How Can One Ask God to Hasten Redemption? From the Teachings of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Zt"l
Every year, people gather at the gravesite of the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, and there they fulfill the exhortation, “Establish a yeshiva at his grave.” Vard Shalti'el, in a special article marking the anniversary of the passing of the great sage, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, writes about the hillula of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, on 25 Sivan.
How can one ask the Holy One, blessed be He, to hasten redemption? “In its time, I will hasten it” , if the time of redemption has been set as “in its time,” how can it also be “I will hasten it”? Can redemption be brought closer, as it was during the Exodus from Egypt, when the bondage was shortened from 400 years to 210 years? We are in a special time when one can say to God: “In its time” , Master of the Universe, look at Your beloved children, precious young scholars who choose You and cling to You and wear themselves out in the tent of Torah out of their great love for You, and give up transient life, and all they want is to unite the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shekhinah, and do Your will with love. Therefore, they fulfill “in its time,” and You will fulfill “I will hasten it” and redeem Your beloved people quickly and with mercy, because they are waiting to reveal Your honor and kingship in the world, so that everyone will know and understand that You are King of the world, and there is none beside You.
Every year, people gather at the gravesite of the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, and there they carry out the directive, “Establish a yeshiva at his grave” , using the holy day of his passing to strengthen fear of Heaven and work on character traits, study Torah, and learn the path of halakhic rulings according to the special approach of Maran zt"l. On the night of the memorial, they sit as one person with one heart and speak about his image and unique personality, the purity of his character, and his immense genius in Torah, which he labored over all his life. As time passes, more and more of his genius and immense greatness in Torah and fear of Heaven are revealed, and the deeper one delves into the depths of the sea of his holy Torah, the more precious pearls are drawn up.
His halakhic rulings were based mainly on the teachings of our master Rabbi Yosef Chaim zt"l, author of Ben Ish Hai, who was his relative and whose path he continued.
Maran zt"l labored over Torah for its own sake, and about this it is said, “And you surpassed them all” , Torah for its own sake studied in holiness, purity, and abstinence, combined with the wisdom of truth, from his pure and pristine heart. Rabbi Yaakov Hillel shlit"a said about him that all sectors of the public would ask his opinion and consult with him, because about him it is said: “Truthful Torah was in his mouth.”
In the spirit of holiness, a revelation of Torah from Heaven, Rabbi David Abuhatzeira shlit"a testified, as quoted in Greatness of Mordechai, p. 39, that he merited studying as a young married man in the study hall Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem. In his words: “Rabbi Nissim Ezra'an was the head of an important yeshiva, Yeshivat Beit Shmuel... I studied with him for a period, and Chacham Mordechai Eliyahu used to give classes once a week, and among those who listened to him were lions, among the greatest sages who became dayanim, and those lions would surround him with thorny questions from every direction, and he was never stumped in his answer, because he had divine assistance and was a man whom his Master aided. It really seemed as though he was being shown things from Heaven, in the sense that the Holy Spirit appeared in his study hall. On every subject and in every field he would rule clearly and sharply as a razor, wherever they asked him in the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch.”
We will note a few aspects of the special character of Maran, Rabbi zt"l.
His joy was on his face, and his mourning in his heart. The Duties of the Hearts says: “The pious one, his joy is on his face and his mourning in his heart.” Maran Rabbi zt"l had great expansiveness of spirit, and he welcomed every person joyfully and with a pleasant expression. Everyone was left with the sweet memory of how they were received by Maran zt"l with shining countenance, like an only son.
“Laughing brings relief to the lips” , and not only did he receive everyone with a smile and a pleasant face, but Maran zt"l would not let anyone leave his home feeling sad.
“Speaks and acts, wise, swift” , many stories are known about his wisdom and swiftness, and the matter is well known.
The generation eats from the fruits of the righteous. The Mesillat Yesharim writes (Chapter 19): “They said, ‘The righteous man is good,’ because they eat the fruit of their deeds, meaning that the whole generation eats from his fruits...” The righteous of the generation atone for the generation... The righteous prays for his generation, to atone for those who need it and bring them back in repentance... and advocates for the entire generation. Maran Rabbi zt"l would always note how important it is to instill in the public consciousness the power of prayer and how much it acts and changes what has been decreed upon a person.
The righteous, his sufferings atone for the generation. The Ramchal writes (Derekh Hashem, Chapter 3): “It was arranged according to this principle that troubles and sufferings should come to a righteous person, and this will be for the atonement of his generation.” The righteous is not punished for his own sin, and the Ramchal adds: “It is the righteous person’s obligation to accept with love the sufferings that come his way for the benefit of his generation, as he would accept with love the sufferings that would have been fitting for him personally.” The righteous accepts suffering with love because, “by this action he benefits his generation, atoning for it, and he himself is elevated greatly, becoming one of the foundations in the gathering of those of the World to Come, as we mentioned.” And the Ramchal adds something wondrous, saying that because the righteous knows he suffers on behalf of others, “certainly the attribute of justice is appeased immediately, even more so than among the sinners themselves.” The righteous has great power to appease the attribute of justice, and by accepting suffering with love, he atones for his generation.
What is the difference between a tzaddik and a chasid? One of the most notable differences is that the level of the chasid is greater than that of the tzaddik, and as the Gemara says (Shabbat 120a), the tzaddik does what he is obligated to do, what is required, whereas the chasid goes beyond his own duty and also does things he is not required to do. Maran Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l was accustomed to the trait of piety, and fought against any leniency in halakha. He was very strict and did even what he was not obligated to do. And when leniency was needed, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l defined him as having “extremely broad shoulders.”
He added holiness, seeking to do the will of God. Maran zt"l’s approach was: “Sanctify yourself with that which is permitted to you” , “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” And according to the approach of our teacher the Ben Ish Hai zt"l, it is fitting that each person say: “I intend an added holiness of conduct in piety and abstinence, to seek to do the will of God with additional holiness, piety, and abstinence.” The Duties of the Hearts, in the Gate of Abstinence (Chapter 4), writes about the definition of a “secluded one,” and with Maran zt"l one could see many practical examples that testified to his quality of abstinence.
Everyone can merit progress in their own way by taking one small thing and advancing in it, in the way of Maran zt"l, for that is the path that leads upward to the House of God, and these words will be in his memory and for his merit, Maran zt"l Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu.
Prepared according to the words of Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu shlit"a, son of Maran zt"l, head of the kollel and institutions Derekh Hora'ah le-Rabbanim.
May it be God’s will that the merit of Maran zt"l protect us and all of the people of Israel, and may all Israel merit redemption with mercy, and may we quickly merit the building of the Holy Temple, amen.
