Rabbi Dr. Yitzhak Alfasi passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So sad. I knew him for decades. I think I was one of the last (maybe the last?) to interview him at his home for a newspaper article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rabbi Alfasi, a Gur Hasid and a great expert on Hasidism from Bar Ilan University, sat next to Rabbi Shlomo Goren, z"l, in the 'Kommiot Avraham' synagogue - where my grandfather, Grandfather Yaakov Matzri, z"l, prayed for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rabbi Goren loved him so much, I will never forget it. He would sing the Shabbat psalms alongside him and would even give many lessons when Rabbi Goren was not in the synagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon the passing of Rabbi Goren, Rabbi Alfasi naturally replaced him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grandpa and I loved listening to his lessons. They were seasoned with sharp Jewish humor, authentic Hasidic stories that only he knew how to tell, and his ability to reach the heart of each and every one of the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such were the lessons, for example, on the polemic of hand-made matzot versus machine-made matzot and on the "Song of Songs" in the sources of the Sages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I interviewed him together with my friend Rabbi Moti Reich from the Ayelet Hashachar organization about the first Shabbat bulletin published in Israel, "Shabbat Beshabto," of which he was the founder and first editor. A year later, the wonderful "Sichhat Shavahu" appeared. Incidentally, that same week I also interviewed Rabbi Menachem Brod and the writer Shaul Mizlish, two other charming figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We entered his study, I pointed to a packed bookcase and he simply said that he had put together this 'bookcase'.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said about another cabinet that I pointed to, that he was the editor of all the books in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third cabinet contained the books in which he wrote key articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are talking about hundreds of books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unimaginable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told us how he discovered the true date of the Baal Shem Tov's death, contrary to what was generally believed until then, and added many stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honestly, I don't know if there are any more people like this. The multitude of positive identities is wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today everything is so dichotomous, dogmatic, and lacking in complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the memory of this very special man be blessed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d3\"\u05e8 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d7\u05e7 \u05d0\u05dc\u05e4\u05e1\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e4\u05d8\u05e8. \u05db\u05dc \u05db\u05da \u05e2\u05e6\u05d5\u05d1. \u05d4\u05db\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05de\u05e9\u05da \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd. \u05dc\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9, \u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05de\u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd (\u05d0\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05df?) \u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05d9\u05d9\u05df \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e6\u05d5\u05e8\u05da \u05db\u05ea\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05ea. \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d0\u05dc\u05e4\u05e1\u05d9, \u05d7\u05e1\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d2\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05de\u05d5\u05de\u05d7\u05d4 \u05e2\u05e0\u05e7 \u05dc\u05d7\u05e1\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05d0\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05d1\u05e8\u05e1\u05d9\u05d8\u05ea \u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05d9\u05dc\u05df, \u05d9\u05e9\u05d1 \u05dc\u05e6\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05d2\u05d5\u05e8\u05df \u05d6\"\u05dc \u05d1\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05e0\u05e1\u05ea '\u05e7\u05d5\u05de\u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d0\u05d1\u05e8\u05d4\u05dd' - \u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05ea\u05e4\u05dc\u05dc \u05e1\u05d1\u05d0 \u05e9\u05dc\u05d9, \u05e1\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e2\u05e7\u05d1 \u05de\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d6\"\u05dc, […]","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":1062734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[32342,66459],"class_list":["post-1062733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-138","tag-32342","tag-66459"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n