There are biographies written about gedolim—and then there are books like Maran: The Life and Scholarship of Hacham Ovadia Yosef. Books where you don’t just get to read some nice stories about the gadol in question and get to learn about his background and family—but where you are actually given a clear window into the gadol’s whole mehalech hachaim, an understanding of how he grew and developed, how he paskened and wrote teshuvos—indeed, an authoritative account of the Torah giant’s life and scholarship.
This describes celebrated Sephardic author Yehuda Azoulay’s newest jewel, Maran—a book about as unique as Hacham Ovadiah himself.
Yes, you’ll learn about Hacham Ovadiah’s history and family, too, in this book, and there are certainly a plethora of amazing stories about Hacham Ovadia in these pages. But Maran is so much more than that.
Firstly, much of this book is based on Hacham Ovadia’s own words, from hundreds of his lectures and writings. Secondly, this work is a product of 6 years of extensive research conducted by 3 researchers—Yehuda Azoulay and his team—who combed through Hacham Ovadia Yosef’s 53 published works and interviewed over 20 associates. The autobiographical information, anecdotes, and opinions of Hacham Ovadia, which Azoulay and his team unearthed among his halachic responsa, have become the heart of this book. In this way, by reading Maran, you are getting the most close-up look possible at this beloved and influential Torah sage.
In the words of one of Hacham Ovadia’s sons: “[The research conducted for this book] is like nothing I have seen for any publication on my father’s life, in Hebrew or in any language.”
Maran is a monumental and comprehensive analysis and appreciation of a rare Torah giant, his contribution to world Jewry, and his work on behalf of the Sephardic community. We invite you to learn more about one of the most revered and beloved Torah personalities of our generation, on the occasion of his first hillula. By reading this book, you will be inspired and elevated; you’ll feel like you had the privilege of knowing Maran yourself, and you will be motivated to emulate his holy ways.
Yehi zichro baruch!