Mystery Rov Answers Emails

8
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

The Basheva Magazine discussed a mysterious rov known as the Orchosecha Lamdeinu, who has answered thousands of halachashailos by email, reviewed numerous articles and seforim over the past fifteen years and has even published seforim. His identity is unknown.

“He is a tremendous talmid chochom,” Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef said of him, noting that his father, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, cited him in his works. “My father even asked me once, ‘Who is the Orchosecha Lamdeinu?'”

From the rov‘s replies, it has been deduced that he is of Sefardi heritage, lives in London and is a grandfather.

A family living Yerushalayim’s Sanhedria Murchevet neighborhood knows his identity and distributes his seforim free of charge. Asked why he keeps his identity secret, the mother of the family said she would ask him. A reply came via email.

“The reason is that I want to study Torah without being disturbed,” the mystery rov wrote. “I saw with several rabbis that their telephone doesn’t stop ringing with many questions and public issues and how so many people come to their homes to ask about their needs. They also have to go to the simchos of their community or talmidim every day.

“True, they help many people and do great chesed, but how can they study Torah? Therefore, I decided that all this can be done by others and I chose to study without being disturbed.”

{Matzav.com Israel News }


8 COMMENTS

  1. There is a sefer on the Parsha, here in Flatbush entitled TNT. The author is known as “Anonymous”. Interesting. I wonder if they are related.

  2. Rav Ovadiah didn’t know who the Orchosecha Lemedeini is and never met him. Unfortunately, we can’t rely only on someone’s written words, since people can hide behind them. Had Rav Ovadiah, or another gadol of his stature, met him and could personally vouch for him, then I would/could accept his words. Especially since his reasoning for keeping his identity a secret, to allow him to learn undisturbed, is contraindicated by his answering numerous sh’eilos, which while it i s Torah, it’s not what he would be able to learn had he not been interrupted, hence it i s taking from his time. כבדיהו וחשדיהו in equal measure.

    • I mean no disrespect to the anonymous shaila-answerer, who may well be a talmud chacham, but I had the same thoughts and questions. If he would reveal his identity to well-known and respected rabonim who would vouch for him it would be another story.

    • A person’s greatness in Torah is measured in absolute terms of the quality of his Torah thoughts and rulings, not by pubic ratings or being renowned. If he backs up his rulings with valid proofs and supports, then his ruling is part of Torah discourse.
      Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote in his Igros Moshe, not to rely on his rulings, rather to use them as guidance in understanding the underlying issues. If one would choose to agree with his conclusions, then that would be fine.

  3. I can’t believe the lack of knowledge people have, there has been quiet a few seforim through out the generations anonymously published, for the very same reason. (Most recent that comes to mind is the Chazon Ish) its simple: If he backs up his psakim then there is no need to reveal a name, yet if he has no source for his psakim then what is a “name” going to help.

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here