Rabbi Mazuz was deeply engaged in the practical concerns of Jewish life in Israel. Out of a profound sense of responsibility for the Jewish people and the Holy Land, he spoke out passionately for the integrity of the Land of Israel and stood alongside those who championed its cause.
In the final weeks of his life, Rabbi Mazuz’s health declined sharply, and he was hospitalized several times. Just before Passover, as his condition worsened, he told his students that he did not want to disrupt the joy of the upcoming holiday. True to his word, he held on for another week, passing away on the final day of the holiday.
He was mourned by Israel’s current and former chief rabbis, leading halachic authorities, prominent rabbis and members of the Israeli government.
“I deeply mourn, along with so many across our nation, the passing of Rabbi Meir Mazuz, of righteous memory—one of the great Torah scholars of our generation, head of Yeshivat Kisse Rahamim, and a pillar of Jewish law and Sephardic tradition,” wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Rabbi Mazuz, and I was always deeply impressed by his wisdom, insight, and humility... I am confident that his unique spirit will be preserved for generations to come, and that the light of his Torah will never be extinguished.”
More than 150,000 people attended his funeral, where it was announced that Yeshivat Kisse Rahamim and its network of schools would be led by Rabbi Mazuz’s younger brother, Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz. In accordance with his will, no eulogies were delivered. Instead, three piyyutim—the sacred liturgical poems he loved so dearly—were sung by his many students, their voices rising together as a living testament to his legacy.
Footnotes
1. Pesachim 87b. 2. See Lubavitcher Rebbe, Ma’amar Poda B’shalom Nafshi 5732, in Toras Menachem, vol. 66 (Brooklyn: Lahak Hanachos, 2019), 258.
3. Rabbi Meir Mazuz, "Mesos Dor VaDor," Kfar Chabad Magazine, no. 65 (13 Elul 5742): 6. 4. Likutei Ma'anot Kodesh – Milu'im, vol. 2 (n.p., 2021), 102.
5. Mazuz, Mesos Dor VaDor, 7. 6. Teshura: Mazkeret Mi-Simchat Ha-Nissuin shel Shmuel u-Mnucha Rachel Sheyichyu Amar, Yud-Alef Elul 5782 (Brunoy, France), 53.
7. Mazuz, Mesos Dor VaDor, 7. 8. Yitzchak Yehuda, interview with Rabbi Meir Mazuz, in “HaRebbe Hu HaNesher HaGadol Shel Dorenu,” Kfar Chabad Magazine, no. 991, p. 62.
Reprinted from the current website of Chabad.Org
