Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Rabbi Ovadia YosefIsrael news photo: Flash 90

If the unprecedented scenes of mourning - including the largest funeral procession in the history of the modern State of Israel - are anything to go by, the impact of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's life and death will continue to be felt in Israel and throughout the Jewish world for a long time to come. 

That, as well as the sometimes polarized reactions to his legacy - which began even before the leading Torah scholar and political kingmaker had been buried - are a testament to just how influential a role Rabbi Yosef played in contemporary Jewish life.

So it is perhaps unsurprising that - less than a day after his passing - his grave has already become a pilgrimage site, with scores of students, supporters and admirers of Rabbi Yosef gathering to pray at his tomb in Sanhedria.

Among some schools of Jewish thought, the act of praying at the graves of righteous people is considered a meritorious act, said to render supplicants' prayers more effective.

Jewish worshippers travelled from across the country to pay their respects and offer prayers in the rabbi's merit.