I heard yesterday that R Moshe Tzanani passed away on Shabbat afternoon.

Below, I will put the text from One in a Generation I, that explains a little more about who R Tzanani was, and how he came closer to the Rav and then became a huge talmid chacham in his own right.

I only saw Rav Tzanani a few times, at the Rav’s prayer gatherings, from a distance. Before he got sick, and even when he started to get sick and had to wear oxygen tubes, R Tzanani always made a big effort to attend the Rav’s events, prayer gatherings and hiloula celebrations.

When the Rav’s life was in real danger a few years’ ago, Rav Tzanani was one of the people who put himself on the list of people willing to ‘donate’ a year of their own life, to keep the Rav going.

He was a fixture at the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in the Old City, and he will be sadly missed.

BH, now he will be a good advocate for the Jewish people Upstairs.

Baruch Dayan Emet.

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Extract from OIAG I:

RAV MOSHE TZANANI

Rav Moshe Shavili, one of the Rav’s earliest baal teshuvah students, recalls how Rav Moshe Tzanani first came to Rav Berland in Bnei Brak:

“When I was in the army, I met someone called Dror Tzanani, who had a very exalted neshamah. (Now he’s known as Rav Moshe Tzanani, but back then he was plain ‘Dror.’) He was looking for something more spiritual, more meaningful in life. So Dror got connected to an Indian guru and was considering flying out to India to follow this spiritual ‘master’—but his father was very unhappy about what was going on.

“Dror’s father had a friend who was newly religious and who was close to Rav Berland, and he kept asking this friend, ‘Please, come and save my son! He wants to fly out to India to be with this guru!’ So this friend tried to convince Dror to change his path, but Dror argued and told him, ‘No, what I’ve found is good. It’s the right path for me and I like it. Please leave me alone.’

“But his father’s friend wouldn’t leave him alone, until eventually Dror said to him, ‘Come with me to this ashram, where this guru’s followers gather in Tel Hashomer, and see for yourself how good it is. And if you come with me to Tel Hashomer, then I’ll come with you to your Rav Berland!’”

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PLANS TO MOVE TO INDIA

“Dror was so enamored with his guru that he actually did fly out to visit him in America one time, and he was making plans to fly out to India after he finished his army service to go live near the guru. In the meantime, Dror’s father was going crazy, and he kept begging his friend to find a way to save his son. Eventually, the friend agreed to come with Dror to the ashram in Tel Hashomer, on condition that Dror would then come with him to visit Rav Berland.

“So the religious guy is sitting in this ashram that’s full of avodah zara, and he’s looking around, and everyone looks like they’re high on drugs. He says to Dror, ‘This is the “amazing spirituality” you were telling me about?! Come on, let’s get out of here.’ So Dror says to him, ‘What?! Look how much everyone loves each other and is smiling at each other!’ But in truth, everyone was laughing or crying because they were totally stoned; they were all just high as a kite.

“Then the religious guy came back to Dror and told him, ‘I came to your ashram. Now you promised to come with me to Rav Berland.’ Dror tried to push him off, saying, ‘Listen, I really don’t have time…’ But the friend wasn’t taking no for an answer. He’d already prepared Rav Berland for the visit and told him that he was bringing a friend who was one of the smartest, deepest people he’d ever met—but that he wanted to go to India. He asked Rav Berland to try to do whatever he could, with God’s help, to try and stop that from happening.”

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THE FIRST MEETING WITH RAV BERLAND

“Rav Berland told him to come, and they got there at 8 p.m. in the evening. As soon as they walked in, Dror started asking the Rav about the funny boxes he was wearing on his head and hand, with the funny straps, and what they’re for. Then he started asking questions about the other mitzvos, but not in such a nice, respectful way, even mocking a bit.

“Rav Berland gave it to him straight, and whatever question he asked, the Rav responded in such a way that there was no choice but to acknowledge the truth of the Rav’s words. Dror couldn’t argue and was left speechless. The visit came to an end, and Dror and the religious friend left.

“When the friend saw Dror the next day and asked him what he thought, he told him, ‘It was okay. But I think I need to go back again a couple of times, just to make sure it’s the real deal.’ The friend thought to himself, ‘If Dror is willing to go back, then the Rav’s already got him and he won’t leave.’

“Each time Dror returned, Rav Berland shattered some more of his beliefs in the guru and all his high-as-a-kite followers. After a few more visits, Dror turned to his friend and told him, ‘Listen, I think I’m going to stay here. I’m leaving my job, I’m leaving my friends and I’m leaving the guru. I’m just going to stay here with Rav Berland, and I’m not going back to that nonsense anymore.’

“And that’s what happened. He continued to learn with Rav Berland and to grow in his Yiddishkeit more and more, until he got to where he is now. Rav Moshe Tzanani, as he’s now known, is on such a high spiritual level, it’s almost impossible to grasp. And it’s all in the Rav’s zechus.”

Rav Tzanani has now been studying at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva for over 40 years, and is renowned for starting his full day’s learning at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in the Old City at midnight. Today, many people come to Rav Tzanani for blessing and advice in his own right.