Rabbi Yehuda Tzadka (1910–1991) was a towering Sephardic Rosh Yeshiva (dean), public leader, and master of Mussar (ethical discipline) in Jerusalem. For over fifty years, he served as the foundational pillar and eventual head of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, the premier intellectual cradle of modern Sephardic Jewry.

He was a legendary educator who chose a life of absolute simplicity, dedicating himself entirely to rescuing and rebuilding the spiritual pride of Middle Eastern and North African Jewish youth in Israel.

Lineage and the Ben Ish Chai Connection

Rav Tzadka was born in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem into a distinguished lineage of Baghdadi rabbinic nobility.

• His Parents: He was born to Eliyahu and Simcha Tzadka, immigrants from Iraq.

• The Royal Link: His mother, Simcha, was a first cousin to the legendary Ben Ish Chai (Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad), the supreme leader of Sephardic Jewry. This profound familial connection deeply anchored Rav Tzadka in the authentic customs, traditions, and halachic approaches of the Iraqi Jewish elite.

The Ultimate Product of Porat Yosef

Rav Tzadka’s life was completely intertwined with the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. He entered its doors as a young boy shortly after its founding and became the quintessential disciple of Rabbi Ezra Attiya, the brilliant head of the institution.

• The Star Student: He possessed an incredibly sharp intellect, paired with a burning passion for ethical self-improvement.

• Ascending to Leadership: Recognizing his rare combination of scholarly genius and educational talent, Rabbi Ezra Attiya appointed him as a maggid shiur (lecturer) at the yeshiva in 1937, when Rav Tzadka was only 27 years old. Following Rav Attiya’s passing in 1970, Rav Tzadka was elevated to Rosh Yeshiva, a position he held until his final days.

Educational Philosophy and Sephardic Renaissance

Following the mass immigration of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews to the newly established State of Israel in the 1950s, many immigrant youths were placed in secular transit camps, facing the systematic erosion of their religious heritage. Rav Tzadka viewed this as the defining crisis of his generation.

1. Active Spiritual Rescue

Rav Tzadka did not remain confined to his study hall. Alongside his close colleague, Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul, he regularly traveled to periphery towns, development villages, and immigrant absorption centers. He knocked on doors, spoke with broken-hearted parents, and successfully convinced them to send their sons to traditional yeshivas.

2. The Teacher of Giants

As an educator, his influence was unparalleled. He personally trained almost every major Sephardic leader who would go on to reshape the Israeli landscape, including:

• Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (the future Chief Rabbi and spiritual leader of Shas)

• Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu (future Rishon LeZion)

• Rabbi Uri Zohar (the iconic secular Israeli entertainer who turned to orthodoxy under Rav Tzadka’s direct guidance)

Halachic Style and Ethical Legacy: Kol Yehuda

Rav Tzadka was a masterful blend of analytical logic and deep ethical introspection. His written legacy is preserved in his multi-volume masterwork, Kol Yehuda (The Voice of Yehuda).

• The Structure: The work is a unique compilation of deep analytical commentaries on the Talmud, complex halachic responsa, and profound ethical discourses (mussar).

• The Approach: In his legal rulings, he fiercely guarded traditional Sephardic practices against outside influences, while constantly weaving in messages of personal integrity, humility, and the absolute necessity of treating every human being with dignity.

Extreme Humility and Political Distancing

Wielding immense moral authority over the Sephardic public, Rav Tzadka was repeatedly begged to step into the political arena.

• Refusing the High Courts: He consistently turned down prestigious offers to serve as a Dayan (judge) on the High Rabbinical Court of Israel or to run for the Chief Rabbinate, viewing political titles as an existential threat to true humility.

• The Shas Endorsement: In 1984, when the Shas political party was founded to give a voice to disenfranchised Sephardic Jews, Rav Tzadka gave the movement his vital spiritual backing. However, he adamantly refused to officially join its Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah (Council of Sages), preferring to remain entirely independent and untainted by state politics.

• Ascetic Lifestyle: He lived his entire life in a tiny, cramped apartment in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. He dressed simply, refused any personal bodyguards or assistants, and was completely accessible to any broken-hearted individual who walked through his door.

Passing

Rabbi Yehuda Tzadka passed away in Jerusalem on November 4, 1991 (27 Cheshvan 5752), at the age of 81.

His passing triggered immense grief across Israel. His funeral procession through the streets of Jerusalem drew an estimated hundred thousand mourners from every segment of the Jewish world—Haredi scholars, National Religious youths, and ordinary traditional citizens. He was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery, remembered as the gentle master who successfully guarded and rebuilt the golden chain of Sephardic Torah scholarship.