Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Zt'l
The great Torah Sage, head of the worldwide
LIthuanian-hareidi yeshiva world, Rav Elyashiv,
Yosef Shalom ben Chaya Musha, has just passed away at Shaarei Tzedek
Hospital in Jerusalem at the age of 102.
Rav Elyashiv was hospitalized for pneumonia the night of
February 5 and remained in the hospital due to other complications. His
condition improved for several months - the doctors attending him called it
nothing short of a miracle, when he was able to communicate some of the time
and listen to Torah thoughts of his visitors -
but today's deterioration in his condition began because of low and
unstable blood pressure. Doctors were called to his bedside and the rabbi was
anaesthetized and respirated as doctors tried unsuccessfully to stabilize his
condition.
His family was at his side in the ICU and was able to
repeate the Viduy prayer (the prayer of confession and affirmation of belief
said at a Jewish person's deathbed) read from the from Maavar Yabok holy book
several times before the rabbi's soul parted the earth.
Near his beside stood the Gaon Rav Shmuel Ohrbach, the
head of the LIthuanian hareidi education system (Chinuch Atzmai) Rav Avraham
Leizerson, the hospital's halakhic arbiter Rav Weis and the most senior
physicians of the hospital.
The eighth floor of Shaarei Tzedek hospital was closed
and barricaded to prevent the worried students who rushed to the scene from
blocking the area, with Border Police on call to keep order, was but the sound
of loud prayers and psalms could be heard throughout the hospital as they, and
many renowned rabbinic figures, prayed for a miracle. All hareidi schools and
yeshivas stopped the afternoon study session (seder) in Israel to pray.
Israel's Radio Kol Hai broadcast prayers recited live by
Rav Eliyahu Schlesinger of Gilo and the Kabbalist Sage Rav Addes.
The 102-year-old Rabbi Elyashiv who headed the worldwide
Lithuanian yeshiva movement, was considered the leading Torah sage of this
generation.
Following the rabbi's passing, the head of Shaarei Tzedek
hospital, Dr. Yonatan Halevy, gave a summary of the period of the rabbi's
hospitalization and told how the entire hospital marvelled as his unusual
powers of recovery during the last few months.
His voice breaking, one of the attending physicians, Dr.
Silverstone said: "There is no way to make up this loss. May his prayers
for us at G-d's Throne be heard, we need them so much."
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