A Short Tribute

Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil was born to Rina and Hannaniah in 1957 in Moshav Brosh, between Netivot and Ofaqim.

The Brosh moshav was founded in 1953 by North African immigrants, the Abergil family among them. Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil first studied Torah in the regional state religious school, and continued in the Chabad Talmud Torah. He went on to study at the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Kfar Maimon, and then at the Tiferet Tzvi junior yeshiva associated with the Hebron yeshiva. In 1973, he began to study at Yeshivat HaNegev in Netivot with Rabbi Issachar Meir, the Rosh Yeshiva, who became his rabbi.

Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil married Geula, and they had six children. He continued his studies at the Beit Israel kollel associated with Chabad in Netivot while studying teaching in a kollel in Sderot. He began to follow Chabad ways and would give a regular class on the book of Tanya. His classes were eventually published in the BeTzur Yarom ten-book series. In 1980 he began to be associated with the Baba Sali; he was to serve him until the latter's death in 1984.

In 1985 Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil founded a small kollel in a bomb shelter in Netivot named Kol Rina Rav Pe'alim, in commemoration of his mother and Hacham Yosef Haim. His powerful ability in disseminating Torah increased, and with time he stood at the head of 45 kollel study houses throughout Israel. As the number of kollel students increased, he established the Be'er Mayim Haim educational network that would include preschools, Talmud Torahs, a school for girls, named Yavoh BeRina - after his mother, Tiferet Bachurim - a junior yeshiva, and Siftei Renanot - a secondary school for girls.

Along with the religious education institutions he led, Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil headed Birkat Yosef U'Peulat Tzedek - a national network of charitable institutions.

Hacham Yoram Michael Abergil passed away from an illness on 27 Tishrei, 5775 (2015). His sermons and original commentaries were published in the following books: BeTzur Yarom – 10 volumes on the Tanya, Imrei No'am – four volumes on the weekly Torah Reading portions and Jewish festivals, Ketavtem 'al Luach Libcha – a collection of his sayings, and Kol Rina, a siddur prayer book.