The Wonders of Harav Yitzchack Kadouri

75 His trips to the tombs of tzaddikim The Rav’s itinerary was incredible. At 7 in the morning he was already on the road, a full day of traveling ahead of him. The Rav didn’t go to sightsee. He went to pray at the tombs of tzaddikim, petition the Al-mighty, and perform spiritual recti- ¿cations. It was a day full of sanctity and inspiration. His food usually consisted of borekas , eaten while on the road. At each tomb, the Rav would be the ¿rst to alight. He would pray without making conversation or uttering a superÀuous word. He didn’t waste a minute, and whoever managed to get in a prayer was fortunate. Otherwise, he would have to wait for the next stop. What amazing stamina! He was in charge, and we all followed his trail. Once, at the grave of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, we recited the lengthy printed requests, according to the prescribed intentions, in com- plete darkness, lit up by only a few candles. During these trips, the Rav was not willing to hear of any personal requests of ours. But at the end of the long journey, he would bless each participant individually« The main bene¿t we had from these trips was the spiritual aura we felt and were strengthened by. Naturally, the prayers said at these sites were quite an experience. We always prayed with the prayer book of the Rashash . When we alighted for the Mor- ning Prayers, we would pray for almost three hours. The Afternoon Prayers took over an hour, the Rav always wearing his te¿llin (phylacteries) . His voice was calm and deliberate, the constant murmur, almost singsong, of prayer on his lips, said with deep intentions, and with the intensity that the Rav was capable of. His breadth of knowledge We asked Harav Yehudah Moutsa¿ the extant of the Rav’s knowledge in the revealed areas of Torah. He answered, “The Rav was Àuent in the entire Talmud, just as he was Àuent in the esoteric parts of Torah. After his ¿rst Rabbanit passed away, I once slept in his home. He sat and learned the tractates of the Talmud in order, one after the other, with great speed, remembering eve- rything. His memory was phenomenal. He remembe- red people that he saw dozens of years previously. He would study the works of Kabbalah with great