An enormous crowd filled the streets of Jerusalem's Bucharim
neighborhood to take part in the levaya of the elderly
mekubol, HaRav Yitzchak Kadouri zt"l, who
passed away on Motzei Shabbos at the age of over 100.
Yitzchak Kadouri (nee Diva) is believed to have been born in
the year 5662 (1902) in Baghdad to R' Zeev Diva, who worked
as a spice dealer. (Some reports said that he was born in
5651.) As a boy he studied at the Zilcha beis medrash,
which drew talmidim from the city's chareidi families.
He visited Eretz Yisroel twice in his youth, once traveling
through Jordan and a second time through Damascus. After the
second time he decided to settle in Baghdad based on the
advice of talmidei chachomim in Baghdad who feared the
Enlightenment Movement would harm the spiritual development
of chareidi youth as the Alliance began to launch activities
in Iraq and other countries.
Upon his arrival in Eretz Yisroel the second time he
changed his last name from Diva to Kadouri and fixed his
place of study at Yeshivat Porat Yosef in the Old City. HaRav
Yaakov Ovadia assisted him during his first years in
Jerusalem, opening his home to the young man and even
teaching his sons gemora for several months.
In Eretz Yisroel it was discovered he had studied from
the tzaddikim of Iraq, applied himself to his Torah
studies intensively and learned secrets of kabboloh
and here in Jerusalem he wanted to study the proper
kavonos of the set tefilloh. For several years
he was a part of the group of mekubolim who gathered
around HaRav Saliman Eliyahu.
The youngest member of the group, R' Yitzchak formed close
ties with HaRav Ephraim Hakohen, the head of the
mekubolim in Jerusalem and the father of HaRav Shalom
Cohen, today rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Porat Yosef. Later he
joined the group of mekubolim studying at Beit Knesses
Oz Vehadar at the yeshiva. During this period HaRav Kadouri
refused to accept tzedokoh and decided to earn his
living from a bookbinding business he started himself using a
bundle of money he had brought from Baghdad.
The chaburoh surrounding HaRav Ephraim Hakohen
included Jerusalem's leading mekubolim, such as HaRav
Ezra Addes, the grandfather of HaRav Yehuda Addes
ylct"a, HaRav Aharon Abud, HaRav Shaul Shaharbani and
HaRav Aharon Raful, who would pray according to the
kavonos of the Rashash and lived in the yeshiva
housing rooms.
After marrying his first wife, Sarah, HaRav Kadouri lived in
Shechunat Habucharim, one of Jerusalem's first neighborhoods
built outside the Old City walls. He would stay at the
yeshiva all week, coming home shortly before Shabbos.
In 5694 (1934) HaRav Kadouri was given a spacious apartment
near the yeshiva on the street leading from the Jewish
Quarter to the Kosel Maarovi when he agreed to bind all of
the yeshiva's books and to copy by hand certain rare books
deposited in the yeshiva library. The yeshiva paid him a
salary of two liras per month, one for his bookbinding work
and another as a member of the group of mekubolim. He
agreed to bind only the yeshiva books, keeping the books he
copied in his private collection. Before binding every book
he would study it carefully and became one of the city's most
knowledgeable scholars on many works. Often yeshiva members
would come to his home to study from the books.
He would spend all day studying with the group of
mekubolim and then spend the evening at home binding
books. After Tikkun Chatzos he would go to sleep,
waking up before dawn for Shacharis. In 5706 (1946)
the yeshiva building turned into a fortress to defend against
constant attacks by Arabs, but this did not prevent the
yeshiva's rabbonim, including HaRav Yehuda Tzadka, from
paying a visit to HaRav Kadouri's home to celebrate the bar
mitzvah of his son, David.
With the imminent threat of the Old City falling into the
hands of the Jordanians, HaRav Kadouri sought a way to save
the yeshiva's sifrei Torah and the enormous collection
of sifrei kodesh in his home. After all his efforts to
smuggle out the books failed he hid in his library on the
last day before the Jewish Quarter fell, unable to part with
the books. A short time later Jordanian soldiers took over
the house and the entire yeshiva with the surrounding
buildings went up in flames. When news of the fire was
brought to HaRav Kadouri at his home in Bucharim, he burst
out in tears.
Following the petiroh of HaRav Ephraim Hakohen, head
of Jerusalem's mekubolim, toward the end of 5709
(1949) HaRav Kadouri was selected to head the group. Yeshivat
Porat Yosef had already relocated to Geula but the group of
mekubolim opted to attach themselves to Yeshivat Beit
Kel on Rechov Rashi. Nevertheless the roshei yeshiva of
Yeshivat Porat Yosef, HaRav Tzadka and HaRav Ben-Tzion Abba
Shaul zt"l set aside a room where HaRav Kadouri
received people every day for years until he started his own
yeshiva, Yeshivat Nachalat Yitzchak, on Rechov David in
Bucharim.
During the course of his lifetime he wrote only a handful of
articles, although others may never have reached the eyes of
his talmidim. Some of his writings attacked those who
engage in practical kabboloh without understanding any
of the secrets of kabboloh. The secrets of the amulets
he would write for healing and success were given to him by
HaRav Yehuda Phetaia. He was also extensively involved in
studying the kavonos of tefilloh. All other
secrets of kabboloh which other figures professed to
engage in were foreign to him.
Over the years he battled against figures involved in oaths
and lots. In one of the few articles he published on this
issue, written for the book Tamim Tihiyu by HaRav
Yaakov Hillel, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Chevrat Ahavat
Shalom, he stressed that the only amulet formulations
permitted to be written are those written by HaRav Yehuda
Phetaia, "because he has foundations in the language of
requests for mercy and the names are known, without any
error."
In the article he also attacks users of oaths and praises
HaRav Hillel's fight against those who mislead others to
believe tricks presented in the guise of applied kabboloh.
"His entirely beneficial intention is to save Am
Yisrael from people who use sorcery and demons to
demonstrate their power and deceive their followers and
demand much money from them and take oaths and sometimes mix
the sacred and the profane, demons with the names of angels,
and sometimes inadvertently cause harm to those who ask them
questions and there are amulets that are nothing but rattles.
Therefore he who fears the Word of Hashem will avoid applied
kabboloh."
HaRav Kadouri wrote several kabboloh books, primarily
the different formulations of the amulets, but refused to
print and distribute them, keeping them only for those
familiar with sod. When people would come to him
asking for amulets he would insist they recite a chapter of
Tehillim for a certain period and made clear that
without full Shabbos observance the amulet would provide no
benefits.
His entire life was filled with Torah study, day and night,
and lengthy tefillos at Yeshivat Nachalat Yitzchak
together with his kabboloh talmidim.
HaRav Kadouri's meals were extremely meager and he abstained
from numerous types of food. Every morning he would study
Chok LeYisroel after breakfast, and then would delve
deep into gemora sugyos for hours on end. He would
study late into the night, sitting and learning for hours
without rest. Whenever a new book came into his hands he
would study it from cover to cover and was able to recite
entire excerpts from memory.
According to his talmidim HaRav Kadouri knew the
entire Shas and poskim verbatim. While studying
he would often hold his beard in his hands, but refrained
from doing so on Shabbos to avoid pulling out any hairs. When
a beard hair fell out during the week he would keep it in a
special box.
Throughout his lifetime he also adhered to asceticism in his
speech. He never uttered an untoward word about others and
would keep his distance from people who spoke excessively.
Every full moon he would travel to the gravesites of various
tzaddikim around the country to pray.
In general he spoke exceedingly little. For many years he did
not say shiurim, but had others say them in his
presence. He would make only comments, as he felt
necessary.
His home was open to all. Even after certain household items
and pieces of jewelry were stolen, he refused to shut the
doors to the public and continued to help everyone who sought
his assistance.
HaRav Kadouri avoided leaving Eretz Yisroel
unnecessarily, but when he had to conduct a fundraising
campaign for the yeshiva building he traveled abroad with his
son. The moment he was told the amount collected would
suffice for the phase of the building under construction he
would insist on returning immediately. On one occasion an
entire audience was waiting for his arrival, but he refused
to remain abroad any longer, saying he was unable to direct
his prayers while outside of Eretz Yisroel. Once the
building was complete he stopped leaving Eretz
Yisroel.
His wife, Sarah, who managed their modest home loyally until
her last day, passed away on Lag B'Omer 5749 (1989). Five
years later he remarried and his second wife. She too helped
him maintain his daily schedule of Torah and
chessed.
For decades people would come to his home seeking advice and
brochos and asking him to pray for them. Many people
were spared following his blessings, but he remained humble
in his ways, devoting most of his time to the study of Torah,
both nigleh and nistar.
Several weeks ago he was rushed to Bikur Cholim Hospital to
be treated for influenza. Following his recovery he returned
home, but a short time later contracted an acute lung
infection. He spent the last 13 days of his life in critical
condition under the treatment of Bikur Cholim's top
physicians, who kept him anesthetized and connected to a
respirator. His family members and talmidim did not
leave his bedside and Jews everywhere prayed for his
recovery.
Shortly after Shabbos ended, the family and close
talmidim, along with a group of Jerusalem
mekubolim, were summoned to recite Vidui and
prayers at his bedside. They pleaded tearfully and cried out
to Heaven, but at 10:00 p.m. HaRav Kadouri passed away.
The mittoh was brought to the yeshiva adjacent to his
home and throughout the night and the morning hours families
members, talmidim and other followers recited
Tehillim under a heavy veil of sorrow. Hundreds of
people were unable to make their way into the packed
building.
In the late morning the police began closing streets leading
to Rechov David and thousands of participants were already on
hand when the hespeidim began at noon on Sunday. The
police apparently underestimated the crowd and observers said
that they were seriously understaffed to control the hundreds
of thousands who attended.
Among the eulogizers were HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu, HaRav
Beniyahu Shmueli, HaRav David Batzri, HaRav Yehuda Addes,
HaRav Ovadia Yosef, HaRav Shlomo Amar, HaRav Reuven Elbaz and
HaRav Moshe Cohen. All of the maspidim recounted the
deceased's tzidkus and elevated character, his unique
avodas Hashem, his devotion to Torah study day and
night, his frugal lifestyle and his many acts of
chessed. They also said he felt the suffering of every
Jew in Klal Yisroel and would pray wholeheartedly for
anyone in need. Before the procession set out it was
announced that only those who immersed in a mikveh
beforehand would be permitted to carry the
mittoh.
Following the many hespeidim and a short address by
President Moshe Katsav the levaya set out on foot
toward Har Hamenuchos via Rechov Yechezkel, Malchei Yisrael,
Torah Mitzion, Hatzvi and Yirmiyahu. All of the stores along
the way closed down for hours as the very long stream of
people passed.
When the mittoh arrived at the burial plot shortly
before 3:00 p.m. the deceased's talmidim and leading
mekubolim recited Shlosh Esrei Middos and
Kabolas Ol Malchus Shomayim. A bitter cry could be
heard throughout the cemetery as the mittoh was
lowered into the ground. For hours afterwards thousands
passed by the gravesite to pay their final respects.
Over 100 medics and paramedics were on hand during the
procession with 10 Magen David Adom ambulances and 22
Hatzoloh motorcycles. Throughout the day the Municipal
Traffic Department worked in cooperation with Israel Police,
which dispatched 700 officers to control the city's main
thoroughfares and provide security for the procession.
Traffic lights were adjusted and a special information
hotline was set up. Early in the morning the Sanitation
Department began to clear refuse bins to facilitate free
passage.
HaRav Yitzchak Kadouri zt"l is survived by a son and a
daughter, grandchildren and other descendants.
