Learn About The Rishon L'Tzion
Ha'Rav Yitzchak Yosef, Shlita
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Bringing The World Of Maran To Life Online
The Moreshet Maran Center website operated by the Maran Heritage Center is actually the English language version of the great content website in Hebrew “Maran Heritage” – the great content portal about Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ZIA.
In the first phase, the website serves as an English-language promotional website for the association’s activities, and the ambition is to raise resources and volunteers through it to further develop the center’s international department, to produce content dealing with Maran’s heritage and teachings also for speakers of different languages, and to create a huge content archive in the English language (and in other languages as well) ), such as our website in Hebrew.
You can learn more by reading Maran’s biography below…
Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef – President of the Maran Heritage Center, was born in Jerusalem on 18 Tevet 1952 (January 16, 1952), and is the sixth son of his father the Gaon Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ZIA, and his rebbetzin, mother Margalit AH.As a child he studied Talmud Torah “Yavne”, and at the age of 12 entered the Porat Yosef, Katamon yeshiva, until the age of seventeen.
In the Great Yeshiva, he studied at the Negev Yeshiva, where he studied in fellowship with the head of the Yeshiva HaGaon Rabbi Issachar Meir Zeleh, and then transferred to the Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem.From the time he was young until later, he grasped his father’s greatness in his mind, was close to him, accompanied him on every occasion, and would summarize his lessons and collect and preserve his handwriting.
After the end of the study hours in the yeshiva, he would go up to help the women, study his father’s books “Yivya Omer” and summarize the laws that come out of them, so that at the age of eighteen he had in his hand in many of the writings which he called “Yalkot Yosef – Peski Dinim”. The young boy thought of publishing his writings as a “pamphlet” and presented the material to his father, who was enjoying the fruits of his son’ and ordered him to print it in a hardcover book in ten thousand copies, which were quickly stolen. His name was not mentioned in the book, but only that it was edited by the son of Maran Hagar’a Yosef Zia’a, and in the second edition the name is written abbreviated: Y. Yosef.
Over the years he published his series of books “Yalkot Yosef” which deals with almost every subject the Jewish person encounters, the books have earned them a place of honor all over the world, have been translated into many languages, and can be found in almost every library around the world.
He married his Rebbetzin, Ruth Yosef Tahi’, the daughter of Rabbi Rahami Atiya.
In the year 1973 (1973) his father was elected Rishon L’tzion and Chief Rabbi of Israel, and at the same time, he founded the important kollel “Chazon Ovadia” where Maran’s son-in-law at the time – Rabbi Meir Sasson – served as head of the kollel, at this place of Torah the rabbi decided his place of study.
In 1975 (1975), at the age of 23, he was appointed rabbi of the moshavim in Bar Giora, Mata and Ness Harim, where he gave regular lessons in Halacha, and initiated lessons and lectures for youth in the state schools.
In 1980, he completed his teaching and law studies together with the members of the first cohort of Kolal Chazon Ovadia, and was commissioned to teach by Rabbi Shalom Mashash zt’l – rabbi of Jerusalem and other rabbis.
With the opening of the second cycle of the kollel, he was appointed by his father to serve as the head of the kollel, when the great father dedicates himself to coming to the place every week and giving a lesson on the subjects being studied, the Abraki of the kollel were privileged to hear from him lessons in the Evan Ezer, Hoshen Mishpat and Yora Deah.
In 1983, he received a certificate of fitness to serve as rabbi of a city from the chief rabbis of Israel.
In 1991, he founded the Yeshiva “Chazon Ovadia” for young men of aliyah, after outstanding Sephardic yeshiva young men came to his father’s residence – Maran Zia’a, and asked him to open a yeshiva setting for them, which was in accordance with his spirit and outlook. Rabbi Margalit opened her savings that she had saved for her old age, and with this money they established the yeshiva that was privileged to produce great and important rabbis and distinguished teachers.
In the year 2003 (2003), Rabbi Shalom Mashash zt’l – rabbi of Jerusalem – passed away, and Rabbi Dover Rabbi Yitzchak to serve under his throne. According to the testimony of Rabbi Mashash’s son, it turned out that this was the desire of the rabbi of Jerusalem. But due to various matters, mainly political, this did not come to fruition.
It was Menachem Av in the year 2013 (July 24, 2013), a few months before his father’s departure, was elected by a majority of 68 votes to serve as “Rishon L’tzion and Chief Rabbi of Israel”, which gave his great father great satisfaction, especially after the many efforts who devoted the rest of his life to that end.
On the 12th of Tishrei, the birthday of his father – Maran Zia’a, the coronation ceremony took place in the “Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai” synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem – as has been the old tradition for hundreds of years. Despite his great weakness, his father ZIA reached the coronation stage which was the last public stage of his life, and had the privilege of crowning his son to sit on his throne after him, to continue leading the people of Israel according to the Halacha and the pure outlook. After a few days, Maran lost consciousness, and Cheshvan, 3 weeks after the coronation, was taken to his worldly home and ascended in the storm of heaven, when the whole house of Israel wept for him for many days.
The rabbi’s office receives thousands of letters of halachic questions every year, and he provides answers to most of the questions, many of the answers were printed in the book “Shu’at Ich’in Lezion” and in the volumes of the annual memory book for Maran “Kovacs Beit Yosef”, which is published by the association.
Even before his father’s passing, he was asked by him to replace him in the largest weekly lesson in the world delivered by Mochash by satellite, and he continues in this role to this day.
The rabbi’s office receives thousands of letters of halachic questions every year, and he provides answers to most of the questioners, many of the answers were printed in the book “Shu’at Ich’in Lezion” and in the volumes of the annual memory book for Maran “Kovacs Beit Yosef”, which is published by the association.
Even before his father’s passing, he was asked by him to replace him in the largest weekly lesson in the world delivered by Mochash by satellite, and he continues in this role to this day.
The Rishon L’Tzion serves as the association’s president, with the chairman, Rabbi Eliyahu Daniel Ozan, consulting with him on every step, and he accompanies the activity personally
The rabbi’s life’s work is mainly expressed in the writing of his well-known and famous books, below are some of his books:
The famous series “Yalkot Yosef”, 34 volumes
Ein Yitzhak – Teaching Rules, 3 volumes
The system dispatcher, 2 volumes
The first report of Zion, 2 volumes
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