Rabbi Haim Drukman was laid to rest on Monday in a funeral that took place in Merkaz Shapira near Ashkelon.
Drukman died on Sunday evening at the age of 90, after suffering from a number of medical issues, most recently from COVID-19.
Thousands of people attended the funeral including President Isaac Herzog, incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, all of whom shared a personal relationship with the late rabbi.
Herzog: Israel lost one of its greatest rabbis
"This Hanukkah, the Jewish people lost one of Israel's greatest rabbis," Herzog said in a eulogy given at the funeral. "As president and in the name of the Israeli people, I stand before your deathbed, the bed of all who love and have faith in the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and the Torah.
"In each moment of your life, you chose to take on the burden of leadership for the Israeli public," Herzog added.
Netanyahu also spoke at Drukman's funeral, eulogizing the man he called an "admirer of the Torah, of Israel and of the Jewish people...He was a dear, personal friend who was very close to my heart."
"Drukman was 12 years old when first stepped foot on Israeli soil, and at 90 years old he will be buried in it. "He viewed the declaration of independence as a major event that brought change to the course of history: Our own government, our own flag, our own military, our own economy, our own melting pot.
"The rabbi's heart was filled by at the site of [the State of Israel] and therefore, demanded us to adhere to his words: Do not look at the negatives...always attempt to find the positives."
Drukman was the head of the Or Etzion Yeshiva and the head of Yeshivot and Ulpanot Bnei Akiva – the largest chain of yeshiva high schools for boys and girls in the religious-Zionist community in Israel.
"My father was a giant in many aspects," said his daughter Rebitzen Bruriya Binenfeld. "Up to two weeks ago, he gave lessons, and I didn't feel like they were his last ones. We knew he was weakening, he had a heart attack when he was young as well as other illnesses, but he lived like he was a young man."