Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel
Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel was born in Morocco in 1948. At the age of twelve, he and his family immigrated to Eretz Israel, where he studied at Yeshivat Porat Yosef in Jerusalem, where he was considered a gifted student and a true prodigy.
At the age of seventeen, he was ordained by the rabbinate and by the time he was twenty three, he published his first book, Questions & Answers- the Words of Eliyahu.
In 1980 he received rabbinical ordination from the Chief Rabbis at the time, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Avraham Shapira of blessed memory.
Rabbi Abergel served as the head of the rabbinical court in Be'er Sheva for thirty years as well as the head of the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem.
While he was serving as a Dayan, Rav Abergel also served as rabbi of the neighborhoods of Bik'a and Talpiyot in Jerusalem, and his teachings and sermons served as a magnet for religious and secular residents alike.
His expertise in the world of Jewish law and his pleasant manner has earned the rabbi a name of great respect and appreciation in Israel and the Diaspora and many rabbinical courts around the world view Rabbi Abergel as the right address to answer complex questions.
From the rabbi's writings (11-volumes thus far- Q & A- the Words of Eliyahu.), his greatness in Halacha understanding and his knowledge in all aspects of the Torah are greatly recognized. As well as his great sensitivity to the needs of the people of Israel wherever they are when he is not afraid to rule even on the most difficult and complex issues.
The rabbi is known to have labored tirelessly to help and unbind "agunot" and has often risked traveling to dangerous and far off places in order to find husbands who have abandoned their wives. All this for the sake of freeing women who are bound to their husbands for years, and sometimes even served as a trustee in adoption cases, thereby alleviating doubt to those who were unable to marry.
It should be noted that the rabbi's books received enthusiastic approval from all across the rabbinic spectrum, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rabbi Shalom Mashash, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef And Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlita, may their holy memory be blessed.
Rabbi Abergel serves as an example and a symbol of the image of Rav and Dayan in Israel, and in his unique way he continues the path of the famous Moroccan sages in their passionate faith, with access to all parts of the nation.
