A special and ornate bar mitzvah celebration was held for the great-grandson of Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, head of the Torah VeDaat yeshiva and rabbi of Jerusalem’s Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood. The honoree is the grandson of Rabbi Raphael Cohen, also a former head of Torah VeDaat, and the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, chairman of the Aliyah Institute. Many leading Torah scholars, yeshiva heads, rabbis, and public figures attended and delivered words of Torah and blessing.
In a surprise moment shortly before the bar mitzvah boy gave his derashah, Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu Buso, a grandson of the Baba Sali and head of the Maor Israel institutions, took out the Baba Sali’s sacred yarmulke and gently placed it on the boy’s head. He blessed him that the merit of the righteous sage should protect him and that he should grow in Torah, awe of Heaven, and purity in Torah observance.
The highlight of the event came when the bar mitzvah boy delivered his Torah talk, presenting original insights on the mitzvah of tefillin. During the meal, Chief Rabbi of Israel and President of the Supreme Rabbinical Court Rabbi David Yosef spoke and blessed the boy to grow in Torah “to greatness and distinction,” and also blessed his father, Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, who heads the Aliyah Institute for teaching sacred studies. Family friend Rabbi Zamir Cohen, head of the Avnei Nezer yeshiva, also spoke.
After the boy’s derashah, the great-grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, rose to dance with him for several minutes, while the guests joined in a large circle dance in honor of the celebration.
