HaGaon HaRav
Yitshak Nissim Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim was a spiritual leader of rare
stature. A fearless man who spoke out forcefully, a deeply insightful
rabbinical scholar, whose learning was as wide as it was precise. A man
of great practical acumen and wisdom. He was born in Baghdad in the year
1896 and came to Jerusalem in 1925. In 1955, he was chosen as the Rishon
L'Zion and the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
The Rabbi aspired greatly to establish dialogue
and friendship between all parts of the nation, including those who had
become estranged from the observance of the Torah's mitzvot. During his
tenure as the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the State of Israel became the
greatest Torah center in the world. He held the position of Chief Rabbi
for eighteen years, up until 1973 and passed away In 1981, on the 9th of
Av, the anniversary of the Temple's destruction.
His Judaica library was unique, containing a valuable
collection of first editions, as well as valuable Halachic and
scientific manuscripts, some of which he managed to get published. The
Rabbi had to answer Halachic questions addressed to him from almost all
corners of the globe. Thousands of responsa, some of them of extreme
importance, accumulated in his possession, and following his retirement
he began preparing them for publication. Two volumes of these Responsa
called Yain Tov were published in 1979. Today his personal library and
papers have become the kernel for one of the finest public libraries and
publication centers in Jerusalem.
