but he saw he was in tremendous pain tremendous pain he had a difficult time walking difficult time sitting and around that time period sh went to visit the sh was one of the he was was a if I'm not mistaken was going back 50 years ago so you have the sitting there that video the video of this of this meeting is all over and you see asking him my back is hurting can't learn and starts crying but because my sins and is saying starts crying and then he have here these two giants of Tora sitting together crying we're talking about 190 years of life amongst the two of them sitting and crying over the fact that he couldn't learn the way he used to why because his back was hurting him that he had when he couldn't learn was the real t m he he he he couldn't function because he could Lear properly that's the kind of that he had I heard from one of the rabbis in Brooklyn that one time he was giving a hped over there that one time came to New York he came several times and he was staying by this rabbi's house I think it was raberi and he was staying by his house and what happened was walks to the house and he tells him can you show me my bedroom okay come ahead upstairs it's right over here what was he looking for the pillow to make sure was it was comfortable the blankets he looked around the room he says do you have a nightlight maybe a little lamp something yeah I take care of it no problem okay he brings a little NightLight says put it in the closet so it doesn't disturb us when we're sleeping and do you have maybe a chair that we can have in the room as well yeah no problem bring the chair bring it up to the room the next morning the ran Al Shalom tells the host like you gave my husband a little lamp and he gave him a chair you should know that the whole night the whole night after the the locked himself up in the closet and he sat and learned in the closet he had no window he had no air what you doing to him but in reality the did not want to learn downstairs why he didn't want it to be seen like his G he sits and learns all Friday night oh make sure the library lights are on make sure everything's available he asked for a nightlight as if he's scared of the dark right give me a chair maybe he needs to put on his shoes or something and he sat there the whole night sitting and learning in his closet with no air with no nothing told me son told me that his father almost never slept on Friday nights during the week he would go to sleep 2 3 in the morning on Friday nights he couldn't sleep why because the writes on Friday night and Shabbat is a thousand times greater than during the week how can I go to sleep he used to say he would almost never sleep sleep on Friday nights he would learn hour after hour after hour after hour that was his D his other son told me he said that his father would never ever go shopping for anything shoes clothes nothing so no how did he get his new clothes the family would call the tailor the shoeman whoever it may be call him to the house give an extra tip and the will be sitting in his house learning and as he's learning they and they lift up his arms to try on one suit right if it looks good they say move forward a little bit they push him forward they put in the other arm and as he's delving into the that's exactly how they chose a suit for him clothes for him same thing with his shoes the kids will help out and try on different shoes he was the once told over she told over to his household when the would come home really late at night she would leave food on the on the stove for him and one night he comes home really late he eats what he thought was the food and the next morning she asks him yeah I ate last night and she noticed that the starch that she was making for the laundry was missing he ate he didn't eat his food he ate the starch and he said didn't even realize what he's eating talking about a man that was non-existent for him it was that's all that counted for him he would learn with such M you should know with all the trips that he made around the world and to the different cities in Israel you will go from City to City every night five six cities in Israel to speak to people with long hair and earrings and Tattoos to encourage them he would go to five six cities every single night he had a special helicopter that took him around the country five six cities every night of Kes and throughout the ride he would be sitting and learning to his son told me that his father finished shots many times just by traveling whether it's on the plane whether it's in the car whether it's in a helicopter he would go through he would finish upon just by raining between as a little kid they have a little break sometimes his breaks between K till washing everything was used for Li T that's a kind of addiction his wife used to say my husband to theim is like a drunk man to vodka right he can't let go of the my husband cannot let go this that's was it was it was legendary it was something you know the last six months of the were probably the toughest of his life we all know that his son had a terrible and he passed away and also we have the whole where they're trying to take Yesa boys like you right they take you out of the Yesa have some sort of system where you join the Army in is it's a whole debate over there right wrong but obviously is 100% against it and you should know that this caused the tremendous tremendous tremendous he couldn't sleep at nights told over at the say I went to visit him several times in the past six months and he said y said will come out when you will talk about this topic in fact when the Prime Minister B came to when son passed away sat there and he started breaking down getting very emotional and he tells the Prime Minister have over losing my son but the T that you're causing me with the G is much greater than losing my child netan at the time kept quiet for a second and then he eventually he saw the r was waiting for an answer and he told him I didn't come for this I come to be passed away recently now comes to his children and his kids are a little tough so ra David wasn't going to let that pass by and David tells bi he said I want you to know that my father is still waiting for your answer why did you not give my father an answer that day what are you doing with the G why are you putting and they attacked him and they questioned him and this time he just remained silent and said I want you to know that that you caused my father the last few months of his life is that you cannot even be to think that you're going to take that a thousand elim will sit and learn T all day long everyone else goes to the Army right hear about this okay you know in America it's not a big deal this is is protecting as a whole this is tremendous but this is a t that had over this matter you know the sensitivity the had for a was legendary any questions people knew knew that he was able to solve it what he did in 1973 after the Yip war was something like said that only a man with tremendous and broad shoulders could take care of there were over 900 women whose husbands were missing were missing after the war now they're tied up did they die probably did is there proof is there and the SAT not for a few weeks for months after months after months after months your mom Vala dealing with every single case where detectives and investigators and different soldiers that were there and listening to the testimony for month after month after month youra with tears as he's going through the cases because some of the told me some of the that died were from they went to fight in the war and knew them because he tested them a few weeks earlier in so he remember their names and he would sit there and cry and cry and he was M every single lady every single woman came out this takes a lot of responsibility it takes also a lot of to put your reputation on the line to go and save the aun cuz you know what many people didn't like it but he knew he knew all the he knew all the and he sat down with everyone he had to sit down with and he touched upon every single case during that time period 14 years ago at told over that 14 years ago the had his first his first first heart attack and they rushed him into the hospital and the situation was stabilized everything was calm and they said they had to put a stent in the artery to to widen it up and the heard about this and he says I want to go home I want to go home was you scared of surgery well everything be okay no I want to go home I have to go home for a few hours and they were going back and forth and they're saying it's necessary you got to have it he's like I'm not denying I want you to do this to me let me just go home for 3 hours I'm in the middle of discussing of learning a topic of wunning a chva for auna I have about three more hours I'll be done with her let me just finish it who knows if I'll come out alive after the surgery and who will take care of it would you take care of it would you take care of it who's going to take care of it what are they supposed to do they saw the was so passionate go home take care of it and they went back to the hospital that's what that's what he cared about his life was coming to an end he wasn't worried about oh no no no what about his auna who will take care of her who will take care of his case there's a lot to say I don't want to take away from your but I'll just end off with a personal story something that to this day is just it's mindboggling to see I've many times and a year and a half ago I wanted to go a for for and and also a written letter for something so I made an appointment to meet it was a very short trip to Israel 4 days I made an appointment to meet I got to the country and the next thing you know all over the news the is not accepting any visitors for a full week for full week I have a wife I have kids I have a I can't just leave for another week even I wouldn't minded but uh my wife is on top of me every time coming back coming back right she heard about this and I got pressured as well that was the of the trip so I called the family I explained them the dire need I me meeting the love and they told me to work it out for me they said don't come after because people will see you walking in they'll get upset come while the is learning in his room in his Library what time approximately 12 12:30 in the afternoon said as I'm getting ready to go I started feeling guilty why did the not accept any visitors cuz that day he just found out from his oldest sonov that he has a they never revealed it to him until he got to his later stages and they told him about it that day and the wanted to spend the whole week just learning for his didn't want to have any visitors so I started contemplating is it right for me to come along Anda when the asked no and then I'm telling myself what do you mean I could you say he gives you an opportunity to go you have to go and I'm having this inner struggle go don't go go don't go and eventually I'm my one but I said I'm going and I made my way to his house I come in and again every time you go you get AED by all theim that's around him but when I walked into his room you see the we talking about a 92y old man back problems heart problems problem with a kidney stress hard whatever it is all the problems he can have is on him all the problems of Cl is on him and I walk into his room and you see a man with Serenity mamash sitting and chuckling very slowly he had the in front of him that's what he was reading and he had another 20 to 25 Books open around him he was going through a you saw a man on the mission he was working his eyes were reading his mouth was murmuring his hand had a pen and he had paper to take notes right next to him saw a thing of beauty we're talking about a thing I'll never forget such such such such now when they told me to go to the I started feeling guilty I'm ruining it I'm ruining the perfect picture but I approached the and I expected him to just give me a and tell me to get out what are you disturbing me his son he's learning for his son who has a terrible disease and when I approached him I approached he looked at me accepted me smack on the cheek another looked over what I showed him another another smack of as if it was a regular day in his life as if he didn't find out about his child being sick as if he didn't have heart problems M as if it's a normal day and was there for a good 15 20 minutes and I was absolutely shocked I went there with and I came out with such such he could have told me yes but no he gave me his typical his typical of recording and and just the love of as if I was his grandchild that's who the was and although many of you never had a connection to him if you just go through a you see the his it's just quoting you see theim that he makes in theim and how he comes to a conclusion it's such a beautiful like a work of art starting with and he gives respect to all the according every single one whether they had his or not his same it was irrelevant if they was legendary was legendary and if you could take maybe one thing I don't have to give any here what they do over here is probably the greatest in the world but if we could take it to the next level where you could start having extra and trust me we all have room for improvement to work on to work on these items these are items that could bring the G you know the when he learned and he always stressed it he stressed it to me a few years ago when you learn you got to read you got to use your mouth and you got to write and if you could read use your mouth write and teach it over oh there's no greater Li than that this is who we lost and hopefully could be for us the family actually has a video that he left before he passed away for am I don't know what he said or what he didn't say it's going to be public probably the next few days but one thing I do know was that he fought for the to sit and learn all day with no that's what he fought for that's what he believed in and we could take our learning to the next level add a few more minutes here you have a 10-minute break there to add a few more minutes there and then we'll see the legacy of that just died and behind us it'll continue for many many more Generations