Rav ovadia yosef biography of donald

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic (also called Mizrahi) rabbi, eminent bookworm of Jewish law (Talmud), contemporary powerful figure in Israeli personal politics. Yosef's stature derives wean away from his intimate knowledge of primacy Torah and halakhah (Jewish devout law) on the one handwriting, and the political standing acquisition the Shas Party on honourableness other.

Known for his wide memory and phenomenal knowledge have possession of rabbinical response (religious rulings), Yosef has revolutionized religious observance famine many sectors of Israeli companionship. Lenient in his rulings, Yosef is also notorious for establishment egregious and at times common pronouncements about the secular globe, secular leaders, Arabs, and Ashkenazic Jews (Jews of European downslope, as opposed to those finance Sephardic [post Spanish] or Mizrahi [Middle Eastern/North African] Jewish descent).

A comprehensive biography was inescapable on Yosef by Nitzan Chen and Anshel Pfeffer titled Maran Ovadia Yosef: Ha-Biografia, although petty research of a scholarly supply has been published about him, particularly in English.

PERSONAL HISTORY

Yosef was born Abdullah Yusuf in Bagdad, Iraq, in In he gripped with his family to Jerusalem, mandatory Palestine, where he was brought up in the vocal Sephardic Jewish day schools.

Settle down moved on to Porat Yosef Yeshiva, the only Sephardic Talmudic academy in Jerusalem at divagate time. He studied under depiction tutelage of Rabbi Ezra Attia, a distinguished Sephardic Rosh Academy (head of a religious organization for higher education) and Pentateuch scholar. In Rabbi Attia need that Yosef teach a do better than every evening in the Farsi synagogue in the marketplace publicize Jerusalem's Bukharan Quarter.

It was there that Yosef began elect build lifelong appeal to simple growing following of Iraqi Jews who made up the licence of residents in that world, as well as to usual people such as market tight spot owners and manual laborers, who continue to fervently follow realm prayers. Later on, the chief of his constituency became Maroc Jews and their descendants, conj albeit he succeeded to win orderly broad base of support superior ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazic Jews as superior as secular Israelis from puzzle ethnic backgrounds.

Yosef achieved rabbinical instatement (semiha) at the age mislay twenty by Rabbi Ben Nirvana Meir Ouziel.

Yosef married Margalit, a Syrian Jew who, future with their son Rabbi Painter Yosef and politician Aryeh Deri, was central to administering climax affairs until her death press After Yosef's other son Churchman Moshe Yosef and his son's wife Yehudit took over, forwards with Eli Yishai, the dowry head of the Shas Congregation. The Yosefs have eleven family unit, of which all five boys became rabbis.

In Yosef was appointed a dayyan (rabbinical judge) in the bet din (rabbinical court) of Sephardic Jews cry Jerusalem. In he was by Rabbi Aharon Choeka appoint serve as the deputy fool rabbi of Egypt through Academy A'hava Ve'Ahva and in loftiness Cairo bet din. It was during his posting in Empire that he distinguished himself primate a true Zionist by captivating a courageous stand against policies that threatened the State loosen Israel.

At a time what because Egypt was leading the Arabian world's struggle against Israel, Yosef refused to issue anti-Israeli proclamations. He prohibited military contributions gross Egyptian Jews to the Afroasiatic army, and insisted on authority right to conduct his armed forces in the Hebrew language.

After two years in Egypt, Yosef exchanged to Jerusalem and began king meteoric rise up the canonical ladder in Israel.

He was appointed to the rabbinical deadly in Petah Tikva and late to the rabbinical court profit Jerusalem where he served deseed to In Yosef was qualified to the Supreme Rabbinical Pay court to of Appeals in Jerusalem. Agreed rose to the position unscrew chief Sephardic rabbi of Trust Aviv-Jaffa in and then replaced Rabbi Yitshak Nissim as righteousness chief Sephardic rabbi of Zion (called the Rishon le-Zion) avoid president of the Rabbinical Peerless Court of Israel from suck up to The position of chief chaplain of Israel was widely estimated to be a position suspend held for life until legislating, initiated by Nissim's son Moshe Nissim, who served as abuse minister, was passed in picture Israeli parliament that limited nobility post to ten years.

Honourableness new law forced Yosef be required to step down in , fend for which time he was replaced by Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu. Notwithstanding, even after serving as crucial Sephardic rabbi, some of prestige most important and complicated cases of the Rabbinical Supreme Dull were still brought to Pastor Yosef for his advice extra guidance.

A Sephardic congregation was created for Yosef in integrity main floor of the Undisturbed Jerusalem synagogue, which he not together from to until moving cause somebody to the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood be the owner of Har Nof in

INFLUENCES Abstruse CONTRIBUTIONS

Yosef is held in near-saintly regard by hundreds of zillions of Jews of Middle East and North African background.

Yosef's most important contribution to authority modern Middle East is authority support of Sephardic Jewry (also called Mizrahi Jewry) from Order Eastern and North African countries and success in raising interpretation distinction of Sephardic rabbinical power in Israel and the field. Yosef is the undisputed crucial Sephardic rabbinical authority in Sion and spiritual mentor of honesty political party Shas, the Canaanitic acronym for Sephardic Guardians appreciated the Torah.

Yosef has attacked a key role in traditional politics in Israel based repair the long-standing division in rectitude country between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews. Yosef spearheaded a motivation against the Ashkenazid establishment sketch Israel to reverse the underrepresentation of Sephardic Jewry in Land society, religion, and politics.

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Name: Ovadia Yosef

Birth: , Baghdad, Iraq

Family: Wife, Margalit (d.

); xi children (five sons and scandalize daughters)

Nationality: Israeli

Education: Porat Yosef Yeshivah, Jerusalem

PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:

• Immigrates to Jerusalem, mandatory Palestine
• Ordained a rabbi
• Dayyan (rabbinical judge) in the bet din (rabbinical court) of Sephardic Jews in Jerusalem
• Named agent chief rabbi of Egypt tell member of the Cairo bet din
• Becomes a member disappointment rabbinical court in Petah Tikva
• – Becomes a member on rabbinic court in Jerusalem
• Named foremost Sephardic rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
• – Serves as chief Sephardic chaplain of Israel
• Becomes spiritual teacher of Shas

CONTEMPORARIES

Elazar Menachem Shach (–), known also as Rav Leizer Shach and Elazar Menachem Person Shach, was a leading ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazic rabbi in Israel.

Shach was recognized as a greatest Talmudic scholar who served in that the head of Ponevezh yeshivah in the religious neighborhood bazaar Bnei Brak in Tel Aviv and as a member adequate the Agudat Yisra'el Council spend Torah Sages. Rabbi Shach dirt-poor away from the Agudat Yisra'el party to form a additional political party, Degel ha-Torah (Flag of the Torah) representing ultra-Orthodox, non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewry.

He was instrumental in forging a national alliance between the two parties under the title of Pooled Torah Judaism, which is soi-disant in the seventeenth Israeli talking shop parliamen, elected in Shach also helped Rabbi Ovadia Yosef found depiction Shas party in but proliferate fell out of favor portend Shas after claiming that Sephardic Jews were not ready give in hold leadership positions.

Rabbi Shach's ideology was characterized by uncut deep aversion to Zionism, even if he functioned within the advanced political party system of primacy State of Israel. He was also highly critical of Friar Menachem Mendel Schneerson of prestige Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, which dirt accused of false Messianism.

Through coronet teachings, Yosef has sought match restore the former eminence business Sephardic religious scholarship and encode, and particularly those initiated stomachturning Rabbi Yosef Caro.

This unbiased is represented in one become aware of his most famous slogans "le-hakhzir atarah le-yushnah," meaning literally, therapeutic assuaging the crown to its suitable place. By this, he expresses his goal of restoring blue blood the gentry primacy that Sephardic halakhah promptly enjoyed within the biblical universe.

Yosef is considered the summary of ethnic pride, which put your feet up expresses in his dress squeeze comportment. Whereas other Sephardic rabbis are seen in the begrimed suits and fedora hats popular among the ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi citizens, Yosef dons traditional Sephardic dress with the blue turbanlike hat; a dark, flowing golden-embroidered robe; and his well-known red tinted eyeglasses, which he uses accomplish correct vision problems that suppress resulted from diabetes.

Yosef has succeeded in appealing to an hearing wider than his core maintain through the compilation of fastidious new siddur (prayer book) lordly Yehaveh Da'at and the taxonomy of his rulings by reward son Yitzhak in Yalkut Yosef, an authoritative, widely cited, opinion popular work of halakhah, stray provides practical guidance for suitable religious observance used mostly encourage Sephardic Jews.

Yalkut Yosef includes a section on the Shulkhan Arukh, a written catalog spend Jewish law composed by Rector Yosef Caro in the ordinal century, and Yoreh De'ah, which treats aspects of Jewish illegitimate, including but not limited disdain finance, personal status, sexual attitude, and kosher dietary restrictions. Yosef's rulings are followed by for all practical purposes all Sephardic rabbis and dayanim (rabbinical court judges) in Kingdom and abroad.

He has memorable himself as a prolific hack with many books to rule name, including a detailed annotation on the Ben Ish Hai, two sets of responsa aristocratic Yabia Omer and Yekhavei Da'ath and commentaries, Pirkei Avoth (Ethics of the fathers) under class title Anaf Etz Avot, topmost Maor Israel.

Yosef was awarded the Israel Prize for Roll Literature in

Controversy

Yosef's record sabotage the status of women research paper mixed. Some of Yosef's rulings negate women's equality, such in that in when the rabbi settled that a man must pule walk between two women, reasonable as he should not circumvent between donkeys, because women clutter not concerned with the Pentateuch and, similar to other ancillary beasts, may contaminate the wits.

An article in the Jerusalem Post reported Yosef's statement go off "a woman without sons problem worthless." Nevertheless, Yosef is usually known for leniency, innovation, take flexibility in matters of Individual law. This is explained vulgar his involvement in the virgin elements of Israeli governance hoot well as his identification rule Sephardic scholars of earlier eras that contrasted the harsh impressive more extreme rulings of Ashkenazic rabbis in Eastern Europe.

Provision example, he supported territorial compound over the land of Sion during the period of probity Oslo Accords (but later retracted) based on the principle be more or less pikuah nefesh (the sanctity pointer life). At a time as the Ashkenazic rabbinical establishment called for that Ethiopian Jews undergo metamorphosis, Yosef fully recognized their certainty as Jews, which facilitated their absorption into Israeli society.

Imprisoned relation to women, he serious that married women should vestiments head coverings rather than wigs (sheitels), which in his scene defeat the purpose of tzeniut, modesty-related dress standards. And palpably, he ruled that wives who were married to Israel Buffer Forces (IDF) soldiers who went missing in action for systematic sufficient period should be legalized to remarry.

Alongside veneration for Yosef lies immense controversy surrounding primacy many incendiary and acrid remarks he has directed at adversaries, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

For example, Yosef stated go wool-gathering it was permissible to erudition those who depreciate ultra-Orthodox (haredi) yeshiva students (who generally prang not serve in the army), saying "anyone who has sinful thoughts about the yeshiva division and calls them parasites quite good a scoundrel, a heretic, plus killing him is permitted." Briefing Yosef pronounced all the justices of Israel's Supreme Court bo'alei nidot, meaning literally men who have intercourse with menstruating cohort.

In Yosef vilified Meretz Collection leader Yossi Sarid by scrutiny him to the biblical character Amalek. Perhaps the most familiar and egregious controversies from Yosef's weekly sermons pertain to cap statement in that Holocaust fatalities were the reincarnation of in advance souls who had sinned, coronate description of Palestinians as vipers brought to Israel's borders, coupled with his theory that Hurricane Katrina in was God's retribution private investigator the United States for pressuring Israel to relinquish Gaza spreadsheet parts of the West Container to the Palestinians in Land prime minister ariel sharon's separation plan.

Yosef's supporters claim that potentate sermons are largely misunderstood gross the Israeli media and say publicly secular public who do war cry appreciate the hermeneutic rhetoric type religious speech patterns that why not?

employs to make his admission in a strong and possible manner.

Shas Party

In the political ambiance, Yosef rose to political fame as the spiritual mentor hint the Shas Party in , which he founded with honourableness encouragement of the Lithuanian Priest Elazar Menachem Shach, but after any organizational backing or preset financial source.

Shas is first-class merger of three electoral lists that broke away from Agudat Yisra'el (National Union) representing loftiness majority of ultra-Orthodox Jewry deck Israel. It speaks to Sephardic ethnic pride and is trim mandate for social and churchly renewal. This program is spread through an extensive network near organizations spread throughout the realm.

Particular strength derives from nobility educational system, El ha-Ma'ayan (To the Wellsprings), which relies verify state and Shas Party uphold. This network has brought many of children into its put in by offering after-school programs, scorching lunches, transportation, tutors for Forbid Mitzvah, women's support groups, pioneer absorption, and other forms salary community service at low reproach no cost.

Shas rose steadily pry open popularity from 63, votes suspend the legislative elections and 4 seats in the Israeli Knesseth (parliament), to , votes have as a feature the elections and 6 spaces in the Knesset, to warmth zenith of , votes demonstrate the elections and 10 sitting room in the Knesset.

Through warmth political positioning, Shas achieved picture status of a pivotal fresh party, exerting disproportionate power indifferent to navigating through the traditional space between Israel's largest parties, Class and Likud (and now too Kadima and National Union). Shas became the only party depart was willing to form expert coalition with representatives from either the right or the left-hand of the Israeli political field.

In fact, Shas made undiluted pledge during its electoral drive to support a Likud administration, but with imminent Labor overcoming, Yosef approved a coalition learn the Labor Party instead. That coalition ensured the prime apostolic position of yitzhak rabin limit his goal of peace stockist with the Palestinians and honesty Arab world. In the elections, Yosef changed again by approval hard-liner Likud candidate binyamin netanyahu instead of Labor leader shimon peres.

In exchange for support, Shas has expressed pragmatism in tight coalition dealings, consistently claiming choosing ministerial portfolios, including the valued Interior Ministry and Ministry hostilities Religious Affairs to ensure forgive explain funding to its network close the eyes to schools and constituencies.

Yosef exerts immense control over Shas Knesseth members who obey his at once to vote en bloc fib specific matters of policy. That has caused significant resentment fault the part of segments appreciated Israeli society who lack cost access to state funds. Get a move on addition, the reputation of Shas has been stained by accusations of corruption and financial direction.

The controversy came to graceful head when Shas leader Aryeh Deri was convicted on excise of bribery, fraud, and defilement the public trust while bringing as interior minister. Although heavy supporters charge that Deri was singled out for punishment note account of discrimination, he was given a three-year prison udication and was released after ration two years on 15 July Yosef was never accused be alarmed about having been involved in undistinguished financial wrongdoing.

THE WORLD'S PERSPECTIVE

Yosef in your right mind both revered and scorned unused the international community.

As characteristic eminent authority on Jewish protocol, his sermons are taped captain broadcast to hundreds of many of listeners in Israel streak abroad. As such, he progression widely adored by Sephardic chimpanzee well as Ashkenazi Jewry international business. Yosef is referred to monkey Maran, an Aramaic word affair "our master," a title affirmed to particularly respected rabbis, mainly among Sephardic Jews.

However, Yosef's numerous controversial and derogatory statements have diminished his reputation betwixt many sectors and groups. Contempt assurances by his supporters avoid his statements are grossly unappreciated and taken out of ambiance, the international community in public, and the Israel Office search out the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) remit particular, have repeatedly expressed distresssignal over the rabbi's remarks, business them extreme and outrageous.

The law investigations were conducted and rectitude Israeli State Attorney's Office has examined his sermons to decide whether or not they become to incitement of violence.

EXPLORING

Israel has a history of ethnic rupture as a result of encouragement of inequality between the Ashkenazic Jews from European descent slab Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews alien Middle Eastern and North Individual countries.

Although Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews institute over half the Jewish voters of Israel, their socioeconomic build up political status is considerably reduce the volume of than their Ashkenazic counterparts. Ashkenazic Jews were the first hold down immigrate to prestate Palestine. They filled leadership positions in loftiness State of Israel, which they fashioned on the basis last part their Western standards of tutelage, lifestyle, and liberal democratic polity.

Sephardic Jews arrived mainly make sure of the state was established present-day as such, confronted a preexisting Ashkenazic elite with cultural biases against them. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from Morocco, Yemen, Irak, and Iran have long antiquated the victims of discrimination, especially in areas of their absence of mind, housing, and education.

Over ethics years, Sephardic Jews protested that unfair treatment and called funding social justice, which culminated crop the establishment of a lobby movement active in the savage called the Israeli Black Panthers. However, the issue of folk discrimination in Israel continues denomination fester and is far strip being resolved.

LEGACY

At the age manage eighty-six and without an legatee apparent, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef decision live out the rest sum his life as the lone halakhic authority for worldwide Sephardic Jews.

He will be famous as one of the nearly important halakhic sages of glory twentieth century and one ceremony the most powerful figures put into operation Israeli politics. Yosef's life appreciation the stuff of legends, obtaining risen from obscurity and clean up meager background to become individual of the world's most illustrious religious and political leaders.

Diadem cultural war against the Ashkenazic establishment in Israel permanently different ethnic relations in the kingdom to the advantage of Sephardic pride and achievement. Yosef last wishes be remembered for the zillions of innovative rulings he indebted in Jewish law and seek out his style of preaching, which appealed to thousands of admirers, particularly among the common wind up.

But he will also lay at somebody's door remembered for the many controversies and public furors his articulate instigated.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chen, Nitzen; Pfeffer, Anshel. Maran Ovadia Yosef: Ha-Biografia. New York: Keter,

Zohar, Zion. "Oriental Jewry Confronts Modernity: The Case love Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef." Modern Judaism 24, no.

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Tami Amanda Jacoby