SEVEN DECADES OF TORAH LEADERSHIP: Rav Moshe Mordechai Hadaya zt”l, Eilat’s Longest-Serving Chief Rabbi, Passes Away at 91
The Torah world is mourning the petirah of Rav Moshe Mordechai Hadaya zt”l, the longtime Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Eilat and its surrounding district, who was niftar on Shabbos at the age of 91, after approximately seven decades devoted to strengthening Yiddishkeit in Israel’s southernmost city.
Rav Hadaya, who was regarded as the senior municipal rabbi in Israel in terms of years of service, assumed his position when Eilat was still a remote and developing community. Over the ensuing 70 years, he helped establish the city’s religious infrastructure, founded Torah institutions, and became a beloved spiritual figure for generations of residents.
His levayah was held on Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Bereishis at the Pachad Yitzchak Shul in Eilat, to be followed by a second levayah in Yerushalayim on Sunday.
Rav Hadaya was born in Syria in 1935 (5695) into a distinguished family of rabbonim and Torah scholars whose roots extended through the great Sephardic communities of Aleppo and Yerushalayim.
He was a grandson of the renowned Sephardic mekubal Rav Shalom Hadaya zt”l, who served as Rosh Yeshiva of the Beis El Yeshiva of Mekubalim and as av beis din in Yerushalayim.
His family also included Rav Ovadia Hadaya zt”l, the celebrated posek and author of Yaskil Avdi, whose writings became an important part of Sephardic halachic literature.
After arriving in Eretz Yisroel as a young man, Rav Hadaya immersed himself in Torah study under prominent gedolei Torah and poskim of the generation.
Among his principal rebbeim were Rav Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg zt”l, the author of Tzitz Eliezer and a member of Israel’s Great Rabbinical Court; Rav Yaakov Kalav zt”l; and Rav Shimon Efrati zt”l.
His years of learning under these distinguished rabbonim provided the foundation for a lifetime of psak halacha and communal leadership.
In 1955 (5715), while still a young man, Rav Hadaya was called upon to serve as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Eilat, which at the time was a small development town far removed from the established Torah centers of the country.
He accepted the position and devoted himself to building the religious life of the community, undertaking responsibilities that would occupy him for the next seven decades.
During his lengthy tenure, Rav Hadaya established the city’s kashrus supervision system, oversaw the construction of mikvaos, helped found shuls, and developed programs of Torah learning for local residents.
He was also deeply involved in protecting the observance of Shabbos and maintaining proper halachic standards throughout the city.
His efforts were especially significant because Eilat’s geographical isolation and its development as a major tourist destination presented challenges that differed from those facing rabbonim in Israel’s more established religious communities.
Rav Hadaya worked tirelessly to ensure that residents had access to the religious services and institutions necessary for a Torah-observant life, while maintaining close relationships with people from across the city’s diverse population.
Those who knew him described a rov whose home was open to anyone seeking assistance, guidance, or encouragement. Religious and secular residents alike viewed him as a fatherly figure who combined unwavering commitment to halacha with warmth and genuine concern for every individual.
His decades of service made him an inseparable part of Eilat’s history, and his influence extended well beyond the city’s religious institutions.
Approximately four months ago, in Sivan 5786, Eilat held formal elections for the position of Sephardic Chief Rabbi, resulting in the selection of Rav Hadaya’s son, Hagaon Rav Yair Hadaya, to succeed him.
Rav Yair was elected by an overwhelming majority of the electoral body, ensuring that the rabbinic leadership of the city would remain in the family that had guided its religious life for generations.
The younger Rav Hadaya is a distinguished talmid of Rav Avraham Shapira zt”l and Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul zt”l.
For many years, he headed a kollel in Eilat dedicated to preparing avreichim for positions in the rabbinate. He has also served voluntarily as the rabbinic representative of United Hatzalah in the city.
Like his father, Rav Yair has been actively involved in bringing Yidden closer to Torah and mitzvos, emphasizing personal relationships, accessibility, and a welcoming approach to those seeking to strengthen their connection to Yiddishkeit.
During a special gathering held this past summer in recognition of Rav Moshe Hadaya’s 70 years of service, the veteran rov publicly blessed his son upon his appointment as the city’s new Sephardic Chief Rabbi.
The emotional occasion brought together members of the community to honor Rav Hadaya’s extraordinary lifetime of dedication and to celebrate the continuation of his family’s rabbinic legacy.
At the gathering, Rav Hadaya expressed his heartfelt wishes that his son merit to lead Eilat’s Jewish community successfully and continue the distinguished tradition of Torah leadership established by their family.
With his petirah, Eilat has lost a towering figure who accompanied the city through nearly its entire modern history, transforming a distant development town into a community with an established network of shuls, mikvaos, Torah learning, and religious services.
Yehi zichro baruch.
{Matzav.com}
