Rabbi Yisrael Padida Funeral Draws Thousands in Bnei Brak

Thousands gathered Wednesday evening in Bnei Brak to pay final respects to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Yosef Padida, the mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) of Yeshivat Or Gaon, who died after years of serious illness.

The funeral was marked by deeply emotional moments, particularly when the rabbi's only son, Rabbi Yonatan, delivered a eulogy that moved the assembled crowd to tears. "Don't leave me alone!" the son cried out. "I'm sure everyone here is thinking this and wants to tell you. How can we speak about you in the past tense? Anything we say will only diminish you."

The younger Rabbi Padida revealed his father's wishes for a modest funeral: "In your will, you wrote that to avoid troubling others, the funeral should be very quick, not during hot hours, without eulogies, and on condition that no praises be mentioned—except for one thing that was important to you to emphasize. We had so many soul-searching conversations in the last two months. I learned to recognize even more your connection to the Holy One, blessed be He. Everything was with joy. In everything you saw the good, from faith and recognition, not from escape."

The son continued, describing his father's noble character and dedication to teaching: "Your life's motto was benefiting the public. You always thought about where you could add more. You didn't care how you felt or about your personal benefit. In almost every trip to give a lesson, I saw you exhausted and asked, 'Father, why tire yourself?' You told me: 'What, do you think I'm really living? Do I have pleasures in this world? My entire mission, every minute I'm alive is because of benefiting the public.' You were a man of truth, without games. We saw this when you gave way to everyone and stepped back. You are a symbol and example to all of us. Your students feel like sons and friends—we're all one big family."

During the eulogy, the son read particularly moving and strengthening passages from his father's will: "Under no circumstances should the words suffering, illness, or pain be mentioned in any form. One who believes in the Holy One, blessed be He—His name must not be mentioned with any word of suffering. Everything is perfect in its details, only drawing closer to the Creator, blessed be He. I want everyone to be joyful all the time ... This is the end of every person, so I'm going with complete joy. I had a clear feeling that nothing the Creator does could be anything but the best it could be. I merited being a small and devoted messenger to quite a few young men, to elevate their souls, and the Creator gave me special divine assistance for this. I will try to do this from above if it will be possible for me. If you ask, come to my grave to inform me."

Near the end of his remarks, the son turned to the crowd to fulfill his father's request in the will: "You asked that forgiveness be requested in the name of the entire congregation... that you ask forgiveness from everyone present... and that each person repeat after me now and say aloud that he forgives and pardons you."

The crowd called out in unison three times consecutively: "Forgiven, forgiven, forgiven! Pardoned, pardoned, pardoned!"

The son also asked forgiveness from his father on behalf of the family, concluding with a voice choked with tears: "Father, you left us in the sweetest way possible. Holy and pure, be an advocate as you wrote and promised... don't leave us alone."

The funeral procession continued through the rabbi's home on Rav Ashi Street 13 in Bnei Brak, and from there to the cemetery of the heads of Ponevezh Yeshiva, where he was laid to rest.