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Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013), also known as Maran (; ), was an Iraqi-born scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1972 to 1983. Also known as Gadol ("great one of Israel"), Yosef is regarded as one of the most influential Sephardic religious authorities of all time. He was also a founder and longtime spiritual leader of Israel's religious Shas party. Yosef's responsa were highly regarded in Haredi circles, particularly among Mizrahi Jews communities, which considered him "the most important living halakhic authority".
The family settled in Jerusalem's Beit Yisrael neighborhood, where Yaakov operated a grocery store. The family was poor, and Yosef was forced to work at a young age. His rosh yeshiva (dean) petitioned his father to ensure he would not miss school to help the family. He learned in in the Bukharim quarter, where his passion and skill for Torah study was apparent. His literary career began at age 9 with a commentary on Reshit Chochmah, which he penned in the margins. "Biography of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef" , Hebrew; Achdut-Israel
In 1933, Sadqa Hussein prevailed upon Yaakov to send his son to Porat Yosef Yeshiva. He soon advanced to the highest shiur taught by Ezra Attiya, the rosh yeshiva.
Yosef composed his first sefer, together with two friends, called Machberet Ha'atakat Hidot.
In 1937, Yaakov Dweck sent Yosef to give the daily halakha (Jewish law) lesson in in his stead at the Ohel Rachel Synagogue for the Persian Jewish community in Beit Yisrael. In the course of giving this shiur, Yosef dissented many times with the stringent opinions of the Yosef Hayyim, who preferred the rulings of the Ari zal to Yosef Karo. This was a defining moment for Yosef, who had found a place to air his opinions while simultaneously learning how to deal with the criticism he was receiving from many in his audience, especially his fellow Iraqi Jews. A number of notable rabbis, among them Yitzhak Nissim, rebuked him over the years for his positions, even burning his first halakha sefer, . But Attiya encouraged Yosef to continue ruling according to his own understanding. Yosef's objections to Ben Ish Hai, for many years in handwritten form only, were printed beginning in 1998 with the appearance of his .
Yosef received Semikhah at age 20. He became a longtime friend of several members of his class who went on to assume prominent leadership positions in the Sephardi Jewish world, including Rabbis Ben Zion Abba Shaul, Baruch Ben Haim, , and Zion Levy.
In 1951–1952 he published his first halakha sefer, Hazon Ovadia, on the laws of Passover. The book won much praise and received the approval of the two Chief Rabbis of Israel at the time, Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel and Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. Two years later he founded Or HaTorah Yeshiva for gifted Sephardic yeshiva students. This yeshiva (which was not open long) was the first of many he established, later with the help of his sons, to facilitate Torah education for Sephardic Jews, in order to provide leadership for the community in future generations. In 1953–54 and 1955–56 he published the first two volumes of his major work, , which also received much praise.
Between 1958 and 1965, Yosef served as a dayan in the Jerusalem district Beth Din. He was then appointed to the in Jerusalem, becoming the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv in 1968, a position he held until his election as Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel in 1972.
On January 13, 2013, Yosef collapsed during Shacharit at his synagogue in Har Nof and was having difficulty using his left hand. After being seen by a physician at his home, he was hospitalized at Hadassah Medical Center after suffering what was believed to be a minor stroke.
On September 21, 2013, because of his worsening health, Yosef was admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital. Two days after undergoing surgery for the implantation of a pacemaker on September 22, Yosef was sedated and placed on a respirator. He died in the hospital on October 7, 2013, after a "general systemic failure". His funeral in Jerusalem was the largest in Israel's history, with an estimated attendance of 850,000. Some religious authorities have said it may have been the largest in-gathering of Jews since the Second Temple period; other estimates put the number in attendance lower, between 273,000 and 450,000. 'Only' 450,000 at Yosef Funeral, Some Experts Claim By Adiv Sterman and Gavriel Fiske, October 9, 2013, Times of Israel Yosef was buried beside his wife in the Sanhedria Cemetery. During the week-long shiva mourning period, his family was expected to receive thousands of condolence callers in a mourning tent set up on their street, which police closed to vehicular traffic. Security guards were also posted at the cemetery, where Yosef's grave became a pilgrimage site for thousands of people.
On a social level, it is widely viewed as a call to pursue a political agenda that will restore the pride of the Mizrahi Jews in Israeli society, who historically suffered from discrimination and were generally of lower socioeconomic status than their Ashkenazi counterparts.
From a halakhic perspective, the metaphor is more complex. It is widely agreed by rabbis and secular researchers alike that the 'crown' of the metaphor refers to the halakhic supremacy Yosef attaches to the rulings of Yosef Karo. According to Yosef's approach, Karo is crowned as the Mara D'Atra of the Land of Israel, and thus all Jews living within his realm of authority are bound by his rulings.Lau, B: "From 'Maran' to 'Maran'" (Hebrew), page 14. Miskal – Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books, 2005. Yosef says this explicitly and strongly in Yalkut Yosef:
Some disagreement persists over exactly whom Yosef considers bound by Karo's rulings.
Ratzon Arusi argues that Yosef distinguishes between his ideal and reality. Ideally, all Jews of the Land of Israel should be bound by Karo's rulings, but practicality dictates that Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews should unite under them first. As Arusi puts it:
Binyamin Lau disagrees with both of the preceding interpretations. According to Lau, Yosef claims that all Sephardic Jews accepted Karo's rulings as binding in the diaspora, but over time deviated from them. Presently, upon their return to the Land of Israel where Karo is the Mara D'atra, they should return to adhering to his rulings. Thus, Lau believes that Yosef directs his rulings only at Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, since the Ashkenazi Jews never accepted Karo's rulings. Lau views Yosef as operating on two fronts: the first against the Ashkenazi leadership that seeks to apply Ashkenazi rulings and customs to the Sephardim, and the second against the Sephardic and Mizrahi communities, in demanding that they unite under Karo's rulings.Lau, B: "From 'Maran' to 'Maran'". Miskal – Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books, 2005.
In any case, it is agreed that alongside the conservative aspects of his approach to halakha there are also significant reforms: his preference for Karo's rulings and his preference for leniency over chumra. The fulfillment of his halakhic vision has entailed significant clashes with his Ashkenazi counterparts. Of his predecessors in the Tel Aviv-Yafo Rabbinate, Yosef wrote:
Yosef considered this principle an ideal, so that if
In Yosef's opinion, the severity of Ashkenazi poskim results from their method of teaching and lack of familiarity with the Mishnah, Talmud, and poskim. In a 1970 article about Jacob Saul Elyashar, Yosef wrote:
Yosef regarded ruling with severity as especially harmful in the current generation ("the generation of freedom and liberty"), since strict ruling might lead people not to comply with the halakha. In Yabia Omer, he writes: "And truly, the growth of chumrot leads to leniency in the body of the Torah."
According to Yosef, the preoccupation with pilpul at the expense of learning halakha in depth causes lack of knowledge among Ashkenazi poskim, which in turn leads to unnecessary severity in making halakhic rulings, since the posek is unaware of lenient rulings and approaches to halakha used by previous rabbis upon which the posek could rely to rule leniently.
Yosef's attitude towards the Kabbalah, the rulings of the Ari, and consequently the rulings of the Ben Ish Hai have been the cause of strong disagreements between him and Jewish immigrants from the Muslim world in Israel, especially the Jews of Iraq. The rulings of the Ben Ish Hai were at the heart of the disagreement between him and the Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Nissim and Mordechai Eliyahu.
Breslov Hasidim have the custom of going on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Nachman of Breslov in Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Yosef was highly critical of this practice, and has stated:
His best-known legal rulings include:
Yosef's position could be seen as a middle ground between the Religious Zionists, for whom saying Hallel is compulsory, and the Ashkenazi Haredim, who do not say Hallel at all.
In a newspaper interview in which Shas was accused of being anti-Zionist, Yosef responded:
In 2010, Yosef and Shas' Moetzet Chachamei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages) approved Shas' membership in the World Zionist Organization, making Shas the first officially Zionist Haredi party in Israel.
Yosef's grandson points out his grandfather's positive attitude towards the IDF, in that whenever the Torah Ark is opened, Yosef blesses "Mi Shebeirach" for IDF soldiers. Yosef's son, Avraham Yosef, served in the IDF as a military rabbi for 13 years.
This latter grouping of non-observant Jews, known in Israel as Masortiyim, are mainly Mizrahi Jews who practice aspects of Judaism as a tradition. Yosef sought to bring this demographic closer to the Torah, while relying upon traditional Jewish sources for his rulings. For example, he ruled that those who desecrate the Sabbath are not to be considered as having abandoned the Torah, and therefore if they have touched wine, it Kosher wine. This sort of ruling differs from Ashkenazi Haredi rulings. Yosef actively aims to engage in kiruv (Orthodox Judaism outreach), while still strictly adhering to halakha.
Yosef, however, had no sympathy towards Israeli Jews who profess a secular lifestyle. His opinion was to fully exclude them from the Jewish community. For Yosef, the secularist Israeli public are secular out of 'spitefulness' towards Torah, and he likened them to idolatrous apostates."Freedom Liberty and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef" by Ariel Picard, Havruta, Issue 2, Fall 2008, page 65-66
In matters of criminal law, however, Yosef is among the moderate rabbinic voices who support the application of the dina d'malkhuta dina rule (), and therefore, it is forbidden to engage in criminal conduct such as tax fraud. It is only in civil matters that he forbade going to the Israeli courts.
In February 1999, Yosef caused a controversy by strongly criticizing the Supreme Court of Israel:
Following these statements, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the Supreme Court of Israel, demanding that Yosef be put on trial. The Supreme Court dismissed the application, saying that the comments were within Yosef's right to freedom of speech. Nevertheless, then-Supreme Court President Aharon Barak wrote in his judgement:
In 1990, Yosef pulled Shas out of the coalition with Likud and attempted to form a partnership with Peres's left-centre Labor Party. The move, engineered but opposed by Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, backfired when Elazar Shach, the Ashkenazi dean of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak (who subsequently founded the Degel HaTorah party) fiercely commanded Yosef to return Shas to the coalition with Likud. During this time, Yosef was severely criticised by other major members of the Haredi religious community in Israel, particular the Ashkenazi Jews who generally sided with Likud and the right rather than Labour and the left, who were widely seen as secular.
The failure of the scheme, known as the stinking trick, was responsible for Peres's downfall as leader of Labour and his 1991 defeat in internal elections to former Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin. From the 1980s until his death, Yosef approved Shas's participation in most Israeli governments, except for the last two governments of Ariel Sharon from January 2003 and August 2005. Shas was one of the few parties to be in the opposition for the duration of that Knesset (2003-2006), along with the leftist Meretz party and the Arab factions Ra'am (United Arab List), Hadash, and Balad. This was largely because of the rise of Shinui to the powerful third-party position, a position previously held by Shas. Shinui demanded the creation of a government without Shas.
In the 2007 Israeli presidential election, Yosef endorsed his longtime friend Shimon Peres, who won in part to the support of Shas's 12 MKs.
Using this precedent, Yosef instructed Shas to join Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's government coalition, and later that of Ehud Barak as well. However, Shas abstained on the Oslo I Accord and voted against the Oslo II Accord. Furthermore, as Oslo stalled, and relations between Israelis and Palestinians began to deteriorate, and particularly following the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Yosef and the party pulled "rightward", supporting the Likud.
In 2005, Yosef repeatedly condemned the Gaza Disengagement. He argued that he was opposed to any unilateral action that occurred outside the framework of a peace agreement. Yosef again cited the principle of pikuach nefesh, saying that empowering the Palestinians without a commitment to end terror would result in threatening Jewish lives, particularly in Gaza envelope in range of Qassam rocket attacks. Engaging Disengagement- Knesset Faction Positions on the Disengagement by the Jewish Agency In contrast to some of his rabbinical colleagues, such as Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Yosef refused to entertain the idea of holding a referendum on the disengagement, and instructed his MKs to vote against the plan when it came up in the Knesset.
Yosef always maintained that pikuach nefesh applies to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and supported negotiations with the Palestinians. However, toward the end of his life, he no longer appeared totally convinced that diplomacy with the Palestinian Authority leadership would necessarily end the violence. Some media analysts had suggested that then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may have been able to convince Yosef to sign on to further unilateral actions by the government if concerted efforts toward negotiation failed.
Yosef protested strongly against demands by the United States and other foreign countries that Israel freeze construction in East Jerusalem, saying that, "It's as if we are their slaves". However, toward the end of his life, he indicated some flexibility on the issue, and may have taken a more pragmatic approach. In the wake of the diplomatic row between Israel and the US over Jewish housing in East Jerusalem, Yosef is reported to have said, in a private meeting with Shimon Peres, that "it is not permissible to challenge the nations of the world or the ruling powers", and that Israel should agree to a partial building freeze in East Jerusalem, at least temporarily.
In October 2013, immediately after Yosef's death, his son David Yosef told the Prime Minister that the drafting of Haredi students into the army had hurt him in his final months more than his physical illnesses. Yosef's son to Netanyhau: Haredi draft hurt dad more than his ailments By YUVAL BAGNO, JPOST.COM STAFF, The Jerusalem Post, 10/08/2013
Yosef later said that his sermon was misquoted, that he was referring to annihilation of Islamic terrorism, not all Arabs. He called for improving the living conditions of the Arab people in Israel and said he had deep respect for peace-seeking Arabs.
Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit condemned the sermon, saying: "A person of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's stature must refrain from acrid remarks such as these... I suggest that we not learn from the ways of the Palestinians and speak in verbal blows like these."
Yosef drew criticism from the US State Department in August 2010 following a Saturday morning sermon in which he called for
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Yosef's statements were tantamount to a call for genocide against Palestinians and demanded a firm response from the Israeli government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself and his government from the sermon, saying that Yosef's words "do not reflect my approach, or the stand of the Israeli government".
Yosef said he regretted his statements, and was said to have looked for a way to sending the Palestinians a conciliatory message. Three weeks later, he sent out a conciliatory message reiterating his old positions in support of the peace process. He wished the Palestinians and their leaders "who are partners to this important process, and want its success, long days and years". He continued, "The People of Israel are taught to seek peace, and three times daily pray for it. We wish for a sustainable peace with all our neighbors" and blessed "all the leaders and peoples, Egyptians, Jordanians, and Palestinians, who are partners to this important process and want its success, a process that will bring peace to our region and prevent bloodshed".
In Israel, death has no dominion over them... With gentiles, it will be like any person they need to die, but God will give them longevity. Why? Imagine that one's donkey would die, they'd lose their money. This is his servant... That's why he gets a long life, to work well for this Jew.
Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That is why gentiles were created.
Yosef printed a commentary on the Mishnah tractate Pirkei Avot ( Ethics of the Fathers) under the title Anaf Etz Avot, and Maor Israel, a commentary on various parts of the Talmud. His son Yitzhak Yosef has published a widely read codification of Yosef's rulings, Yalkut Yosef. Another son, David Yosef, has printed various and liturgy according to his father's rulings, and another halakhic compendium, .
In 1970, Yosef was awarded the Israel Prize for Rabbinical literature.
Residing in Egypt
In 1947, Yosef was invited to Cairo by , founder of yeshiva Ahavah VeAchvah, to teach in his school.Minhat Aharon, Y. Choueka and Haym Sabato (Eds.), Jerusalem, 1980, pp. 15–32. At Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel's request, Yosef also served as head of the Cairo beth din (rabbinical court). Yosef considered religious observance lax in Egypt, both in the Jewish community at large and among its rabbis. One of the major halakhic issues was the lack of any organised system of kashrut, which led to conflict between him and other members of the community. Due to these events Yosef resigned from his position just two years after arriving in Cairo. About a year later he returned to what in the meantime had become Israel.
Return to Israel
Back in Israel, Yosef began studying at midrash "Bnei Zion", then headed by Tzvi Pesach Frank. He also served on the rabbinical court in Petah Tikva. In his first term as a dayan (rabbinic judge), at age 30, he wrote a halakhic ruling favoring Yibbum over Halitza, which contradicted a religious ruling made by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel a year earlier, which had forbidden Yibbum.
Rishon LeZion
In 1972, Yosef was elected Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel by a majority vote of 81 to 68, replacing Yitzhak Nissim. His candidacy was criticised by some, as he was competing against an incumbent chief rabbi for the first time in the history of that office. The election process was characterised by tension and political turmoil due to the and the tense relations between Yosef and Nissim. In the same election, Shlomo Goren was chosen as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, with whom Yosef's relationship proved difficult. The Chief Rabbinate Council was controlled by Goren, and for some time thereafter Yosef felt there was no point in attending its sessions.
Entry into politics
In 1984, Yosef founded the Shas party in response to minimal representation of Sephardic Jews in the Ashkenazi-dominated Agudat Yisrael. It has since become a formidable political force, becoming a part of the coalition in most of the elected governments. He later took a less active role in politics, but remained the party's spiritual leader until his death.
Weekly lectures
For over 50 years, Yosef gave weekly Saturday night Shiur in the Yazdim synagogue. These lectures were live-streamed by satellite as well as recorded, with over 100,000 people worldwide watching them. Next Door to Greatness, Barbara Bensoussan, Mishpacha Magazine, October 29, 2025, p. 101: One of the yungeleit young arranged for live satellite transmission of the class to France, Italy, and England. The shiur was also taped and sent via FedEx to the Bnei Yosef synagogue in Brooklyn, where each Motzaei Shabbat, people would watch the previous week's class, translated by a young Rabbi Eli Mansour. Over 100,000 people around the world watched those classes.
Assassination plot
In April 2005, Israeli security services arrested three people whom they accused of plotting to kill Yosef. The Shin Bet claimed they were all members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. One of the three, Musa Darwish, was convicted on December 15, 2005, of Yosef's attempted murder, and of throwing firebombs at vehicles on the Jerusalem-Ma'aleh Adumim road. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years' probation. A second man, Salah Hamouri, said he was innocent of the charges, but accepted a sentence of seven years in exchange for admitting his guilt.
Family
When Yosef was 24, he married the 17-year-old , who was born in Syria to Avraham HaLevi Fattal. They had eleven children.
Final years and death
Yosef resided in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighbourhood. He often wore tinted eyeglasses, as his eyes were very sensitive to light. These became a trademark of his. Yosef remained an active public figure in political and religious life in his capacity as the spiritual leader of the Shas political party, and through his regular weekly sermons. He was called the Posek HaDor ("Posek of the present generation"), Gadol HaDor ("great/est (one of) the generation"), Maor Yisrael ("Light of Israel"), and Maran.
Halakhic approach and worldview
Meta-halakha: Restoring the past glory
Yosef frequently made use of the slogan "Restore past glory" (; ) as a metaphor embodying both his social and halakhic agenda.
argues that Yosef adopts a [[melting pot]] approach, in that he seeks to unify the traditions of all Jews in Israel, Sephardic and Ashkenazi alike. Zohar claims that Yosef's main distinction is not between Ashkenazim and Sephardim but between the Land of Israel and the [[diaspora|Jewish diaspora]]. In his view, Yosef seeks to apply Karo's rulings to the entire Land of Israel, but not necessarily outside it. According to Zohar, this represents an anti-Diaspora and "anti-Colonialist" approach, since it seeks to strip the various immigrant communities of their traditions from their countries of origin and replace them with the custom of the Land of Israel, rather than importing and implanting foreign customs in Israel. He compares Yosef and religious reformers such as [[Martin Luther]] and Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, and claims that Yosef has adopted a religious restorative-reformist worldview. Specifically, he argues that Yosef's ''halakhic'' approach is not, as Yosef attempts to portray it, a return to a traditional form of Sephardic ruling, but rather an innovative formulation of a particular Sephardic approach to ''halakha'' that Yosef himself fashioned.
Preference for leniency
Yosef adopted the Talmudic dictum "". Therefore, one of his fundamental principles of halakhic ruling is that lenient rulings should be preferred over chumra. Yosef saw this as one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Sephardic approach to halakha versus the Ashkenazi approach. In one ruling, he quoted Chaim Joseph David Azulai as saying:
Examples of lenient rulings
Following this principle of leniency Yosef made a number of halakhic rulings which are significantly more lenient than those made by his Ashkenazi Haredi counterparts. Among them are:
The least of evils
Yosef aimed to encourage maximal observance of mitzvot among as many Israelis as possible. In order to achieve this, "he is willing to follow a halakhic policy which, on the one hand, will minimize violations of the halakha, but on the other, concedes absolute adherence to the halakha". This is evident in a number of his rulings: providing kashrut certification to a restaurant that serves milk and meat; the Shechita of a chicken where there is a concern of it being terefah; and the wearing of pants by women.
Turning a blind eye
Yosef applied a policy of turning a blind eye to deviations from the halakha in circumstances where, if strict adherence to the halakha were required, it is likely that it would not be followed at all. Examples of this include the recital of the priestly benediction by Kohanim who do not have a religious lifestyle, and a shaliach tzibur or person performing a Torah reading who shaves with a razor.
Sinai Adif
In the Talmudic debate over , Yosef was of the opinion that Sinai is preferable. Specifically, he emphasizes that the Sephardic system of learning, which emphasizes learning halakha in depth, is superior to the common approach in many Ashkenazi schools, which relies on deep analysis of gemara employing pilpul, without reaching to the halakhic conclusions. This preference is based upon his support for ruling halakha on practical contemporary issues rather than ruling halakha as a purely theoretical pursuit. In a eulogy he wrote for Yaakov Ades, his teacher at Porat Yosef Yeshiva, he said:
Attitude towards Kabbalah
Yosef was sometimes willing to accept rulings which rely on the rulings of the Ari zal, provided that these do not contradict rulings by Karo. In some instances, particularly in Jewish prayer, Yosef championed Kabbalistic considerations even at the expense of Karo's rulings. Nevertheless, in many cases, he came out strongly against the rulings, saying, "We have no business with Jewish mysticism", and rejecting rulings based upon the Zohar, and the Kabbalah more generally. This position is contrary to many (but not all) traditional long-standing Sephardic rulings on halakha, including by many Sephardic poskim to this day. In contrast with the position of Chaim Joseph David Azulai, who wrote that, "None may reply after (i.e. dispute the rulings of) the Ari", Yosef argues that no special weight should be attached to the rulings of the Ari, and the ordinary principles of halakhic ruling should continue to apply. He wrote:
Attitude towards minhag and traditions
Yosef gave strong preference to the written word, and did not attribute significant weight to minhagim and traditions which are not well anchored in the halakha. For example, he expressed opposition to two minhagim observed in the synagogues of North African Jewry: standing during the reading of the Ten Commandments, and the involvement of the congregation in certain parts of the prayer service. His attempts to change popular and deeply rooted traditions have led to opposition to his approach among some North African rabbis.
Halakhic rulings
Yosef is generally considered one of the leading halakhic authorities, particularly for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, who bestowed upon him the honorific title of "Maran".
Attitude towards the State of Israel and its citizens
Ethiopian Jews
Yosef is often regarded as the pivotal force behind bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel. In the 1970s, Yosef ruled that Ethiopian Jews were halachically Jewish and campaigned for the Ethiopian aliyah to Israel. Pnina Tamano-Shata said of Yosef: "I started crying, probably in gratitude to all that he's done, the humane form of address, 'our brothers.' He was also a leader. He called on the authorities to save Ethiopia's Jews and bring them to Israel. It shows his great love for others." 'Thanks to him I'm here': How Rabbi Yosef brought Ethiopians to Israel Ilana Curiel, Published:10.08.13, Ynet
Attitude to Zionism
Yosef held a halakhically ambivalent view towards Zionism as the Atchalta De'Geulah (). Many Religious Zionists, in contrast, view Israel as the first flowering of the redemption. In a halakhic ruling regarding Yom Haatzmaut, Yosef acknowledged that the Jewish people experienced a miracle with the establishment of the State of Israel; however, since the miracle did not include all of the Jewish people,
Yeshiva students and military service
Yosef regarded the wars fought by the State of Israel as falling within the halakhic classification of Milkhemet Mitzvah. Nevertheless, he encouraged young students to remain in the yeshivas, rather than be drafted into the military, because, "despite the sensitivity which Rabbi Yosef feels towards the Israel Defense Forces, he is deeply rooted in the rabbinic tradition of the yeshivas in the Land of Israel, and holds their position which opposes the integration of yeshiva students in the military". Binyamin Lau makes a cautious distinction between Yosef's public rhetoric, which presents a unified front with the Ashkenazi Haredim, and between internal discussions, where Yosef was said to be more receptive to solving the problem of integrating the Haredim into the military.
Secular Israelis
Yosef frequently referred to the present situation in Israeli and Jewish society as "the generation of freedom and liberty". By this, Yosef referred to a modern reality of a Jewish community which is generally not committed to the halakha, and where rabbinic authority has lost its centrality. In this context, Yosef drew a distinction between those who profess a Hiloni, and those who are non-observant merely in the sense of a weak or incomplete commitment to halakha accompanied by a strong belief in God and the Torah:
Israeli legal system
Yosef was opposed to bringing civil actions in the Israeli courts, because they decide outcomes by applying Israeli law, rather than halakha. His opposition is consistent with the position of the Ashkenazi Haredi rabbis, and some Religious Zionist rabbis (e.g., Yaakov Ariel) as well. On this matter, Yosef has written:
Political activity
Government influence
In 1990, Yosef used his position as Shas spiritual leader to pressure Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir into agreeing to hold negotiations with Arab states for a peaceful settlement of the Arab–Israeli conflict. Shamir, a member of the Likud Party, refused to make any commitments. According to the biography Ben Porat Yosef, the relationship between the two had never been comfortable because of Shamir's unstudious personality. As a way of gaining a character analysis of politicians, Yosef had invited both Shamir and Shimon Peres to learn Talmud with him. While Peres proved an engaging and fluid learner, Shamir was stoic toward the material, a trait that led Yosef to instead use one of Shamir's cabinet members, Housing and Construction Minister David Levy, as his key partner in dealing with the Likud. Levy had a relatively warm relationship with Yosef due to the former's moderate approach to Israel's security and foreign affairs policies, his charismatic personality, and his connection with Sephardi traditions.
Cultural influence
In a 2004 article by Maariv, Yosef was listed as one of the most influential rabbis in Israel. He was described as:
Position on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Despite his controversial public comments, Yosef had long been a rabbinical authority advocating peace negotiations in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and had done so since the late 1980s. His main justification was the halakhic principle of pikuach nefesh, in which all the Jewish commandments (excluding adultery, idolatry, and murder) are put on hold if a life is put in danger. Using an argument first articulated by the American rabbinical leader Joseph Soloveitchik, Yosef claimed that the Arab–Israeli conflict endangers human lives, thereby meeting the above criteria and overruling the priority of commandments pertaining to settling the Land of Israel. Therefore, Israel is permitted—even obligated if saving lives is a definitive outcome—to make serious efforts to reach a peace settlement, as well as to make arrangements to properly protect its citizens.Rav Ovadia Yossef. "Ceding Territory of the Land of Israel in Order to Save Lives", Tehumim Vol. 10, 1989Rav Ovadia Yossef. "Ceding Territory of the Land of Israel in Order to Save Lives", Crossroads: Halacha and the Modern World Vol. 3, 1990 Yosef first applied the pikuach nefesh principle to Israel's conflicts with its neighbors in 1979, when he ruled that this argument granted Israel authority to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Some claimed, however, that the ruling was also motivated by Yosef's desire to oppose his Ashkenazi colleague, Shlomo Goren.
Controversial statements
Yosef made numerous political remarks that aroused controversy. His supporters said that statements deemed offensive to various groups and individuals were taken out of context, but the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League condemned what they termed his "hate speech". He claimed the Holocaust was God's retribution against the reincarnated souls of Jewish sinners. Ovadia Yosef: Shoah victims - reincarnated sinners By JPOST.COM STAFF, 07/05/2009. "After all, people are upset and ask why was there a Holocaust? Woe to us, for we have sinned. Woe to us, for there is nothing we can say to justify it...It goes without saying that we believe in reincarnation...It is a reincarnation of those souls...All those poor people in the Holocaust, we wonder why it was done. There were righteous people among them. Still, they were punished because of sins." He claimed that Israeli soldiers were killed in battle on account of their non-observance of Torah law. Rabbi Yosef: Soldiers killed in war because they did not observe mitzvoth Dani Adino Ababa, 08.27.07, Ynetnews. "It is no wonder that soldiers are killed in war; they don't observe Shabbat, don't observe the Torah, don't pray every day, don't lay phylacteries on a daily basis – so is it any wonder that they are killed? No, it's not." He was criticised for supporting the traditional role of women and minimising their capabilities. Rabbi Ovadia: 'Women should stick to cooking, sewing' By AARON MAGID, The Jerusalem Post, 07/30/2007. "A woman's knowledge is only in sewing...Women should find other jobs and make hamin, but not deal with matters of Torah."" Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on Women's Day Channel 10 News, Avishai Ben Haim, 08/03/2011. "Women cannot go to war...If a woman runs over a cat with a car, she begins crying." (On the other hand), "a man is a man - give him a task, and he will do it." After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he blamed the tragedy on U.S. support for the Gaza disengagement and on a general lack of Torah study in the area where the hurricane occurred. In 2009, he said of Yisrael Beitenu and its leader, "whoever votes for Avigdor Lieberman gives strength to Satan". Rabbi Yosef: Lieberman voters support Satan, Ynet, 02.07.09. Shas' Rabbi Yosef: Voting for Lieberman gives strength to Satan, Haaretz, Yair Ettinger, Feb. 8, 2009. "My heart is heavy. Heaven forbid people support them. This is completely forbidden. Whoever does so commits an intolerable sin. Whoever does so supports Satan and the evil inclination."
Recommendations of the Plesner Committee
In 2013, Yosef called for yeshiva students to Yerida rather than agree to serve in the army, stating:
Arabs and Palestinians
In 2001, Yosef was quoted as saying:
Remarks about gentiles
In an October 2010 sermon, Yosef said, "the sole purpose of non-Jews is to serve Jews". He also said:
Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world only to serve the People of Israel. Yosef: Gentiles exist only to serve Jews, Jonah Mandel, 18.10.2010, The Jerusalem Post
Published works
Among Yosef's earliest work was a detailed commentary on titled . He was asked to finish the commentary Kaf Ha'Chaim by Yaakov Chaim Sofer after the author's death. Two sets of Yosef's responsa have been published, and . His responsa are noted for citing almost every source regarding a specific topic and are often referred to simply as indices of rulings. There is also another series of books under the title of , which he has written concerning laws of Shabbat, holidays, and other topics.
See also
Notes
Further reading
External links
Categories: 1920 Births, 2013 Deaths, Shas Politicians, 20th-century Iraqi Rabbis, Israeli Mizrahi Jews, Rishon Lezion, Iraqi Emigrants To Mandatory Palestine, Leaders Of Political Parties In Israel, Israel Prize In Rabbinical Literature Recipients, Israel Prize Rabbi Recipients, Sephardic Haredi Rabbis In Israel, 20th-century Rabbis In Jerusalem, 21st-century Rabbis In Jerusalem, Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah, Badatz Beit Yosef, Burials At Sanhedria Cemetery, Authors Of Books On Jewish Law, Immigrants Of The Fourth Aliyah, Haredi Poskim, Israeli People Of Iraqi-jewish Descent, Rabbis From Baghdad
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