Great Israeli Rabbis of Iraqi Descent
Among the Jewish people there are two major cultures. There are those of Sephardic Descent and those of Ashkenaz descent. Although both cultures are very diverse and have separate communities, they follow the same religious guidelines and rules. However, Sephardic Jewry originated mainly from Spanish and Arab countries while Ashkenazic Jewry originated mainly from European countries and Russia. The most scholarly advanced of the Jews over the last hundred years are those of Iraqi descent which produced prestigious rabbis such as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. Many of todays great Iraqi Jewish Rabbis are not just ...view middle of the document...
In 1970, Rabbi Yosef received the ‘Israel Prize’ for rabbinic literature. In 1973, the Israeli Parliament voted 81 to 68 in favor of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef over Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim rendering Rabbi Yosef the Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. Until today, this is regarded as the most esteemed and celebrated position any Rabbi can receive. The job of the Chief Rabbi is to issue religious rulings and to politically balance out a secular Israeli government by pushing religious values and morals. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef stepped down in 1983 at the end of his term and was succeeded by another great Iraqi Jew, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. Yosef is unanimously regarded as the greatest Chief Rabbi the state of Israel has ever had. He currently resides in Jerusalem, Israel where he spends his days learning the Talmud, Jewish law, the Pentateuch and the Kabbalah, which he knows by heart. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was blessed with photographic memory and this was able to catapult him past all the other great Jewish scholars, respectively. Although he is retired, at age 93 Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is still regarded as the Sephardic spiritual leader of the generation and his rulings are everlasting.
Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, a great Iraqi rabbi passed away on January 28, 2006 with estimates of his age ranging from 104-108. Kaduri specialized in the Jewish study of kabbalah and was one of the greatest kabbalists of the last 100 years, arguably second to the great Moroccan born Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira. Kabbalah is the ancient Jewish mystic study of the bible. Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri was born in Baghdad, Iraq and lived there until 1923. In 1923, Kaduri immigrated to Israel where he went to study in the Shoshanim Ledavid Yeshiva for kabbalists from Iraq. After his departure from the Shoshanim Ledavid Yeshiva, Kaduri was taken into the great Porat Yosef Yeshiva where he immersed himself in study for many years. Similar to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Yitzchak Kadouri was also gifted with a photographic memory and like Yosef would review his studies over and over again until he knew every minute detail by heart. In order to be able to study the Torah for most of his day, Khaduri was incapable of working a job with long hours. Due to his tremendous devotion to attaining Judaic knowledge, Khaduri worked few hours a day as a bookbinder. Eventually, due to his profound knowledge and wisdom, Khaduri served as the head of the Nahalat Yitzchak Yeshiva in Jerusalem. After the passing of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira in 1984, Khaduri was regarded as the world’s greatest kabbalist for over 20 years until his death. Over the years, thousands of Jews would come to seek the advice and blessings of the great Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri. Many people have directly attributed personal miracles to receiving a blessing from Rabbi Kaduri, such as: recovery from severe illnesses and diseases, children born to couples with fertility problems, finding a spouse, and economic blessings. Rabbi Kaduri was also seen as a...
