The olam hatorah and Sefardi community in particular have been struck by the devastating loss of HaRav Shimon Badani zt”l, the nasi of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, on Wednesday morning about 8:30 a.m. at Sheba Hospital in Tel HaShomer. He was 94. The levaya will begin at 1 p.m. from Kollel Torah V’Chayim on Rechov Rabi Akiva in Bnei Brak and will continue to the Ponevezh beis hakevaros in the city, where HaRav Badani, z’tl, will be buried next to his late Rebbetzin. HaRav Badani, z’tl, succeeded HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen zt”l as nasi just a few months ago, and now leaves a gaping leadership void in the Sefardic world. Rav Shalom zt”l had led the Moetzes Chachmei Hatorah for nine years following the petirah of Chacham Ovadiah Yosef zt”l. Rav Shimon was born in Chadera in 1928 to Reb Dovid and Chaviva Badani, olim from Yemen who had ten children while living in Yemen, of whom only two sons and one daughter survived. Shimon was their eleventh and last child. Shimon was at first placed in a religious but Zionist yeshiva, but eventually transferred to the Novardok yeshiva in Chadera before going on to learn at the Beis Yosef-Novardok yeshiva in Yerushalayim under the tutelage of its famed rosh yeshiva, Rav Shach zt”l. At the direction of Rav Shach, Shimon went on to study at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, then led by rosh yeshiva Rav Ezra Attiya zt”l. After Yeshiva Porat Yosef’s building in the Old City was destroyed, Rav Shimon was asked to open a branch of the yeshiva in Katamon, which later became an independent yeshiva led by Rav Shimon. Rav Shimon zt”l was the leader of dozens of yeshivas and mosdos throughout Eretz Yisroel, and along with Rav Moshe Pardo, founded Kollel Torah V’Chaim in Bnei Brak. Rav Shimon zt”l was deeply involved in the forming of the Shas Party in 1984 and went on to serve on its Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, eventually becoming its nasi earlier this year following the petirah of Harav Shalom Cohen zt”l. Despite his lofty status, Rav Shimon zt”l lived an extremely simple lifestyle and made himself easily accessible to those who sought his guidance and advice. He was also extremely involved in “small” communal matters, particularly shidduchim – even personally paying shadchanim to work out of his home and make matches. PHOTOS BELOW VIA JDN (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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