The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

297 A famous story is told about the time the Rav gave a bless- ing to an Arab from Abu Gush (5 miles west of Jerusalem.) The Arab asked the Rav for a blessing to have children, and when he had a baby boy, he named him Yitzchak after the Rav. This story made headlines and created a great Kiddush Hashem. The Rav lived his entire life in utter simplicity. Whether it was the clothing he wore, the food he ate, or any other facet of his life, such as furniture, etc. He lived frugally, making do with very little, and not throwing out anything that could be reused. And he reused everything, in original ways. Empty containers, blank slips of paper or envelopes, all found their use. He would even create custom-made envelopes by replying to a letter and folding it into the right shape. Our sages say that tzaddikim value their possessions and are never wasteful. He spent his entire life learning Torah and helping any Jew who requested his blessing. He didn’t even know the value of various denominations of currency, so busy was he. Writ- ing amulets and advising others on marital harmony are just two examples of how he practiced helping others. The Rav was unaware of many of the technological advances that we are accustomed to living with. He continued living the same lifestyle as he did for the earlier part of the twentieth cen- tury. He would even make his own homemade glue by boiling Àour and water, when he needed to paste together some pieces of paper. Every erev Shabbat, he would send sums of money with his trusted messenger, Rabbi Yitzchak Naki shlita, to needy mar- ried students. Rav Naki served the Rav for dozens of years with tremendous devotion and self-sacri¿ce. The Rav would also send money to Yeshivat Nahar Shalom as well as Yeshivat Aha- vat Shalom , both yeshivot of Kabbalists in Jerusalem. The Rav would not refrain from blessing any Jew, no matter who he was. Even children who approached him for a blessing would receive one, given with warmth and exuberance.