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 ”  60 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Additionally, Mr. Kaufman hopes that this book will be of interest even to Ashkenazim, despite the fact that it focuses exclusively on Sephardic Rabbis. “The rich heritage portrayed in this work belongs to all of Kelal Yisrael. We very much hope that many in the Ashkenazic community will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about this heritage.” The volume received enthusiastic letters of appro- bation from numerous prominent Rabbis, foremost among them Hacham Ovadia Yosef shelit”a. In his letter, the Hacham called the book “distinguished” and wished the author continued success, citing the timeless blessing from the Book of Psalms (1:3), “He will be like a tree set into the ground near streams of water, which yields its fruits in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he will succeed.” The work also received a warm endorsement from Hacham Ovadia’s son, Rav Yitzchak Yosef shelit”a, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia in Jerusa- lem. Rav Yitzchak stressed how this volume will in- still within its readers, particularly the youth, a deep sense of pride in their rich Sephardic heritage which produced such great personages as those depicted in the book. The Rabbi cited in this context a verse from the Book of Divrei Hayamim II (17:6) that says about the pious King Yehoshafat, “His heart was elevated in the ways of Hashem,” referring to his pride and unwavering determination in upholding the traditions of his righteous predecessors. Anumber of prominent Ashkenazic Rabbis also graced this volume with their haskamot (approbation letters). Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon of the Beth Midrash Go- voha of Lakewood described the biographical study of great Rabbis as shimush talmidei hachamim – “serv- ing” Torah scholars – which the Mishna (Pirkei Avot 6:5) lists among the means by which one acquires Torah knowledge. While learning the actual works of Torah scholars enables one to obtain knowledge, studying their conduct demonstrates firsthand how to live a life of religious devotion. Similarly, Rabbi Sim- cha Bunim Cohen of Lakewood, in his letter, cited the Hatam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Schreiber of Pressburg, 1762-1839) as commenting that it is a misvah to study and disseminate the stories of righteous people. A Passion for Knowledge The author, Yehuda Azoulay, was born and raised in Toronto, in the renowned Sephardic community of Hacham Amram Assayag, and studied in a number of prominent institutions including Ner Israel To- ronto, Yeshivah Darchei Torah and Yeshivat Mikdash Melech. He is currently a part-time student in Lake- wood’s Beth Midrash Govoha. Yehuda Azoulay tells that already in his youth, he felt a passionate longing to learn about great Rabbis, particularly the Sephardic Hachamim who shaped the tradition in which he was raised. “I very much wanted to learn more about them, but there was precious little material available. I received a lot of encouragement from my Rabbis and teachers to pursue this informa- tion and learn as much as I could about our great Ha- chamim.” Eventually, this passion for knowledge was translated into an intensive, systematic endeavor to compile in- formation about the lives of great Sephardic Rabbis. This massive undertaking included trips to museums and university libraries, and countless hours of read- ing through books, sefarim, encyclopedias, newspa- pers and magazines. Yehuda Azoulay made a point of verifying the authenticity and precision of each and every account, which often entailed contacting some of the individuals involved. One of the stories recorded in the book was confirmed directly by Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, in a personal conversation with the author. Upon completing the collection of mate- rial, Yehuda Azoulay brought the manuscript to many leading Rabbis spanning the spectrum of the Torah world to receive their input, advice and support. Yehuda Azoulay felt that these tireless efforts were necessary in order to fill the void of information about the Hachamim. “The objective here is to inspire young and old, parents and children, educators and students, with our rich heritage of greatness in To- rah and misvot.” The title of the work, A Legacy of Leaders, is, according to Yehuda Azoulay, not merely a description, but also an admonition urging the read- ers to follow the legacy of piety and scholarship so vividly portrayed in this volume. “We must all follow the legacy of our leaders. Although we are, unfortu- nately, very far from these hachamim’s level of yirat Shamayim [fear of Gd], we must nevertheless strive to follow their example to the best of our ability.” “Scholarship and Adventure Filled with Torah” Yehuda Azoulay’s ancestor, the Hid”a, was among the greatest and most influential Sephardic Rabbis since the Middle Ages, and is naturally one of the figures Hacham Haim Shaul Dweck Hakohen Hacham Mordechai Sharaby Hacham Yehuda Sadka Hacham Yaakob Mutzafi Hacham Yaakob Abuhassera - Abir Yaakob Hacham Ezra Attia