The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

A letter of thanks from the Bikur Cholim Hospital 154 The bitter news It was a Saturday night, in the month of Tevet, 2006. I was sitting in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem and its ancient walls, together with a few friends. At around ten o’clock, I suddenly felt a funny sensation, one that I never experienced before. It was as if someone wrenched a piece from my innards. I felt that something had happened, but I couldn’t ¿gure out what it was. Two days before, I had organized a special prayer-session for the health of the Rav, who had been hospitalized in the Bikur Cholim Hospital in Jerusalem. We came to pray at the Kotel Hama’aravi at seven thirty in the morning, with the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Harav Shlomo Amar shlita. Harav Amar leaned against the walls of the Kotel and with tears streaming down his cheeks, pleaded for the life of the great tzaddik who had spent his entire life praying for the welfare of all Israel. His voice reverberated on that holy spot, “May G-d grant a speedy recovery to Rabbi Yitzchak Kadouri ben Tufacha,” and the whole congregation called out, “A…men”. Some ten minutes after that unusual feeling, my younger brother, Yitzchak, called me. He noti¿ed me of the saddest message I ever heard in my entire life. “Rabbi Yitzchak Kadouri just passed away. They just announced it on the radio.” I was unable to respond. Tears ¿lled my eyes and wet my cheeks. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. Who can comfort one after hearing such bitter news? I separated from my friends and began driving home, to cry over this terrible misfortune. By mistake, which turned out not to really be a mistake at all, I made the wrong turn. I went right instead of left, and found myself in the area of the Bikur Cholim Hospital. Already a kilometer awawy, the streets were ¿lled