Mordechai Eliyahu
| Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu | |
|---|---|
| Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, 1983–1993 | |
 |
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| Predecessor | Rabbi Ovadia Yosef |
| Successor | Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Mordechai Eliyahu |
| Born | March 3, 1929 Jerusalem |
| Died | June 7, 2010 (aged 81) Jerusalem |
| Nationality | Israel |
| Denomination | Haredi |
| Parents | Rabbi Salman and Mazal Eliyahu |
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu (Hebrew: מרדכי צמח אליהו, March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010, on the Hebrew calendar: 21 Adar I, 5689 - 25 Siwan, 5770), was a prominent rabbi, posek, and spiritual leader. He served as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993.
Mordechai Eliyahu was born in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, the son of Iraqi Jewish Rabbi Salman Eliyahu, a Jerusalem Kabbalist, and his wife Mazal. The surname was Hebraicised from Elias. He had an older brother, Naim Ben Eliyahu, a younger sister Rachel, and brother Shimon. Salman was a disciple of the Ben Ish Hai, who was Mazal's great-uncle. She was a sister of Yehuda Tzadka. The family was poor, so Mordechai improvised ways in which to study, which he often did by candlelight. Salman died when Mordechai was eleven, but not before he instilled in his son a love of Torah and Kabbalah.
In his youth, Eliyahu attended Porat Yosef Yeshiva, and had the opportunity to learn from many great teachers such as Ezra Attiya, Sadqa Hussein, and the Chazon Ish. He would later come into contact with Mordechai Sharabi, Yaakov Mutzafi, and Yitzhak Kaduri. Later in life, he would go on to cultivate a unique relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
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