1:01 a.m. IL/6:01 p.m. EST: Updates below. Developing…. The shocking news has emerged that Rav Elazar Abuchatzeirah of Beer Sheva has been stabbed to death. Earlier this evening, during the period when Rav Abuchatzeirah, known as Baba Elazar, customarily met privately in his yeshiva with people who came for his counsel and blessing, an intruder made his way into Baba Elazar’s chamber and stabbed him four times. The rav was taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva but he succumbed to his wounds shortly thereafter and passed away.
Baba Elazar, a son of Baba Meir Abuchatzeirah of Ashdod and a grandson of the Baba Sali, Rav Yisroel Abuchatzeirah, was known as a great tzaddik, mekubal and poel yeshuos. Thousands came over the years to seek chizuk, guidance and inspiration from the renowned Sefardi tzaddik and scion of the renowned Moroccan Abuchatzeirah family of rabbonim and mekubalim.
Baba Elazar rarely left his home in Beer Sheva. In fact, the rav would go from his home to his bais knesses via a tunnel under his home. Baba Elazar was also careful to constantly cover his face; there are very few photos of him, especially from recent years. Baba Elazar was very private and tried exceedingly hard throughout his life to hide his greatness and shun the limelight. He is said to have been about 70 years old.
Among Baba Elazar’s brothers are Rav David Abuchatzeirah of Nahariyah; Rav Yekutiel Abuchatzeirah of Ashdod; Rav Refoel Abuchatzeirah; and Rav Yeshua Abuchatzeirah. His sister is Rabbanit Pinto, wife of Rav Chaim Pinto of Ashdod.
Details of the tragic incident continue to emerge. There were initial conflicting reports as to the nature of the incident and whether the killer was an outsider. A reliable source tells Matzav.com that the killer is a resident of Elad and that he is familiar to the Abuchatzeirah family. The killer, we are told, is in police custody.
It should be noted that this was not the first attempt at Baba Elazar’s life. In November 2009, a person was arrested in Beer Sheva on suspicion of intending to stab the rav. A guard stationed outside the home of Baba Elazar discovered a knife among the man’s possessions and he was arrested. It is not known if there is a connection between the cases.
Yehi zichro boruch.
Further details will be reported as they become available. Stay with Matzav.com.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS CRAZY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is as shocking as it is disturbibg.
boruch dayan emes.
Which sick person did this?
Is he related to the famous rabbi abuzeira?
We are still mourning the tragedy of our dear Leibi.
Now a rav gets stabbed? What are we to make of all this?
???? ???? ????
BARAUCH DAYAN EMES. I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH.
iy Hashem!?!? What horrific heartbreak!!!!!! Yoimar letzaroisainu DAI!!!!!!!
I have no words.
Very bad day for all of Klal Yisroel, perhaps we can ALL take upon our selfs to stop talking during Davaning no matter where we are, in order to prevent future .. Chas VeSholom
Hashem yimkom damo
Boruch Dayan HaEmes! Ad Mosai! Our pain is overwhelming!
hashem yishmor
Kel nekamos hashem kel nekamos.
May God erase all tears and sorrow.
I am so shocked and saddened. Hashem, what is our reaction supposed to be to such a horrible, horrible tragedy
i heard that skverer rebbe said by Leiby hy’d that the Rbsh”o wants everyone in Klal Yisrael to cry…yeshivaleit and chassidim…now the Sefardim??
Now G-d… Please
Terrible.
If anyone can offer words of chizuk, by all means do. I cant function properly.
I dont understand. Was this terrorism related?
bd”h
OY! OY! OY! BARUCH DAYAN HAEMES!
HOW MANY MORE “MESSAGES” DO WE NEED?!
TIME TO START CHANGING OUR LIVES!
is the murderer Jewish
everyone else wondering why these tragic events-locally & worldwide-are happening? Hashem is waiting for Klal yisroel to wake up & do teshuva
During the month of june 2011-over the time of 2 weeks-3 tzaddikim, from 3 different corners of the world left to the Olam Haemes (true world) & theyre names are Harav Yitzchok Dov Koppelman ZTL from Europe, Harav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz ZTL from Eretz Yisroel & Harav Chaim Stein ZTL from the U.S.A. When a tragedy like this strikes the world everyone is asking what is the message from Hashem?. The RAMCHAL in Sefer Derech Hashem quotes, when klal yisroel is in a state of Sinning RL, suffering & pain may be imposed upon a tzaddik as an atonement for his entire generation. In doing so the Tzaddik is raised to a level of leadership in Gan eden. When THREE tzaddikim are niftar in a matter of two weeks, Hashem is already on the level of begging klal yisroel to just start Teshuva & show a sign of remorse & repentance so that it does not need to continue Chas Vshalom on to a fourth tzaddik.
These 3 Tzaddikim (above) were not enough. so this time Hashem sent a DIFFERENT KIND of tzaddik-a boy at the age of 9 RL who has not sinned yet-to wake us all up to come to teshuva & STOP KEEP ON PUSHING IT OFF will this be enough or will it need to continue? that is up to all of us
OBVIOUSLY Leiby Kletszky was not enough to wake us up to teshuva so now 2 MORE TZADDIKIM have left the world (The Spinka Rebbe of Yerushalayim ztl at the young age of 79 & this Tzaddik)
START TESHUVA NOW BEFORE TRAGEDY STRIKES AGAIN CV
yes his name is asher dahon
that guy is just as sick as levi aron
Oy Ribbono she Oilam! Genug Shoin! Stop!
This is breaking us to pieces!
????? ???? this should be the end of ????? in ??? ????? its time for us all to be ???? ??????
? ????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???
Where was the rav’s security?
I am in absolute shock
He probably took it upon himself to mechaper for the whole generation, he was that big take it from me
Believe me I felt THE SHECHINA (and I’m certainly no Baba!) when I went to see him and got within his dalet amot (and at the time I hadn’t even seen that I was already next to him!!)
This is so shocking. How is a Yid to react to such cruelty to a holy man?
BD”E HY”D TIME TO DO TESHUVA THE THREE WEEKS DIDNT EVEN START YET LETS MAKE THIS TISHA B’AV A YOM TOV
Not normal! What world are we living in? A frum yid with a kipa did this! What is this world coming to? When a frum yid did it to our Leiby a.h. We were speechless, how are we to feel now that a frum yid commited such a act to a kudosh vituhor, a man who never saw a strange woman his whole life, a man who ate, breathed and lived only holyness this is very far past our imagination.
Speechless- another very great tzaddik removed from us- a grandson of the Baba Sali ZTL. Baruch Dayan HaEmes- may Hashem have mercy on us.
What are we doing wrong to deserve such punishment? The answers we have been giving up until now just aren’t enough.
yes the murderer is a “frum” jew
teshuva now!!
The killer was the tzaddik’s one-time gabbai.
The Rabbi was murdered on the same day they had the Shame Pride parade!
Very “frum” – a convicted abuser!
Please stop calling these murderers as “frum” Jews!!! you may say that they are Jews who wear Jewish garb! but what is frum about a murderer??? If you see a guy dressed as a frum Jew and he’s eating pork on Yom Kippur, would you say “oh my!!! I saw a frum Yid eating pork on YOM KIPPUR”??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
333, I dont know whichcalendar you have but my calendar indicates that the 3 weeks has already started
boruch dayan emes. what a shrekilche tragedy. what type of savage would do such a sick thing? What has happened to our world?
The following was in the daily halacha email from http://www.halachafortoday.com
A European Gadol taken from us.
We didn’t get the message.
An American Gadol taken from us.
We didn’t get the message.
A Gadol from Eretz Yisroel taken from us.
We didn’t get the message.
A little boy from Brooklyn, NY brutally sacrificed for us.
We didn’t get the message.
A Sephardic Mekubal from Be’er Sheva savagely sacrificed for us.
Will we once again not get the message?
We shuddered.
We cried.
We gave Tzedakah.
We sighed.
We prayed.
We learned Torah.
But did we get the message?
Did we change?
Are we changing?
We heard speeches.
We heard tributes.
We heard songs.
But did we get the message?
Did we change?
Hashem is talking to us.
Are we listening?
Are we so brazenly insensitive?
Are we so deeply incapable of change?
Are we that numb?
The world is full of Achzariyus
The world is stooping to unprecedented lows.
The world is in a fast paced transition.
We dare not be insensitive.
We dare not chalk it up to coincidence.
We dare not block ourselves from feeling.
We must open our eyes and listen.
We must become bigger than our minute selves.
We must be ready to change…
ready to get the message…
ready to part of the transition…
Every Jew must be a part of this movement.
If not for him/herself, for the sake of their brothers and sisters, Am Yisroel.
It’s time to really focus on Ahavas Yisroel
For the sake of Klal Yisroel
So we can merit Mashiach shel Yisroel
And the return of the Shechinah to Eretz Yisroel
Hazorim B’Dima, B’Rena Yiktzoru.
We wept oceans of tears
The time has come to reap with joy
Together.
Only together.
Ahavas Yisroel; SPREAD THE LOVE!
Why did he kill him?
What was his motivation?
wow BARUCH DAYAN HAEMET mashiach has to come weve been in enough pain with lieby a’h and harav buchatzera please HASHEM may these sad stories be a kapara on binei yisrael AMEN!
PS. this is a sign that we must do teshuva 🙁
The rotzaiach is “Frum” Eretz yisroel.
do teshuva!!
in ny it was because of the new law in NY
and this is because of the shame perade in Israel. If we do crazy or don’t protest them, then Hashem will show ….
maybe there’s a connection to the shame parade in Yerushalayim.
Yiden that MURDER? What is wrong with us? Can we say ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????
This is a sign that we all have to do something to grow as a yid I myself have taken upon my self a long time ago to shut off my phone while davining and learning now I am talking to you who have not take this upon you self to SHUT YOUR PHONE OFF by davining and NO SILENT TEXTING STILL WORKS THEN shut it off and davin and your tefilos will be heard lowder and your leaning will protect you and the whole klal yisroel torah is a shemirah but I heard in the name of a Gadol afew weeks ago that if your phone is on while you learn you don’t have the specail shemirah of the learning PUT THE STIPID PHONE AWAY WHILE YOU DAVIN AND LEARN NO TALKING OR TEXTING
I am definitely not s/o who can say why things happen, but would like to just make an observation. We had three Gedolim taken away from us from all ends of the world (EY, USA, and America). Now we had a litle innocent boy murdered in the USA and a great Rov in EY? When a tragedy is far away we tend to push it off, but when it comes close to home we are forced to take stock. WE MUST DO TISHUVA WE HAVE NO CHOICE!
53, why not put the phone away for good. me thinks that anyone posting on so called frum websites and is not an outright navi, even anonymous, should not be giving the oilam, especially not the heilige yeshiva velt, mussar on what the reasons for these continuing tragedies H’Y,and the proper tikkunim we as a tzibbur must do. let’s e/o grow up, and each person do their own teshuva, “adam yodea maras nofsho” and HKB’H may look down and redeem us back to our home.
53, one more thing, a real baal mussar doesn’t need to “shout” to get his words accross. devarim hayotzim min halev….
boruch dayan Hamemet.
may they know no more zaar
Just an idea I personally commit to IY”H greet at least 5 Yidden I don’t know with a Gut Shabbos this coming Shabbos. Simple acts like this can go a long way. There are stories of Gedolim like Rav Moshe Ztzl who would appoligize when he wasn’t able to greet a person since he was in the middle of davening I think it was. Rav Yaakov Ztzl its said would even greet the nuns he saw in the morning. Being cheerfull and wishing other Yidden well is a small thing which can make a big differece. Only our Gedolim Shlita can explain aspects of these tragedys but acts of chessed are the direct opposite of these horrible murders recently.
Just an idea I personally commit to IY”H greet at least 5 Yidden I don’t know with a Gut Shabbos this coming Shabbos. Simple acts like this can go a long way. stories of Gedolim like Rav Moshe Ztzl who would appoligize when he wasn’t able to greet a person since he was in the middle of davening I think it was. Rav Yaakov Ztzl its said would even greet the nuns he saw in the morning. Being cheerfull and wishing other Yidden well is a small thing which can make a big differece.
I will wait in the hope that I can digest what had happened.
Its clear that we are in deep trouble!
We will problably want to know the news and its terrible details and then scroll down for the yakees scores….GRRRRR
TSHUVA!!!!
i gotta make some major changes in my life and do teshuva. this really woke me up. please Hashem no more wake up calls like this!
“li’shu’ascha ki’vi’nu kol hayom- we long for your salvation all day!”
#25 #38 What should be done?
#45 The Chazon Ish implied differently.
#50 #51 could be.
BDE!
2 tzadikim killed within 2 and a half weeks by JEWS!!!
what is going on in this crazy world?!
Mat these tzaros be the end of the Chevlei Mashiach, and this year’s Tisha B’av be a Yom Tov not a day of Mourning
Hashem bring us the geula we cant bare it anymore.
Why put up walls between us all the tragedies you mentioned are tragedies for a klal Yisrael?
MAYBE HASHEMS SENDING US ALL A MESSAGE THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC. EVERYONE WHO HAS UNFILTERED INTERNET GET RID OF IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!RAV MATTISYAHU SALOMON SAID ALL THESES TRADGEDIES ARE WORTH IT IF WE STOP USING THE INTERNET.WAKE UP GET RID OF INTERNET ALL THE GEDOLIM SAY ITS POISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We all know what we need to work on. As it’s the three weeks and almost the nine days, please abstain from venting your frustrations and yelling at your fellow Jew over his actions, and work even harder on our own middos, particularly that of ahava.
Personally, I’m going to work on making a Kiddush H’ on the streets. In the way I drive, park, shop and interact with other people, most importantly my wife and children. BD”H
No man can say that any specific tragedy is a direct result to “the delay of justice, the perversion of justice and distortion of the Torah” occurring
But Mishna 11 in Avos 5, says “the sword comes to the world” as a result of “the delay of justice, the perversion of justice and interpretation of the Torah at variance with Halacha”.
I think it’s pretty obvious that this happened because of the terrible aveira of Retzicha.
Oyy Hashem when will this end?!
Perhaps a Rabbinical Organization could arrange, during the nine days, to hold a gathering, where men and women can be addressed in a speech in english, by one of the contemporary Gedolai Yisroel (of New York, Philadelphia or other areas)to discuss the siuation and how we can revaluate our lives/goals and our families lives/goals due to the occurrences which have taken place in the month of Tamuz.
May the Month of Menachem Av result in a Nechoma.
come and join us in lighting a memorial candle in memory of baba elazar!http://www.yadezra.net/baba_elazar_h.php