Rav Yitzchok Abadi zt”l – A Light That Illuminated Generations

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Rav Yitzchok Abadi zt”l was not simply a rav—he was an embodiment of what Torah greatness looks like when combined with brilliance, courage, humility and unwavering dedication to truth.

From Venezuela to Eretz Yisrael

Rav Yitzchok Abadi was born on March 12, 1933, in Venezuela, during a time when Jewish communities across the world were searching for safe havens from the growing Nazi threat in Europe. His family of Syrian Halabi extraction, did not remain there long. In 1935, when he was just two years old, his parents made the courageous decision to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael, settling in the ancient and holy city of Tiberias.

Even as a young boy, Rav Abadi’s exceptional abilities were impossible to miss. He began his Torah education under the guidance of the local rabbis of Tveryah, including Rav Rafael Kook and Rabbi Meir Waknin. These early teachers recognized something special in this young student—a spark that needed the right environment to become a flame. They recommended him to Yeshivas Tiferes Yisrael, where he studied for two years before being recruited to attend Yeshivas HaYishuv HaChadash in Tel Aviv.

This yeshiva was a groundbreaking institution founded by Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel. It represented a new model of religious education that would go on to produce future leaders, including Chief Rabbi David Lau. Yet for the young Yitzchok Abadi, this was only one stop on a remarkable journey.

Like many others, Rav Abadi eventually found his way to Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim. This yeshiva was the Israeli branch of the legendary Slabodka Yeshiva from Europe, which had relocated after the tragic massacre of 1929. There, surrounded by the traditions of mussar and deep Talmudic analysis, Rav Abadi developed both his character and his scholarship.

It was during this period that he formed a relationship that would shape the rest of his life—his connection to the Chazon Ish, one of the greatest Torah authorities of the twentieth century. The Chazon Ish recognized the young man’s extraordinary potential and took a personal interest in guiding his development. He sent Rav Abadi to study at Yeshivas Eitz Chaim in Montreux, Switzerland, under Rav Eliyahu Botchko. This yeshiva was one of the only European yeshivos to continue functioning throughout World War II, and its teachers included future gedolim like Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l.

The Journey to Lakewood

When Rav Abadi was nineteen years old, the Chazon Ish made a decision that would alter the course of American Torah history. He instructed the young prodigy to travel across the ocean to study under Rav Aharon Kotler at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey.

From the moment he arrived, Rav Abadi stood out among the students. His diligence was unmatched, and his memory was legendary. Under Rav Aharon Kotler’s personal guidance, he blossomed into a Torah scholar of the highest caliber. But it was not only his learning that set him apart—it was his mastery of practical halacha. Rav Aharon Kotler himself appointed Rav Abadi as the official posek of both the yeshiva and the Lakewood Torah  community.

Here was a young man, still in his twenties, and the gadol hador trusted him to answer the most difficult halachic questions for an entire community. The trust was so complete that even in Rav Aharon Kotler’s own home, family members would turn to Rav Abadi with their halachic questions. This was not a title given lightly. It was earned through years of dedication, thousands of hours of learning, and a mind that could grasp the full breadth of Torah law with stunning clarity.

Building a Legacy

After Rav Aharon Kotler’s passing in 1962, the yeshiva appointed other poskim. But Rav Abadi’s influence was far from over. In 1980, he founded a kollel called Ohel Torah, dedicated to training the next generation of halachic authorities. This was not just another place of learning—it was a workshop for producing dayanim and rabbanim who could handle the real-world challenges that Jewish communities face every day.

In 1993, Rav Abadi transferred his kollel to Har Nof in Yerushalayim, where it continued to thrive and produce leaders who would serve communities across the globe. Though he returned to Lakewood in 2009, his impact on both sides of the ocean remained immeasurable.

A Posek of Courage and Depth

Rav Abadi zt”l was known as one of the greatest poskim in the United States, but his greatness was not measured only by the number of questions he answered. It was measured by the depth of his analysis and his courage to follow the truth wherever it led.

He was not afraid to rule leniently when his research led him to conclude that leniency was warranted. He permitted the use of a Sefer Torah created through silk-screen printing when others were either unsure or entirely forbade it. This author asked Rav Elyashiv zatzal about it who forbade it in no uncertain terms. He ruled that those who are not accustomed to reclining at the Seder are not required to do so. He composed a shortened version of Birkat HaMazon based on the Rambam and other Rishonim for those who need it. Each of these rulings was grounded in rigorous scholarship and a deep understanding of the sources.

Some of his rulings drew criticism from other poskim who disagreed with his conclusions. But Rav Abadi understood that a posek’s job is not to seek popularity—it is to seek truth. He approached every question with intellectual honesty and a commitment to getting the answer right, regardless of what others might say.

The Students He Left Behind

Perhaps the greatest testament to Rav Abadi’s legacy is found in the people he taught. Today, most of Lakewood’s poskim are his students. Think about that for a moment. An entire community of halachic authorities—men who guide thousands of families in their daily observance of Torah—learned their craft from this one man. His approach to psak, his methodology, his commitment to truth—all of these continue to shape Jewish life through the work of those he trained.

 Rav Yitzchok Abadi zt”l was a direct link to an earlier era—a man who learned from the Chazon Ish, who was appointed posek by Rav Aharon Kotler, who carried within him the mesorah of Slabodka and Chevron and Montreux. Each of these connections represented not just personal relationships but chains of transmission reaching back through generations to Sinai itself.

We have lost a man who combined encyclopedic knowledge with practical wisdom, who could navigate the most complex halachic questions with confidence and clarity, who trained generations of students to carry on the sacred work of psak halacha.

Every time a young man dedicates himself to the serious study of halacha, he walks the path that Rav Abadi illuminated.

Rav Yitzchok Abadi zt”l has left this world, but his students remain. His influence remains. And in that sense, though we grieve his passing, we can take comfort in knowing that a man who gave his entire life to Torah has achieved a kind of immortality that only Torah can provide.

Yehi zichro baruch—may his memory be for a blessing.