Rabbi Yosef Ezagui a”h was an elder Chassid who could often be seen sitting in the northeast corner of Beis Chayeinu, where he spent much time on davening and T’hillim. * Few knew how he came to the Rebbe and about the wondrous private audiences that he had with the Rebbe over the years, with the Rebbe guiding him step by step. * Beis Moshiach spoke with his family and heard about his childhood in Morocco and his move to Montreal, where he first became acquainted with Chabad, his move to Eretz Yisroel and his return to New York.
Chassidishe nachas, R’ Yosef with his sonsThe two walked along the streets of Montreal, somewhat disoriented, looking for a shul. They had much to daven for. They wanted to express gratitude for the past, for being able to leave the enemy country where Jewish life had become untenable, and make requests for the future, that they successfully acclimate in Canada that received them with open arms.
The two of them, Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui and his son Yosef, who arrived the day before from Morocco, were happy to see two young, bearded men walking opposite them. Their appearance reminded them of the Lubavitcher shluchim to Morocco and they stopped to ask where the nearest shul was.
The two young men, who were brothers, Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac and Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Schwei, warmly welcomed the newcomers and directed them to Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim.
This encounter was the start of a new path in life for R’ Yosef and ultimately all his descendants, into the world of Lubavitch. After the davening, R’ Aharon Yaakov suggested to R’ Yosef that they learn Chassidus together. They began learning the day’s portion of Tanya. Slowly, R’ Yosef was impacted by the ways of the Chassidim.
His children remember how he came home one day, took the television and threw it in the garbage, “because the Chassidim said it has a bad influence on children.” With time, the chassidic influence became more internalized and he took on Chabad customs, from davening Nusach Chabad to wearing a sirtuk on Shabbos and Yom Tov. He also attended the Chassidus classes given by Rav Isaac Schwei, one of the rabbanim in the Montreal community and the rosh yeshiva of the Chabad yeshiva, and the shiurim of the mashpia Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Gurary, on the kuntres “U’Maayan” of the Rebbe Rashab.
***
The Chassid R’ Yosef Ezagui was born on Isru Chag Sukkos, 24 Tishrei 5692/1931. His father was Chacham Shlomo Ezagui, who was a rav in Morocco and then in Montreal. The Ezagui family (originally Azawi) was known in Morocco as a distinguished family of rabbanim. In the annals of Sefardic Jewry, their ancestors are listed as leaders, rabbanim and mekubalim of the Jewish population in Morocco: Rabbi Shlomo Azawi; the Tzaddik “learned in miracles” Rabbi Sholom Azawi, rabbi of Rabat in Morocco; the “mekubal” Rabbi Maatuf Azawi. Until today, many Jews go to pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Sholom Azawi zt”l and in the shul named for him.
In 5712, when he was 20, Yosef married Pricha, and five years later, when anti-Semites in Morocco raised their heads and began persecuting Jews, he left Morocco for Montreal where he met Chabad Chassidim and joined Anash. He worked as a bus driver for a Chabad school and would accompany the shadar (shlucho d’rabbanan) R’ Moshe Eliyahu Gerlitzky on his fundraising trips.
OPEN A SHUL WITH THE SEFARDI NUSACH
Over the years, R’ Yosef went to the Rebbe for Tishrei and had yechidus with his family. At one of these yechiduyos, the Rebbe asked the children their names. When a young child responded, “Eli,” the Rebbe asked his name again. He said “Eli” again and the Rebbe repeated, “What’s your name?”
His older brother, who realized that the Rebbe wanted the child to say his full name, not his nickname, told the Rebbe his name is Eliyahu, but the Rebbe continued asking the little boy until his mother told him to say Eliyahu. Only after he himself said his full name, did the Rebbe accept his answer with a smile.
At one yechidus, the Rebbe spoke to him about those leaving Morocco for Montreal and told him to help them acclimate. He also told him to arrange a shul and minyan for them in their own nusach. The Rebbe opened his drawer and took out Canadian money to have a share in the expenses and in the work of his father R’ Shlomo and his brother R’ Yitzchok, in drawing near Moroccan Jews.
When he returned to Montreal, he spoke with the hanhala of the yeshiva and founded a nusach sefard shul on the second floor.
On Yud Shevat 5730, which Chassidim refer to as “Yud Shevat HaGadol,” R’ Yosef was swept up in the excitement of Chabad Chassidim. He and his family joined the caravan of buses that traveled to New York to participate in the siyum of the Torah to greet Moshiach.
DON’T BE A TRUCK DRIVER, IT IS TOO DANGEROUS!
In the summer of 5730, R’ Yosef yearned to move to Eretz Yisroel. Before he left Montreal, Anash arranged a farewell gathering, which was attended by rabbanim and mashpiim in the community. R’ Isaac Schwei spoke to him about the importance of chinuch. The mashpia R’ Peretz Mochkin gave him a letter addressed to Rabbi Efraim Wolf, in which he asked R’ Wolf to help R’ Yosef by connecting him with the Chabad community in Eretz Yisroel.
On his way to Eretz Yisroel, R’ Yosef had yechidus with his entire family to receive the Rebbe’s blessing. At first, from the Rebbe’s tone, it sounded like he was not pleased with the decision to move, for the Rebbe asked him: Why are you troubling yourself and all your children to travel to Eretz Yisroel? How will you manage there with chinuch and what will you do to make a living?
R’ Yosef answered, “My heart yearns for the Holy Land,” and said that once the Kosel was in our hands, he had the feeling that Moshiach would be coming soon and gathering all the Jewish people to Eretz Yisroel. “I want to be in Eretz Yisroel for those amazing moments and to see the ingathering of the exiles with my own eyes. If I remain in galus, I will only see the ingathering of the exiles in which I live.”
The Rebbe enjoyed hearing this reason for moving to Eretz Yisroel and after giving his consent he asked, “What about parnasa?”
R’ Yosef said that he planned on buying a big truck, buying products wholesale and selling them to stores throughout the country.
The Rebbe said: Statistics show that there are many road accidents in Eretz Yisroel, especially with trucks, and drivers are not careful. Even if you are careful, other people are not careful, and it’s very dangerous!
(Interestingly, in those years, the number of deaths in road accidents in Eretz Yisroel reached a peak of 20 deaths out of 100,000 residents (in later years, there was a dramatic drop in the number of deaths and two years ago it was 4.3 deaths out of 100,000 residents). Until today, trucks are involved in about 17% of fatal accidents, despite being only 2.3% of vehicles in Eretz Yisroel.)
In accordance with the Rebbe’s guidance, R’ Yosef dropped his plan to drive a truck and began looking into opening a business. He wrote to the Rebbe about this and received a response dated the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul 5730:
In response to your letter of 25 Menachem Av regarding the suggested business, it depends on the state of the business, the potential, the conditions etc. Consult with friends on the scene who are knowledgeable in this.
When you write the names of your mother-in-law along with her mother’s name, I will mention her at an auspicious time at the gravesite of the Rebbe, my father-in-law… The pidyon nefesh will be read at an auspicious time at the holy gravesite.
With blessings [and added to the typed letter in handwriting] for a good arrangement materially and spiritually, and good news and a k’siva va’chasima tova.
M Schneersohn
R’ Yosef ended up buying a big textile factory and provided work for a hundred Jews who worked for him.
When he met Rabbi Efraim Wolf, R’ Wolf suggested that he live in Nachalat Har Chabad, which in those days needed an influx of Lubavitchers. After writing to the Rebbe about the new apartment, he received the Rebbe’s response from Chol HaMoed Sukkos 5731 which said:
In response to being informed about their impending entry into the new apartment, may it be Hashem’s will that “change location, change your fortune” for good and blessing, materially and spiritually.
With blessings [added in handwriting] for good news.
M Schneersohn
R’ Yosef’s home was near the home of the rav of the community, Rabbi Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky. The families became very close. Years later, when R’ Yosef moved to New York and settled in Crown Heights, he regularly hosted Rav Yaroslavsky.
His father, the unforgettable doer of chesed, R’ Moshe Yaroslavsky, was a regular in the house of R’ Yosef. When he needed supper late at night, he felt comfortable going to R’ Yosef’s home. He included him in the action committee of the Hachnasas Orchim organization and often parlor meetings for the organization were held in the Ezagui home. His son, R’ Eliyahu, continues in this way. For many years now, he has supported the work of Eshel-Hachnasas Orchim.
CENTER OF HOLINESS
In Nachalas Har Chabad, his home was a magnet for all holy things. In those days, only a few private homes had a phone line. People waited years to get a phone. However, since the government wanted to make a good impression on American immigrants, he was the first in Nachalat Har Chabad to have a phone installed in his home.
R’ Yosef was the channel of contact between Anash and the Rebbe’s secretaries, both with sending off questions and receiving responses from the Rebbe, as well as for hearing the broadcasts of the Rebbe’s sichos. The live broadcast came to R’ Yosef’s house and that’s where Chabad Chassidim convened in the middle of the night. They sat in his living room and kitchen to hear the Rebbe farbreng.
In light of the Rebbe’s chinuch guidelines, R’ Yosef sent his children to learn in Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lud. However, after they had a hard time acclimating there, he sent his four older sons to New York to learn in Crown Heights.
One of his sons, R’ Moshe, had the privilege of occasionally helping the Rebbe’s secretaries. Once, one of the secretaries asked him to go to the store and buy vegetables for the Rebbe’s house on President Street.
When he got to the house, the Rebbetzin opened the door and asked his name. He said, “Moshe Ezagui,” and the Rebbetzin said, “Ah, Ezagui. I know your father.”
R’ Moshe wondered how she knew his father and he said, “My father was not a Lubavitcher; he became a Lubavitcher,” to which the Rebbetzin said, “You mean that he changed for the better.”
In 5738, R’ Yosef went to 770 and his visit lasted several months. Since most of his family was in Crown Heights, he thought of moving to New York. After receiving the Rebbe’s bracha, he moved to New York and was in the Rebbe’s presence for many years.
***
Every day and every Shabbos, R’ Yosef davened in the Rebbe’s minyan, for close to 40 years. After davening, he would sit down to learn. Even when, due to his health, he was unable to walk, he wanted to be brought to 770 with his wheelchair.
He excelled in chesed and his home was an open one. Every Shabbos he had guests.
Every week he looked forward to the new issue of Beis Moshiach and he would sit and read it Friday night and during the late afternoon. It increased his belief in tzaddikim when he read miracles of the Rebbe, and he would repeat them at the table during the week.
R’ Yosef would bless his children and grandchildren to grow up to be Chassidim, mekusharim to the Rebbe, who work to bring Moshiach. In fact, R’ Yosef merited to raise “a blessed upright generation” of Chassidim who are mekushar to the Rebbe and his directives, including the main shlichus of today to greet Moshiach, especially through the “Radio Moshiach” of his son.
He always wished himself that “I, Yosef ben Masouda, merit to see the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach with the coming of Moshiach and the true and complete Geula.”
When he was in the hospital, he yearned for the Rebbe’s hisgalus. When people came to visit him, he spoke about the coming of Moshiach.
He often repeated what the Rebbe said about needing to sincerely cry out, “Ad Mosai,” and if we would only do so sincerely, Moshiach would have already come. And he said we need to convene ten stubborn people to bang on the table and say we really want Moshiach and then surely Hashem would bring the true and complete Geula.
R’ Yosef passed away the morning of 25 Iyar.