A story that underscored not just the genius of his father, but also his humility

It’s been 30 years since the passing of the venerated rosh yeshivah of Porat Yosef, considered the “mother” of the Sephardic olam hayeshivos: Rav Yehudah Tzadkah was the rebbi of so many contemporary roshei yeshivah and mechanchim, and the yahrtzeit address by his son and successor, Rav Moshe Tzadkah, was attended by many of them.

Rav Moshe shared a story that underscored not just the genius of his father, but also his humility.

He had accompanied his father on a mission to the moshavim and small towns in the north of Israel, where the Rosh Yeshivah would offer words of chizuk to the people. As they traveled throughout the day, Rav Yehudah took advantage of quiet moments to open a small Tehillim he carried, and after looking inside for several moments, he appeared to doze off. The scene repeated itself several times.

It was only after the Rosh Yeshivah’s passing that his son opened the small Tehillim and realized that in its flap, his father had written the first few words of every masechta in Shas. This enabled him to review masechta after masechta, using each moment to learn — but also to maintain his privacy. Anyone watching him assumed he was “just” reciting Tehillim.

This, remarked Rav Moshe, is the legacy of his father: Torah, but cloaked in humility.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 883)