Rav Shmuel Eliyahu has issued a sharp warning regarding Rav Shlomo Yehuda Be’eri, widely known as the Yenuka, saying that in his view, the popular figure cannot be compared to the great tzaddikim and baalei mofes he personally knew and urging those who seek his advice to keep their distance.
Speaking during an appearance on Avi Shushan’s podcast, Rav Eliyahu addressed the enormous following that has developed around the Yanuka, with large numbers of people seeking his brachos and guidance. Rav Eliyahu said that he believes such figures must be judged against the example set by genuine tzaddikim of previous generations.
Rav Eliyahu warned that there are “fake rabbis,” and said that one of the standards he uses is the Baba Sali, whom he knew personally. “I tell people, is the Yenuka like the Baba Sali or not? If he is, then he is a righteous person,” he said.
He recalled the extraordinary simplicity with which the Baba Sali lived in Netivot despite the considerable sums of money that people gave him. Rav Eliyahu noted that the Baba Sali could easily have chosen to live “in the most luxurious place,” but “did not want to.”
Rav Eliyahu also questioned the publicity and public-relations apparatus that can develop around prominent rabbinic personalities, contrasting that with the tremendous personal investment required of a genuine rov or tzaddik. Giving a bracha, he stressed, is itself an avodah requiring sincerity and emotional investment. “People don’t know that giving a blessing is difficult. A person has to bless with his heart.”
When asked directly about the tremendous excitement surrounding the Yenuka, Rav Eliyahu said that what he sees does not resemble the great rabbinic figures with whom he was personally familiar.
“He is not like your grandfather [the Baba Haki]. In my eyes, he is not a [rabbinic] figure. He is not like my father, not like Rav Tzadka, not like any of the righteous people I knew, who were truly miracle workers,” he said.
The interviewer then pressed Rav Eliyahu on how he accounts for the huge numbers of people who nevertheless flock to the Yenuka.
“I don’t feel comfortable talking about other people,” Rav Eliyahu responded.
Still, he made clear what he tells people who approach him privately and ask how they should relate to the phenomenon.
“Stay away from him. Stay away,” said Rav Eliyahu.
{Matzav.com}
