Rabbi Eli Mansour

Type of wearer: Doesn't want to be an influence, Rabbi

Affiliation: Charedi, Sepharadi, Yeshivish

You don’t need to be in Brooklyn to learn from Rabbi Eli Mansour. But if you are, chances are you’ve heard him live—clear, steady, and straight to the heart.

Born in 1968 and raised in Brooklyn’s Syrian Sephardic community, Rabbi Mansour’s path took him from local yeshivot like Magen David and Shaare Torah, to serious learning in Mercaz HaTorah in Israel, and then back home to Yeshiva Ateret Torah. From there, he continued his growth in Bet Midrash Govoha in Lakewood, tapping into that Yeshivish depth while staying rooted in his Sephardic heritage.

By 1998, he’d received semicha under Rabbi Max Maslaton at Keter Sion Kollel—but he didn’t stop at being a local posek. He became a teacher to thousands.

Today, he leads Congregation Bet Yaakob, where his daily shiurim are as wide-ranging as they are deep—halacha, hashkafa, Gemara, parasha, and more. What makes them stick? Relevance. Simplicity. Clarity. Rabbi Mansour doesn’t just teach Torah—he shows you how to live it.

His shiurim are everywhere—TorahAnytime, TorahDownloads.com, WhatsApp, podcasts. Wherever you are, he’s probably already in your ear. And what’s striking is that while his roots are proudly Sephardic, his reach goes far beyond labels. Ashkenazim and Sephardim, yeshivish and modern, men and women—everyone finds something in his words.

Recently, Rabbi Mansour was appointed Rosh Yeshiva at Magen David Yeshivah, a Modern Orthodox institution with deep Syrian roots. And yes—it turned heads. Here was a talmid of Lakewood and Ateret Torah stepping into a role that blends modern education with serious Torah learning. But if you’ve been paying attention, it makes sense. Rabbi Mansour has always been about bridging gaps—between generations, backgrounds, and hashkafos.

He’s also an author. His Sephardic Heritage Haggadah and Patah Eliyahu: The Daily Halacha are bestsellers in their own right—packed with insights, but never overwhelming. His writing is just like his shiurim: accessible, rich, and practical.

But maybe what people love most is this: he’s real. A rav you can talk to. A teacher who remembers names. A leader who doesn’t just build ideas—he builds people and communities. Whether he’s guiding young couples, launching new learning programs, or standing at a shtender in front of hundreds, his message is always the same:

Torah is for you. Right now. In your life. And it’ll change everything.

Wearing Techeiles

Rabbi Mansour originally was against Techeiles. Back in 2005, he cited various reasons to not wear Techeiles, including tradition, fear of disrespecting Rabbanim, and only when Moshiach comes will we be able to fulfill it in the most preferred manner. Rabbi Mois Navon beautifully responded to those claims in a letter right before Rosh Hashana of that year.

Today is different. Like many, he now feels that there’s no downside to wearing the Techeiles we have now, from the murex trunculus. He recently admitted that a few years ago he received a beautiful Tallet Gadol with Techeiles from R’ Shabtai Sabato (who gifts many people with Tallitot and Techeiles), and during the height of COVID, when he was at home and nobody was looking, wore it. At this time, Rabbi Mansour isn’t willing to wear it in public since he doesn’t want to be a public influence on this matter. He cited how Hacham Ovadia Yosef (who held Techeiles is only until Moshiach arrives), Rabbi Benzion Abba Shaul (who in all fairness passed in 1998 before Techeiles became better known), Ben Ish Hai, and Baba Sali (both who weren’t around at the time of Techeiles) and others haven’t worn it. But he also acknowledged that today, many big Rabbanim today do wear it. R’ Mazuz wears it but R’ Mansour in general sides with Hacham Ovadia on many issues.