Baruch Dayan, the true judge: At the 'Ma'eni Hayeshua' hospital in Bnei Brak, the Kabbalist Rabbi Eliyahu Leon Levi zt"l, known as 'Baba Leon', who is considered one of the best-known Kabbalists in Bnei Brak, passed away this morning (Monday), at the age of 75.
Last month, the kabbalist was hospitalized, after suffering from a serious illness for the past year.
''Baba Leon' was born in Turkey in 1939 in the city of Marash on the border with Syria, to his father, Rabbi Yeshua Levi, who served as the city's rabbi.
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At the age of eight, he immigrated to Israel with his family, and they lived in the Ness Ziona refugee camp for several years. Due to the spiritual desolation in the city, and fearing for the children's education, the family moved to the Ezra neighborhood in Tel Aviv - where his father, Rabbi Yeshua, established his community in the Ezra and Toshiya synagogue and served as a father and spiritual shepherd to all Turkish immigrants in the Land of Israel.
At the age of 12, he was sent to study at the Ohel Moed Yeshiva in Tel Aviv, where he studied until the age of 18 - and from there he moved on to study for about two years at the Chabad Yeshiva in Lod.
At the age of 21, he was drafted into the army, and as the son of a bereaved family that lost its son Yehuda Aslan Y.D. in the War of Independence - whose burial place is unknown to this day - he was discharged after about a year.
From the age of 21, he was the chief cantor at the Ohel Moed synagogue in Tel Aviv, and from there he was taken to serve as a public emissary at a synagogue for immigrants from Halav in the Lavanda neighborhood of Tel Aviv.
He married Rebbetzin Shoshana, and studied at the Kollel Beit Hillel for about 4 years. When his children were born, he followed the path taught by his father, learning the secrets of Kabbalah, and for six consecutive years he edited the Tanna of Rabbi Nachoniya ben Hakanna.
As a member of a family of world-famous cantors, his name became known throughout the world as a cantor with a rare and powerful voice, who mastered all the secrets of the maqams.
For about 45 years, he devoted all his time and energy to establishing many revisions, especially the revision of the Covenant, for which he composed a special revision in his book 'Yeshuat Eliyahu'.
It was a frequent sight to see him every Sabbath evening - in cold and heat - for 45 years, as he would finish the entire Book of Psalms with his students near the remains of our Temple, and in that same setting they would conduct the Tikkun for the Protection of the People of Israel for that week, accompanied by the sound of trumpets.
He always uttered the saying that a person must give his life for the honor of the Holy One, Blessed is He, and he would frequently weep for the Divine Presence in exile.
When he heard about a sick Jew, he would cry and feel sorry, as if his son were suffering.
On Sabbath nights, he gave himself no rest and would sit and meditate on Torah and Hasidism until morning. It is a wonder that in his sermons he never opened a book and the quotations and sayings of the sages were all recited by heart.
Over the years, every Thursday, when he was fasting, he received a large audience in need of salvation and mercy. People often saw how he took everything personally and cried and wept over that person. He would hold consecutive fasts from time to time, and in recent years, due to many fasts and writing amulets, he lost a lot of weight.
When he fell ill, despite his family's pleas, he refused to receive medical treatment - saying: "I am going as an atonement for the people of Israel.".
For decades, he established and maintained the yeshiva 'Tikkonei Eliyahu' and 'Ma'yanei Yeshua', and these are also the names by which the books he authored are known.
He is survived by his wife, Rebbetzin Shoshana, and a blessed generation of righteous men: his eldest son, Rabbi Yehoshua Levi, Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Levim Petach Tikva, Rabbi Chaim Levi Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shmuel Levi Cantor of the Safra Synagogue in Manhattan, Rabbi Avraham, Rabbi Yitzhak, Yosef, Rabbi Yishai Ginati Rosh Yeshiva of the Birkat HaTorah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yechezkel Solomon, Rabbi of the Vizhnitz Hasidic community.
His brother, Rabbi Rafael Levi, head of Yeshua Leyhuda institutions, and his sisters: Rebbetzin S. Allof, wife of Rabbi Zevulun, who founded a seminary for Or Chaim women, Rebbetzin M. Biton, wife of the Gaon Rabbi Shimon Biton, rabbi of Hadera and president of the Or Yosef Torah institutions.
His funeral will leave at 4:00 PM from the 'Tikkonei Eliyahu' yeshiva at 11 Rove Hashomer in Bnei Brak to the Beit HaChaim Ponivez in the city.
Upon his passing this morning, his students released the following message:
"The crown of our heads has fallen"
"Woe to us, for we have sinned.".
We were orphans and had no father.
Shocked and shocked,
Broken and shattered, mourning and dying,
Upon the passing of our father, we have received the crown of our head from the righteous Kabbalah, who brought the hearts of thousands of Israel closer to their Father in Heaven and taught Torah and the fear of God to thousands and tens of thousands with devotion.,
Amuda Detzeluta Hasidic Kadisha and Parisha
The righteous Rabbi Eliyahu Leon Levi ztzu"l
The head of the Yeshivah of Tikkunei Eliyahu and Mayanei Hayeshua and the founder of Tikkun Hayesod in the Land of Israel.
Who ascended in a storm to heaven. Monday morning, Wednesday, in the month of Menachem Av, 5775.
Fracture upon fracture we were broken.
"Oh, who will give us an opinion? Oh, who will understand a rumor?".
