With the loss of Hagaon Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Rosh Yeshiva of Ateres Yisrael and the oldest member of the Council of Torah Sages, at the age of 94, the Torah world was thrown into sadness.
In the summer, Rabbi Ezrachi underwent sedation and respiration after being admitted to the hospital with respiratory problems. His health had varied over the previous four months, occasionally getting better, but on Thursday morning in Ein Kerem’s Hadassah hospital, he lost consciousness and died.
On Purim 5689 (1929), Rabbi Ezrachi was born in Petach Tikva. In his early years, he attended a yeshiva in Hevron, where he later wed the daughter of Rabbi Meir Chodosh, the institution’s Mashgiach. Both in Kfar Chasidim and the yeshiva, Rabbi Ezrachi gave classes.
Rabbi Ezrachi played a significant role in enticing recent high school and elementary school graduates to pursue a career in Torah. In order to accomplish this, he established the Bnei Torah movement in 1964, which sponsored unique summer camps and other events in an effort to recruit more kids to the organization.
Numerous kids have been convinced to enroll at Yeshiva over the past 60 years after taking part in Bnei Torah’s activities.
In 1976, Rabbi Ezrachi, who had just lost his father, left the yeshiva in Hevron and opened the Ateres Yisrael yeshiva in Bayit V’gan.
The yeshiva, which swiftly rose to prominence as Rabbi Ezrachi inspired a new generation of rabbis and Torah scholars, was led by Rabbi Meir Chodosh as its Mashgiach. Rabbi Dovid Cohen of the Hevron Yeshiva, Rav Yitzchak Peretz of Raanana, Rav Yehuda Deri of Beersheva, and Rabbi Mordechai Toledano of the Av Beis Din in Jerusalem are some of his most well-known pupils.
On Friday evenings, Rabbi Ezrachi conducted a well-known chaburah in addition to numerous shiurim. Rabbi Ezrachi remained to lead the yeshiva despite its relocation from Bayit V’gan to Modiin Illit in recent years.
His sets of Birkas Mordechai, which include four volumes on Shas, five on the Torah, and other volumes on the holidays, contain transcriptions of many of his shiurim and speeches. Beginning in 2012, Rabbi Ezrachi participated in the Council of Torah Sages.
On Har Hazeisim, he will be interred close to his late wife, Shulamis, who passed away two years ago. Due to the absence of his lone son, who is now traveling, the levaya is scheduled to be delayed until Friday.
His four daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren also survive Rabbi Ezrachi. May God bless his memory.
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