Rabbi Yaakov Yosef: A Voice of Halacha, Ten Years Later

A Life of Torah, Public Service, and Leadership

This Sunday, the 2nd day of the Jewish month of Iyar, marks ten years since the passing of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, son of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Born on October 18, 1946, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef became one of Jerusalem’s most respected rabbis and halachic (Jewish legal) authorities. He served as head of Yeshivat Chazon Yaakov, named after his grandfather Rabbi Yaakov Ovadia, and was the neighborhood rabbi of Givat Moshe and Tel Arza in Jerusalem. He also served as a rabbinical judge, a member of the Shas political party in Israel’s 11th Knesset, and a representative on the Jerusalem City Council.

In addition to his community leadership, Rabbi Yosef was affiliated with the “Badatz Yisa Berachah” kosher organization and sat on the rabbinical court of the Yirei Shamayim community, headed by Rabbi Schwartz.

From Teaching Torah to Recording a Legacy

After Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was appointed Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, he entrusted his son with leading Torah life in Jerusalem’s Bukharan Quarter. Rabbi Yaakov Yosef reorganized the schedule of Torah classes in the neighborhood, centralizing them at the Borochov Synagogue, where he also established Yeshivat Chazon Yaakov.

Over the years, he delivered daily classes in Jewish law and Jewish philosophy in synagogues across the country. In his later years, many of these lessons were recorded, forming an archive of hundreds of hours of Torah study.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef passed away six months before his father, on April 12, 2013, and was buried on Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem. Fulfilling his final request, his headstone reads only: “Here lies your servant, son of your maidservant, Yaakov ben Margalit Yosef.” His father and sons delivered eulogies at the funeral.

A Final Torah Project: “Bi’itah Achishenah”

After being diagnosed with the illness that would claim his life, Rabbi Yosef began working on a halachic series entitled Bi’itah Achishenah, a title whose Hebrew alphanumerical value is equivalent to the value of his name. He edited the works together with his eldest son, Rabbi Ovadia. Just one week before his passing, the first volume was published under the title Chazon Yaakov – Be’itah Achishenah: Laws of the Festivals, Vol. I. The book features notes and insights by his son under the title Imrei Ovadia.

The rest of the series is currently being compiled based on recordings of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef’s lectures, ensuring that his voice and halachic guidance continue to teach future generations.