Last week, thousands of Bnei Brak's residents, headed by
rabbonim and roshei yeshiva and joined by masses of
bnei Torah,D accompanied the illustrious mechanech,
HaRav Avraham Ben Tov, zt"l, on his last earthly
journey. He was niftar after a difficult illness in
the 64th year of his life.
HaRav Avrohom Ben Tov, son of HaRav Asher Ben Tov, one of the
prominent rabbonim of Casablanca, was born in Casablanca
5696. He grew up in a home saturated with Torah and pure
yiras Shomayim, where he imbibed his outstanding
character traits and love of Torah. As a young man, he
studied in the Otzar HaTorah yeshiva in Casablanca and later
in the Otzar HaTorah yeshiva in France, where he was very
close to his mentor, HaRav Moshe Cohen zt"l. He made
aliya in 5713 and, after his marriage to Miriam
Vaknin, he devoted his entire life to chinuch.
He produced thousands of students over scores of years as a
teacher. His noble personality inspired all of his students
to improve their yiras Shomayim and their character
traits. He was a paradigm of chessed as well as an
exemplary pedagogue. With his sweet way of speaking, he
succeeded in endearing Torah to his many students.
His first position was as an educator in the Chazon Yechezkel
settlement in the Negev. He later transferred to Be'er
Yaakov, where he was one of the founders of the Neve Eretz
yeshiva. He also taught in the Re'em Talmud Torah in Rechovot
and the talmudei Torah of Gur, Toras Emes, Zichron
Meir and Seret Vishnitz. For the past two decades, he devoted
most of his time to teaching in Chofetz Chaim, the Chinuch
Atzmai Talmud Torah in Rishon Letzion.
He had a special relationship with the gedolei Yisroel
of our time, especially with the Beis Yisroel and HaRav
Binyomin Mendelsohn, the av beis din of Kommemiyus. He
was also very close with HaRav Shmuel Wosner. During the past
forty years in which he lived in Bnei Brak, he davened on
Shabbos and yomim noraim in the Ponevezh yeshiva, due
to its unique atmosphere, which allowed him to pray slowly
and with kavono.
He published the following works: Avraham Ohavi, which
contains his chiddushim on the parsha; his
Maaseh Haketores, an explanation of the
ketores; as well as Kaddish, an anthology on
the importance of reciting kaddish.
This past year he fell ill, and last week, returned his pure
soul, which had been refined by much suffering, to its Maker.
At the time his soul departed, he was surrounded by scores of
family members and students who recited Shema Yisroel
and vidui.
His levaya, which left from his home, was attended by
a large throng, headed by his many students. HaRav Shmuel
Halevi Wosner spoke about the niftar's unique
personality, and said that he was a genuine oved
Hashem. He called him the "personification of a ben
Olom Haboh."
He is survived by his wife, five children -- only three of
whom are married -- and the thousands of students whom he
taught over a period of fifty years.
