Rosh Yeshivat Ohr Baruch HaGaon HaRav Gavriel Toledano ZT”L, 79, was niftar on Thursday afternoon 16 Cheshvan in Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim. The niftar was a leading rosh yeshiva in the Sephardi community in Eretz Yisrael.

The Rosh Yeshiva was hospitalized a number of weeks ago after he complained he was not feeling well. His condition deteriorated rather quickly. He was fighting a difficult illness for the past three years, compelling him to remain at home. His son Rav Refael Baruch filled in for him in his yeshiva.

The rav was born in Morocco to Rav Shlomo Toledano ZT”L, a Maggid Meisharim in Morocco. In his youth he studied in France with HaGaon HaRav Chaim Yitzchak Chaikin ZT”L and became a noted figure in Ponevezh and close to the rosh yeshiva, Maran HaGaon HaRav Shach ZT”L. It is pointed out the rav was niftar on Rav Shach’s 15th yahrzeit.

After Ponevezh he served as a Ram in Yeshivat Porat Yosef in the Katamonim area of the capital at the time. He later established his yeshiva in Bayit Vegan with Rav Shach serving as president. Rav Shach visited on a number of occasions to give a shiur.

The niftar penned a number of seforim including ‘מצעדי גבר’ on messechos of Shas and ‘גאל ישראל’ on the Torah.

Levaya times to be announced.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)