Rav Eliyahu Sheetrit merited being a chavrusa, learning with Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L for over twenty years. After the petira of the gadol hador Rav Sheetrit was interviewed by Kikar Shabbat, sharing is thoughts just a day following the petira of the gadol hador.

“Until yesterday I felt that we were protected. We had a wall around us. Yesterday, that wall fell and we are left without the wall of protection…This is how I feel this morning”.

When asked “What will you do now, without your chavrusa,” the rav admits he does not know. “I mamosh feel an emptiness. I was with the rav for many hours [a day]. Now, I don’t know what to do. I am walking around in a daze.”

“Prior to my time with the rav I would visit kivrei tzaddikim and I received a measure of ruchniyus. Since I began studying with the rav I have all but stopped visiting the kevarim. I felt the rav satisfied what I needed. I was not lacking for anything. Now, I do not have this! We don’t have this!”

Wasn’t the rav in the midst of writing another sefer?

This is what we are working on now. We hope to have that which the rav left ready for the month (end of shloshim) with H-shem’s assistance.

As one who was the closest to the rav, can you share a story with us?

There are many stories but I am reminded of one. A number of years ago the rav was informed there was a bird’s nest on the balcony. They told the rav to perform the mitzvah of shiloach haken. The rav walked over to the balcony and performed the mitzvah, sending the mother away and said ‘Now her angel will begin working on her behalf’.

The pigeon returned later that day while the rav was still there. The rav said to it as if he was apologizing ‘I am sorry, but this is the mitzvah the Torah commands me to do’.

Look at his outlook. What a unique marvelous individual we have lost. An angel…

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)