The Elder of Yeshiva Heads of Our Generation: Excerpts from the Life of Rabbi Ezrachi, Zt"l

October 26, 2023   

Elder member of the Council of Torah Scholars of Degel HaTorah and Rosh Yeshiva 'Ateret Yisrael', the Gaon Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi zt"l, passed away this morning (Thursday) at the age of 94.

His life story:

The Rosh Yeshiva zt"l was born on the 19th of Tevet 1949 in Petah Tikva, to his father, the gaon Rabbi Yisrael Ezrachi zt"l, and his mother, Rebbetzin Hinda, may God have mercy on him, the daughter of Rabbi Baruch Shlom, one of the most prominent graduates of the Knesset Israel yeshiva in Hebron, who served as rabbi in South Africa. In his youth, the family moved to Jerusalem, where they lived next door to the house of the rabbi Elyashiv zt"l. Already in his childhood, he was known as one of the most distinguished, and the great men of Jerusalem used to entertain him with Torah. In those days, he gained a special closeness from the gaon Rabbi Isaac Sher zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva Slobodka, who saw him as his protégé. At a very young age, he entered the Hebron yeshiva, where he was known as one of the best students and was very well-liked by all the yeshiva heads. At the age of 24, he was taken by the yeshiva supervisor, Rabbi Meir Hadash, zt"l, as a son-in-law to his daughter, Rebbetzin Shulamit, a great educator, who passed away on Tevet last year. Immediately after his wedding, he began teaching classes at the Hebron yeshiva, and weekly classes for the kibbutz members at the Knesset Hezkiyahu yeshiva in Kfar Hasidim. This teaching continued for about 12 years. In 1964, he founded the Bnei Torah movement, with the aim of preparing high school yeshiva students for the world of yeshiva. Over the decades of its activity, the movement has attracted many students who have gone on to study in yeshiva. Throughout the "interim period," the movement has held summer camps for hundreds of Lithuanian yeshiva and high school yeshiva students, with the opening of the camps being celebrated by the great men of Israel. On the last Sabbath of the 'Bnei Torah' camp, the Rosh Yeshiva used to tell the story "Yitzhak Elchanan Shamaleh" every year, in front of hundreds of participants, in order to inspire the students to utilize their talents for the study of Torah. In 1976, he left the Hebron Yeshiva. At that time, his father, the great Rabbi Yisrael zt"l, passed away, and upon his ascension to his grave, the Rosh Yeshiva announced the establishment of a new yeshiva that would bear his father's name - 'Ateret Yisrael'. The yeshiva was considered a daughter yeshiva of the Hebron Yeshiva. Throughout the years, the figure of the Rosh Yeshiva has been considered to represent the "greatness of man" method, with the Rosh Yeshiva's many talks and sermons tending to instill that method as a lever for spiritual growth and ascension. The yeshiva was supervised by his father-in-law, Rabbi Meir Halevi Hadash, zt"l, who continued to serve concurrently as a supervisor in the Hebron yeshiva, when Rabbi Chaim Walkin zt"l was subsequently appointed as the supervisor. The yeshiva was supervised by Rabbi Cohen and Rabbi Farbstein, currently heads of the Hebron yeshiva, the Gra"a Silver, Rosh Yeshiva Derech Hochma, his son-in-law, the Gra"a Wiener, Rosh Yeshiva Gedola Kiryat Yuval, and the Gra"i Landa, currently Rosh Yeshiva Heikhal Yitzhak. The yeshiva was located on Cassuto Street in the Beit Vegan neighborhood until 2019 - then, at the request of the rabbis of the city of Modi'in Illit, the yeshiva moved to its new location in Kiryat Ha-Yeshiva in the Haredi city. [Gallery] For decades, every Shabbat night, the Rosh Yeshiva would host a special 'Havora' at his home, to which young men and women from all the major yeshivahs flocked. On special Shabbats, a 'Tish' would be held, with the Rosh Yeshiva inspiring the gathering with emotional songs. In the month of Av 5772, he was added as a member of the Degel HaTorah Council, along with eight other members. He was known for his special speaking skills, and carried many burdens of encouragement in Israel and around the world. Even when he was weak, he did not give up and continued to appear and deliver his inspiring speeches. His novellas on the Shas, the Torah, and the festivals appeared in the book series 'Birkat Mordechai'. He educated thousands of students, including those who later became known as Rosh Yeshivah heads, dayanim, and city rabbis. He left behind a blessed generation of righteous people: his son, the Gaon Rabbi Ben Zion, the rabbi of the Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva. And his four daughters: the wife of the Gaon Rabbi Ariel Wilensky, the head of the 'Ash Talmud' Yeshiva in Har Nof, the wife of the Gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Kanel, the supervisor of the 'Ateret Yisrael' Yeshiva for young people, the wife of the Gaon Rabbi Yeshayahu Hadar Glazman, the rabbi of the Ateret Yisrael Yeshiva, and the wife of the Gaon Rabbi Aharon Wiener, the head of the Hochmat Shlomo Beit Vegan Yeshiva, and the rabbi of the Torah community in Kiryat Yovel - and many descendants who continue his path.