After hearing the news of the passing of Rav Ovadia Zatzal, I have the following question.
In today’s age who is a Rebbe Muvhak, and am I obligated to mourn as if he is my Rebbe Muvak?
For some reason, Rav Ovadia’s sefarim have resonated in my heart, and I have read thousands of pages and completed all of his Chazon Ovadia and Yachave Daat.
Since I am Askanazi, I don’t follow his outcome in my cases, but at the same time, his teshuvot and sefarim have taught me so much and have been my main source of learning even while I learned in Yeshiva for many years etc.
My question is does this make him a Rebbe Muvhak to me, and should I mourn his death as one should mourn a Rebbe Muvhak? What level of aveilut is appropriate? Should I tear my shirt because of the anguish I feel at this moment?
Answer:
The Shulchan Aruch defines a Rabbi Muvhak as a mentor from who a person learns ‘most of his Torah’ (Yoreh De’ah 242). See also Rema (242:30) who writes that this does not refer to knowledge alone, but rather to an acquisition of the tools for Torah study.
The Chayei Adam (7) writes that this is not common today, and therefore omits the halachos of a Rabbi Muvhak from his work. The reason why it is not common is that most people learn most of their wisdom from books, and not from a single Rabbi, and therefore no single Rabbi will be considered their Rabbi Muvhak.
However, this does not mean that the halachah cannot apply today.
If you gained most of your Torah wisdom, both knowledge and how to learn Sugyos and analyze them, from Rav Ovadyah, and you now feel a deep sense of anguish and loss at his passing, it seems correct that you should perform keriyah.
Another reason why it is correct to do keriya is that the Gedolei Ha-Dor, the Torah leaders of the generation upon whom the Torah rests, have the status of a Rabbi Muvhak for all, and this will certainly be true for somebody who was close to the greatness of Rav Ovadya.
However, you should not go beyond this, meaning actually taking on public customs of mourning, or wearing torn clothing in public (beyond the levaya itself). It is not customary today to mourn for a Rabbi in this sense, and this should therefore not be done publicly.
Rav Ovadya was an incredible Torah leader, and somebody whose heart knew no bounds.
May Hashem console us and the entire generation.o
