Eilat Rabbi Fulfilled Last Wish Hours Before Death
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Rabbi Yaakov Shapira eulogized Rabbi Moshe Hadaya, the Rabbi of Eilat, highlighting his seventy years of service and a final wish fulfilled hours before his death. Hadaya's last wish was to see a new mikvah he built completed, which was achieved when rains filled it shortly before he passed. Shapira praised Hadaya's dedication and urged others to follow his path of outreach.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Moshe Hadaya, Rabbi of Eilat, fulfilled a final wish hours before his death.
- The wish involved the completion of a new mikvah built for those with mobility issues.
- Heavy rains filled the mikvah's reservoirs shortly before Rabbi Hadaya passed away.
- Rabbi Hadaya served as the Rabbi of Eilat for seventy dedicated years.
- Rabbi Yaakov Shapira of Mercaz HaRav delivered the eulogy.
- Shapira urged attendees to follow Rabbi Hadaya's path of outreach.
Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav, eulogized Rabbi Moshe Hadaya, the longtime Rabbi of Eilat, who passed away recently. Shapira recounted Hadaya's dedication during seventy years of rabbinic service and a final wish he fulfilled just hours before his death.
Shapira noted that Rabbi Hadaya was sent to Eilat by Rabbi Herzog and other rabbis nearly seventy years ago, when the city was vastly different from its present state. He praised Hadaya for his seventy years of devoted rabbinate, a rare achievement, and for seeing the fruits of his labor.
According to Shapira, Rabbi Hadaya's son revealed two things his father wished to complete before his passing: finishing the study of the entire Torah and seeing a new mikvah (ritual bath) he had built completed. This mikvah was designed for individuals with mobility issues.
The construction of the mikvah was finished, but it lacked water until a recent rainstorm. Hours before Rabbi Hadaya's death, heavy rains filled the mikvah's reservoirs. He then expressed gratitude to God for the rain, fulfilling his wish to see the project completed in his lifetime, a feat Shapira compared to that of Moses and Samuel the Prophet.
Shapira also mentioned that Hadaya had considered moving from Eilat after many years, but was advised by a prominent rabbi that staying in Eilat would lead to a long life, which proved true. He concluded by urging listeners to follow Rabbi Hadaya's path of outreach and dedication to the Jewish people.