The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

G-d rejoices when He receives a pure and untainted soul 178 Below is a transcript of the eulogies of the various great Rabbis, in front of Yeshivat Nachalat Yitzchak preceding the funeral procession, according to the order in which they were said. The eulogy of the Gaon Harav Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l Honored Rabbis and Kabbalists, each one according to his eminence and distinction. The Talmud in tractate Moed Katan states, “Woe to the Land of Israel for it now lacks a great man such as this.” The Talmud tells us that when a great person dies, there is no substitute or replacement for him. The Talmud continues, “He Who dwells in the Uppermost Heavens rejoices when a pure and righteous soul ascends on High.” G-d Himself rejoices to receive such a pure soul, untainted from sin and radiant in righteousness. He goes onto everlasting peace – while we are left to cry! He has left us to mourn our loss. The Talmud tells us of Rabbi Zeira, who was born in Baghdad, the same as the deceased, who was also born in Baghdad. He left home and made aliya to the Land of Israel. When he passed away, the eulogizer opened his eulogy with the following words, “The land of Mesopotamia has given birth, and the Land of Israel has raised its delightful produce.” Similarly, the deceased was born in Mesopotamia but grew up and became great in the Land of Israel. Rabbosei! Today is a dif¿cult day for all of Israel. Like the sun setting in midday, we ¿nd ourselves in terrible straits. It is troublesome from a spiritual point of view, problematic in terms of our security and dif¿cult in terms of the economy. I also hint at another aspect of our situation, our enemies – the land is full of their robbery (‘Hamas’ in Hebrew) and we have no one to rely on, save for our Father in Heaven. There was one man who dwelled amongst us who loved all Jews, a unique individual who always prayed for us all. He prayed for the general public, and he prayed for each individual. He was a remnant from previous generations. He was truly one of the eldest Rabbis, the greatest of the Kabbalists, a remnant from previous generations. He saw the pride of our glory, the head of all Diaspora, the Ben Ish Chai. He was a close disciple of my father, the great Gaon and Kabbalist, head of the Kabbalists and author of the work ‘Kerem Shlomo,’ upon whom the Ben Ish Chai said that ‘a soul like this has yet to descend into this world.’By describing him as a remnant fromprevious generations, we can take the analogy one step further. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot writes, “Shimon