President Shimon Peres has joined in the many expressions of sorrow at the
passing of the haredi world's leading commentator on Jewish law, Rabbi Yosef Shalom
Elyashiv.
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, Peres wrote that
"an outstanding and distinguished leader, an expert in Halacha, a great man among
his people, a Torah genius who left his mark on the Jewish world and contributed
to bridging the different streams in Judaism has gone to his final resting
place."
Rabbi Elyashiv was a "modest individual with far reaching vision, a
great scholar and a pious man," wrote Peres.
Peres added that Rabbi Elyashiv will be remembered as
someone who "even when his body was weak retained his strength of mind and
spirit, and continued to immerse himself in Torah."