"We Couldn't Believe It: The Arab Who Stole the Light from the Holy Grave, Evacuated with Amputated Hand"

13 years have passed since the death of the great Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ztz"l, and it is impossible to ignore the many stories that continue to be told about him. Stories of leadership and a symbol, a Pasken for the masses, and a lofty figure whose head reached the heavens, but whose feet were with us, on the ground, accompanying so many Jews in his lifetime.

Rabbi Chaim Suissa served as the manager of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu's office for more than 25 years and currently runs 'Paths of Light for Rabbis', institutions founded by the Rabbi that continue to train students following his ways. "The Rabbi received a very special title – 'The Father of Israel', and this is essentially what so characterized him," Suissa shares, "because he saw in every Jew a beloved and precious son, no matter what their color was, what community they belonged to, their economic status, or which party they voted for.

"He directed this warmth towards many people, some of whom were fortunate to have a very direct connection with him. As someone who accompanied the Rabbi for so many years, I can testify firsthand about many politicians who were close to the Rabbi and shared with him their personal struggles. They knew these conversations would remain between them and the Rabbi only and would never be used against them in any way, because the Rabbi, on principle, did not get involved in politics, despite various efforts to connect him to it".

"The Bones Arranged Themselves"

On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the Rabbi's death, Rabbi Suissa wishes to share an amazing story that began in the 60s. "In those days, the Chief Rabbi of Israel was Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim ztz"l, who served before Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztz"l," he recounts, "Rabbi Eliyahu always regarded Rabbi Nissim as his mentor and teacher, and therefore when he approached him in the 60s and asked him to be a partner in bringing the holy bones of Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (the Chida) to Israel, he immediately accepted his request. The Chida, Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, was a messenger of Israel, which led him to Italy, where he also passed away and was buried about 200 years ago. In his will, he requested to bring his bones to Israel when possible.

"At that time, they were planning to pave a new road in Livorno, the city where the Chida was buried, and there was concern that this would affect his grave, and there was talk of bringing him to Israel quickly," Suissa explains. "Rabbi Nissim chose Rabbi Eliyahu to be responsible for the mission from the Israeli side, and on the other side, in Italy, a Jew named Dr. Nachon, who served as the president of the Italian community, took on the responsibility of handling the holy bones until they were brought to Israel. The mission was not simple, both in terms of dealing with the authorities and technically, but it was ultimately crowned with success, and a casket with the Chida's bones arrived in Israel.

"Personally, I heard Rabbi Eliyahu testify several times from first-hand experience about what happened at that time when he addressed the holy Rabbi and said, 'Holy Chida, I am not worthy of touching you; I ask you to arrange your bones,' and the bones arranged themselves. At that time, there were several rabbis with Rabbi Eliyahu who fainted, as it was a true miracle. Rabbi Eliyahu also took responsibility for the further handling of the Chida's bones, and he was the only one who handled them and ensured their final burial on Har HaMenuchot.

"The Chida was buried in Israel, and as a result, Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim arranged for a large structure to be built on his grave, where the people of Israel could come and pray, and at the same time, he also purchased two burial plots, intending to be buried there himself after his passing. However, in the meantime, the Six-Day War occurred, and the Mount of Olives was captured. As a result, Rabbi Nissim changed his mind and decided he wanted to be buried near the Temple Mount, leaving the two graves next to the Chida vacant."

Here, Suissa speaks personally: "Every time I went to Har HaMenuchot with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, he would tell me this story again and again. It made me understand what the Rabbi did not say explicitly, but in my feeling, he wished to be buried near the holy Chida, and I felt he was conveying this to me as a will."

Suissa notes that during the last two years of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu's life, the Rabbi endured great and difficult suffering and was even hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. "After his passing, we approached Rabbi Nissim's family and the Hevra Kadisha to ask for their permission to bury Rabbi Eliyahu in that plot, outside the Chida's tent, and we indeed received the consent of all the concerned parties, and Rabbi Eliyahu was buried in that burial plot."

Suissa emphasizes that at that time, the tomb structure on the grave of the Chida was old and not maintained, with no lighting or organized place to stay. "As a result, the idea arose to demolish the existing structure and erect in its place a large and magnificent building that would honor the figures of the righteous rabbis buried there. To get approval for this, I approached the Eliyahu family, who indeed gave their approval, and we set out to build a large and respectable tent."

According to Suissa, throughout the construction, he saw heavenly signs, as every time problems arose, they were resolved surprisingly and in the best way.

One example of this was in the search for an architect to design the structure. "All the architects I approached did not want the job; they told me they preferred to work on buildings or kitchens, not on the graves of the dead. But then deliverance came from an unexpected source, as one day I learned about a professional architect named Michal Della Pergola, who does beautiful stonework, and when I contacted her and told her what I was looking for, she connected deeply with the project and even astonished me by revealing: 'My grandfather is Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim, and my husband's grandfather is from the Della Pergola family, Dr. Nachon's family. She is indeed the granddaughter of the two rabbis who were responsible for bringing the Chida to Israel."

"The Arab Was Evacuated with an Amputated Hand"

Another especially moving story occurred a year after the Rabbi's death, even before the tomb structure was built. "We knew that many wanted to come and pray on his grave on the first yahrzeit, and we decided to prepare by setting up large lighting bodies to illuminate the place," Suissa explains. "Around midnight, the electrical equipment we ordered arrived, and since I had to return to my home in Beitar, I decided to leave the expensive equipment on-site, thinking we would return in the morning, so there was no point in moving the sensitive equipment back and forth.

"But early in the morning, I got a phone call from one of our workers who informed me, 'There is no equipment there; everything has been taken.' Of course, I hurried to Har HaMenuchot, and on the Hevra Kadisha's security camera, I saw that at four in the morning, a minority individual arrived at the place with a pickup truck, loaded all the lighting equipment, and took off. I knew I could file a complaint, but mainly it hurt my heart for the equipment that disappeared and that we wouldn’t be able to prepare for the yahrzeit as we wanted.

"While I was standing there, frustrated and in pain, a worker of the Hevra Kadisha came over and asked me what happened. I pointed to the camera screen and showed him the minority: 'Look what this wicked man did to me.' He looked and seemed not to believe it, then he told me: 'That was a worker, one of the tombstone contractors, who was evacuated half an hour ago to the hospital with an amputated hand.' It was shocking, and since then, all the Arabs in the area are deathly afraid to approach the Rabbi's grave because they saw how that person was immediately punished, literally within an hour. Additionally, the police managed to find our lighting equipment, and we set up the system as we had hoped."

The process of establishing the tomb took about two and a half years, and today there is a large and spacious structure on Har HaMenuchot where people can pray near the graves of the Chida and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ztz"l. "The place is open 24 hours a day," Suissa notes with satisfaction, "and I see this as an amazing full circle because during the years I accompanied the Rabbi, I personally had to hold back some people who wanted to talk to him or postpone them and prioritize requests by urgency, as the Rabbi received hundreds of faxes a day, and there were dozens of people wanting to meet him every day. It wasn't easy for me at all, and now I'm happy to see that the Rabbi's tomb is open 24 hours a day, except on Shabbat and holidays, with comfortable seating, lighting, and hot drinks."

And how often do you visit the tomb?

"I come at least a few times a week, and the truth is, every time I return, I am exposed to particularly moving stories that people tell me about the Rabbi. Sometimes these are stories that happened during his life, and others tell of the salvation they experienced after praying at his grave. For it is known that the righteous continue to act on our behalf from heaven, and there's no doubt Rabbi Eliyahu, who throughout his life cared so much for the people of Israel, continues to do so even from above."

Suissa notes that every year, a large event is held at the Rabbi Eliyahu's tomb on the 25th of Sivan, the day of his passing, attended by tens of thousands of people from all over the country, and even from outside. "This year, too, we are planning a significant event with refreshments and hospitality, and stewards ensuring everything functions orderly and honorably. With great hope that by then, the complete redemption will arrive and the Rabbi will rise and live among us."