The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

210 The ¿rst tombstone, giant marble slabs On the signs it would say, here lies Harav Yitzchak Kadouri zt”l. Although about ordinary people we are told that eventual- ly their loss will be forgotten, however, righteous tzaddikim like the Rav are never forgotten. Thus the signs would be there merely to guide visitors to the right place, to the resting place of the Rav. I gave him the plans, a small portion of which ended up in the hands of the contractor, the larger and more important part, however, omitted. During those dif¿cult days of mourning, I visited the house of the Rav and was made responsible by Rav David to oversee the work being done on the tombstone. I told him, “I don’t feel comfortable in the cemetery. I am afraid to be in a place such as that.” That was really my natural disposition, to be scared from being in such proximity to graves. But an incomprehensible force encouraged me to proceed with the plans and see the work being done in the cemetery. From that day on, my fears were mitigated and eventually disappeared. I came daily, just to take leave of the Rav, and to lovingly look on as the wet concrete was poured as well as the blocks of stone being assembled over his grave. That is how the holy work of the Rav’s monument was started, the building of the tomb which is visited yearly by thousands, from all corners of the globe. The marble slabs Sometime after the seven days of mourning, I went to the cemetery and saw the giant slabs of marble being rea- died for the headstone of the Rav. The slabs were blank, awaiting some form of inscription which would detail the life and deeds of the tzaddik.