Sons Walk In Rabbis Footsteps
By Joyce Moed | Special to the Journal
June 17, 2009

Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui of Chabad of Palm Beach had a lot to celebrate on Sunday, June 7, as he watched his two eldest sons follow in his footsteps when they were ordained as rabbis at a ceremony at the Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach.

Leible Ezagui, 21, said he knew he wanted to become a rabbi when he was 10 years old and visited hospitals, nursing homes and funerals with his father.

"I would see and hear about the people who would come to my father with marriage problems, family problems, depression, death," he said, "and my father would give them the time of day to listen to their problems and offer them advice and comfort and I would hear at home what a difference my father's counseling made in their lives. I felt good for the people who would themselves feel better and realized that there is no greater accomplishment than taking a broken person and putting them back on their feet, to give comfort to someone who lost a family member, to say a good word to a teenager or child who is having it hard."

Leible Ezagui said he would see adults come to visit his father and thank him for giving them their life back again.

"I thought to myself I wish I could do the same one day and also make people feel so good and direct them on a better path than they were now on," he said. "I thought here is something that can accomplish so much in a person's life with just a couple words you get so much back in return. I feel a life best spent is one that makes a difference in the world and has a positive constructive impact on someone's life, and that's what I want to accomplish in my life."

Yitzchok Ezagui, 22, said that studying to become a rabbi is very different than studying for any other career.

"When learning for any other profession, you are learning a specific knowledge only pertaining to the field you are pursuing, however when learning to be a rabbi you are learning about life and the world itself," he said. "You learn why we are here, what is our mission, and how do we fulfill that mission. If I can have firsthand knowledge of my life's goal, why would I want to pass it up?"

To prepare to become a rabbi, Yitzchok Ezagui said he spent most of his time studying.

"However, even though I received the rabbinical ordination, studying doesn't end since the Torah has infinite wisdom being that it's God's wisdom, so I see this ordination as a stepping stone in life for the next step in my life," he said.

Leible Ezagui began his studies with four years of rabbinical school in France.

"After graduating from France I studied another year in Brooklyn and now I am finally receiving the fruits of all my labor in Miami," he said. "The training includes psychology, rabbinical Jewish law, philosophy and theology, mastering self control, and Kabbalah."

Now that he is officially a rabbi, Yitzchok Ezagui said he hopes to share with others "the beauty of the Torah and the beauty it brings into the lives of those who make the Torah a part of their lives, not only spiritually but also physically."

The rabbinical tradition in the Ezagui family didn't start here in Palm Beach.

"My grandfather had a synagogue in Montreal, which was started by his father," Leible Ezagui said. "Many of my uncles are ordained rabbis and do tremendous work in their respective communities all over the United Stated and other countries."

In Yitzchok Ezagui's spare time, he enjoys boating and Jewish music. He also runs David's Deli, the only kosher deli in Palm Beach County. Leible is currently the youth director at the Chabad of Palm Beach, and is a teacher at the Jewish School of the Arts. He also conducts weekly services in local assisted living facilities.

As for the future plans of the newest Ezagui rabbis, it's probably too soon to tell.

"What do I plan to do?" asked Leible Ezagui. "As of now I am going to continue working in all the above, however what will happen in the future only God knows."