The Olam HaTorah suffered a painful loss with the petirah of HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Zechariah, z’tl, the Rosh Yeshivah of Lev Eliyahu yeshivah in Jerusalem, who was niftar on Shabbos at the age of 70.

The Rosh Yeshivah suffered a severe stroke last month. In recent days, his condition deterioated and he was niftar on Friday night at Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem.

The Rosh Yeshivah was born in Jerusalem. As a bochur he learned in the famed Porat Yosef yeshivah, where he developed a close relationship with the Rosh Yeshivah, Chacham Ben-Tzion Abba Shaul, z’tl.

In 2002, HaRav Zechariah established the Lev Eliyahu yeshivah for younger bochurim, and in 2010, he established the Lev Eliyahu yeshivah gedola in the Ramot Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Right before his stroke, HaRav Zechariah established another yeshivah, Derech HaTorah, for young bochurim who struggled to cope with a rigorous yeshivah schedule, with the goal of keeping them off the streets.

HaRav Zechariah, z’tl, was marbitz Torah and Yiras Shamyaim to hundreds of talmidim, who are shocked and devastated by his petirah.

The levaya took place on Motzei Shabbos at Yeshivas Lev Eliyahu in Ramat Shlomo. The kevurah took place at the beis kevaros in Sanhedria, where the niftar was buried next to his Rabbanim, HaChacham Ben Tzion Abba Shaul, z’tl, and HaChacham Yehudah Tzadka, z’tl.

וכל בית ישראל יבכו את השריפה אשר שרף ה.

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)