Event: The passing of Rabbi Yosef zt"l
Date: 3rd Cheshvan
The passing of Rabbi Yosef is my 'Sephardi' event of the year.
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The previous Rosh Hashanah was celebrated by the people of Israel when Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was among us, among the living.
A year has passed since he ascended to the heights of Meromim, leaving behind a bruised and wounded Shas movement.
In the background, there is constant talk of a split, which is reminiscent of the talk on the eve of the rabbi's passing. It was on the eve of the holidays last year. All of Haredi Judaism stood together, as one man with one heart, to pray for the peace of the rabbi, who was lying on his sickbed and fighting for his life. Then the newspaper published an article reporting that those close to the rabbi, Rabbi Amar, claim that he is the heir.
It was clear to everyone, even then, that none of the people close to him had spoken about such a subject at the time. But even then, we had to internalize that this was, in fact, what was going to happen just after the rabbi's passing.
I remember a conversation with MK Eli Yishai, who came out of the rabbi's room in the hospital for a short time. He spoke about the difficult situation, and also about the persecution by the media, which seeks to save him from commenting on political issues.
""I just don't answer, don't react, don't respond," he said at the time.
Since the passing of the rabbi to this very day, he has continued in the same manner. He simply does not answer. With the passing of the holidays, with the passing of the year of the rabbi's passing, it is likely that he will open his closed heart - and speak. Then we will also know how deep and irreconcilable the rift in Shas, a year later, is.
Who would have dreamed then, in the moments of tears when Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri announced his passing, in the courtyard of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, how much the movement would remain like sheep without a shepherd?.
There is a leader - Aryeh Deri, there is a president of the 'council' - Hacham Shalom Cohen, but the feeling of the people in the field is like that of confused sheep, lacking a backbone in their leadership. The quarrels, the intrigues, the rallies in which great and important rabbis are excluded - all of these and more affect the feeling of the 'people', who yearn to see unity in a movement that has lost its great leader.
When I entered one of the days of the 'Sheva' for Maran the Gra, zt"l, through the side entrance of the house - into the synagogue at 45 HaKablan Street, I felt like a moment after the destruction.
Real chills.
To the side were huge piles of small bottles of Eden water, the chairs that were always arranged in rows here, ready for the next prayer, had been moved to a corner, as had the Holy Ark. The rabbi's chair was not there either, not in its place.
Just like after a disaster.
It was clear to me that the destruction would not be simple, but I did not imagine how severe the political consequences for Shas would be.
It is no secret that since the Shas movement was founded, the right to decide, the right to the last word and also the first word, was reserved for the Maran. The Torah Council's sages would express their opinions, but the decision would come from his mouth alone.
And in his own shoes, no one could fit in.
It seems that it will not succeed in the future either.
