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Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv


Question:

I heard that a great Rabbi passed away in Jerusalem recently (July 2012). I was told that he was the greatest Rabbi of our generation. What made him so great? What is his legacy?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

It is hard to begin to put into words the impact that Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv had on the Jewish world. He was one hundred and two years old when he passed away and most people might be surprised at the outpouring of grief that his passing has generated. After all one hundred and two is a very goodly age and no one can be expected to live forever. But Rabbi Elyashiv was far more than just an “old man”. He was the recognized as being the greatest expert in Jewish Law in the world. His rulings were sought after from all four corners of the globe because they were considered to be the most definitive. His grasp of every single nuance of Jewish Law was so complete that, up until only a few months ago, the most delicate and complex issues were brought to him for an answer which he normally furnished on the spot. 

However, what was his greatest trademark was not his encyclopedic knowledge and understanding. Rather, it was his absolute humility and lack of ego. He never looked at himself as being better than others or greater than others. For decades he had no formal title and no formal position – he sat in his dilapidated home that possessed not one luxury and he studied Torah all day and all night long. He understood that his prodigious capabilities came to him not just because of his incredible diligence, but because they were truly a gift from God and that they must be treated accordingly. And it was this astonishing humility that endeared Rabbi Elyashiv to all who met with him and to all who accepted his rulings throughout the world. Less than two years ago a non-Jewish surgeon, an expert in his field, was brought over from America to operate on Rabbi Elyashiv. When asked afterwards about the experience, he said that each time that he had met Rabbi Elyashiv he felt that he had been in the presence of a completely holy man. What that doctor felt, the Orthodox Jewish world has known and felt for many, many years and that is  what we are mourning – the loss of a completely holy and humble man who was the greatest determiner of Jewish Law in our generation.


 
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