A crowd estimated roughly as \"hundreds of thousands\" is participating in the funeral of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach, who passed away at approximately 2 AM after a long illness. The roads of Bnei Brak are packed with mourners, and the funeral procession is able to advance only very slowly. A very large crowd is already waiting at the Bnei Brak cemetery. Businesses in Bnei Brak are closed, and nearby roofs and porches are also dangerously filled with people; one stone wall is reported to have collapsed.
Upon hearing the news of his death, heads of yeshivot in Bnei Brak and thousands of his students rent their outer garment. Lights in the yeshiva were turned off, and the students sat on the floor in mourning. The funeral began outside the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak at 10 AM. Rabbi Shach\'s son-in-law Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman delivered the sole eulogy, and his son Dr. Efraim Shach recited Kaddish. Many roads in Bnei Brak, including entrances to the city, are closed, and 500 policemen and volunteers are helping direct traffic. Close to 20 emergency medical vehicles are on hand, as well as dozens of paramedics.
In the U.S., many thousands of people \"participated\" in the funeral - at between midnight and 3:00 in the morning - thanks to close to 150 conference call links from Bnei Brak. In the Lakewood, N.J. yeshiva alone, 2,500 people were reported to have come.
Rabbi Shach was born in Lithuania 103 years ago, and arrived in Eretz Yisrael with his parents when he was about 40. He joined Yeshivat Ponevezh in 1946, and after a short while became the Rosh Yeshiva. He lived in very modest conditions, and led the \"yeshiva world\" from his small apartment. He later became the head of Agudat Yisrael\'s Council of Torah Sages, and afterwards initiated the formation of two political parties: Degel HaTorah, which later rejoined Agudat Yisrael to become United Torah Judaism, and the Sephardic yeshiva party Shas, which later broke away from his leadership. Although his views were dovish, he was against granting political support to the left-wing secular parties; five years ago, he called upon his followers to support Binyamin Netanyahu in the election against Shimon Peres.
Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a former student of Rav Shach, said today that the fallen leader would certainly want to be remembered as a Rosh Yeshiva and one who taught Torah to thousands, rather than for his political activities. The Chief Rabbi issued an official statement of mourning: \"The Jewish world has lost the giant of the generation, who built generations of students and was a personal example of total dedication in the tent of Torah.\" Rabbi Shach authored a four-volume work on Maimonides\' Mishneh Torah, entitled Avi Ezri, and other writings. Voice of Israel Radio, which barely ever plays Chassidic songs, ended its interview with Rabbi Lau with a slow Chassidic rendition of, \"Ner L\'ragli Dvarecha\" (Your Word is a candle to my feet, a light to my path; Ps. 119, 105).
A video clip of the prayers for Rabbi Shach\'s recovery can be seen on Arutz-7\'s homepage.
Upon hearing the news of his death, heads of yeshivot in Bnei Brak and thousands of his students rent their outer garment. Lights in the yeshiva were turned off, and the students sat on the floor in mourning. The funeral began outside the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak at 10 AM. Rabbi Shach\'s son-in-law Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman delivered the sole eulogy, and his son Dr. Efraim Shach recited Kaddish. Many roads in Bnei Brak, including entrances to the city, are closed, and 500 policemen and volunteers are helping direct traffic. Close to 20 emergency medical vehicles are on hand, as well as dozens of paramedics.
In the U.S., many thousands of people \"participated\" in the funeral - at between midnight and 3:00 in the morning - thanks to close to 150 conference call links from Bnei Brak. In the Lakewood, N.J. yeshiva alone, 2,500 people were reported to have come.
Rabbi Shach was born in Lithuania 103 years ago, and arrived in Eretz Yisrael with his parents when he was about 40. He joined Yeshivat Ponevezh in 1946, and after a short while became the Rosh Yeshiva. He lived in very modest conditions, and led the \"yeshiva world\" from his small apartment. He later became the head of Agudat Yisrael\'s Council of Torah Sages, and afterwards initiated the formation of two political parties: Degel HaTorah, which later rejoined Agudat Yisrael to become United Torah Judaism, and the Sephardic yeshiva party Shas, which later broke away from his leadership. Although his views were dovish, he was against granting political support to the left-wing secular parties; five years ago, he called upon his followers to support Binyamin Netanyahu in the election against Shimon Peres.
Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a former student of Rav Shach, said today that the fallen leader would certainly want to be remembered as a Rosh Yeshiva and one who taught Torah to thousands, rather than for his political activities. The Chief Rabbi issued an official statement of mourning: \"The Jewish world has lost the giant of the generation, who built generations of students and was a personal example of total dedication in the tent of Torah.\" Rabbi Shach authored a four-volume work on Maimonides\' Mishneh Torah, entitled Avi Ezri, and other writings. Voice of Israel Radio, which barely ever plays Chassidic songs, ended its interview with Rabbi Lau with a slow Chassidic rendition of, \"Ner L\'ragli Dvarecha\" (Your Word is a candle to my feet, a light to my path; Ps. 119, 105).
A video clip of the prayers for Rabbi Shach\'s recovery can be seen on Arutz-7\'s homepage