* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Today marks 16 years since the passing of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. His daughter, Meirav Amor, sent me three drawings that he made for her. He was the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, known as the Rishon LeZion, a kabbalist, and a leader — but these drawings also testify to the kind of father he was.
This is how Meirav remembers him:
"He was the most devoted father imaginable. He would draw all the covers for my school notebooks. He had beautiful handwriting, and he would sit with me, sketching designs, and then we would color the covers together. He was the busiest, most burdened, and most sought-after person I knew, yet he was always completely present with me. He could set everything aside and sit patiently and calmly by my side.
He also studied with me for all my exams in Jewish studies (Torah, Prophets, and Jewish law). That was important to him. He would always ask especially easy questions. Today I understand that what mattered most to him was how I felt — my self-confidence, how I approached the test.
When I came home with my report card, he would say: 'For the grades marked 'Very Good', your mother will give you a reward. I will give a reward for everything below 'Very Good'. He praised me even for my less successful grades. He wanted me to feel good and successful even if I wasn't perfect in everything.
On Shabbat afternoons, I organized a weekly Torah portion quiz for neighborhood children and handed out prizes. Every Friday, my father would sit with me and help prepare the quiz with complete seriousness. He wrote the questions with me and even took an interest in the prizes I planned to give out. I would proceed to conduct the activity with the pages he had helped me prepare. I still have binders full of those quizzes, all written in his beautiful handwriting.
I think about him often—as a mother and as a teacher. We are all busy, and the world is always calling for our attention, but he was someone who knew how to stop and truly be there just for you, with such wisdom and understanding."
