Rabbi Yehoshua Shmidt Remembers Rabbi Amos Guetta's Humility and Devotion

In an interview with Channel 7, Rabbi Yehoshua Shmidt, head of the Shavei Shomron Yeshiva and community rabbi, shared personal memories of Rabbi Amos Guetta, highlighting his humility, simplicity, and dedication to every individual. After the passing of spiritual leaders Rabbi Yosef Schwartz and Rabbi Eliyahu Leon Levi, Rabbi Shmidt sought a new spiritual figure and found it in Rabbi Amos, whom he described as ascetic and deeply devoted, spending nearly all his time in the study hall where he learned, ate, and received visitors.

Rabbi Shmidt recalled an incident where a community member harshly criticized Rabbi Amos for several minutes, yet the rabbi responded with complete humility and silence. Another episode involved a woman dressed immodestly entering the study hall; while others wanted her removed, Rabbi Amos insisted on understanding her needs and later ensured she received financial help. His home was a modest room welcoming people from all walks of life, including those in distress and even criminals, many of whom returned to religious observance through his patience and kindness.

One notable story involved a 12-year-old boy whose bicycle was stolen; Rabbi Amos instructed a student to give the boy his own, more expensive bicycle. Weeks later, the boy returned it after his father bought him a new one, a moment Rabbi Shmidt described as a personal miracle. He also recounted how Rabbi Amos helped a relative suffering from a tumor by advising her to eat matzah, after which the tumor disappeared.

Rabbi Shmidt emphasized that many, including youth from the hilltop settlements, regularly sought Rabbi Amos’s guidance, describing him as a man of kindness who brought many back to faith. He concluded by sharing a poignant moment when his son-in-law married in prison; Rabbi Amos stood at the entrance of the Netanya Bnei Akiva Yeshiva, wept for fifteen minutes, and then left, moved by the occasion.