Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv: Thousands of Mourners Attend Funeral [PHOTOS]

Nearly 250,000 people attended the funeral of Rabbi Elyashiv who died at Shaarei Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to police estimates.

The funeral procession started from the home of Elyashiv in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, at around 10 pm local time (20: 00 GMT) on Wednesday. The procession passed through many streets to reach the Har Hamenuchot cemetery at Givat Shaul where Elyashiv's wife was buried.

Mourners in black and knitted kippah accompanied the procession and traffic along the roads leading to Jerusalem came to a halt as people left their vehicles and followed the procession.

Psalms were recited through loudspeakers as the extremely pious and religious leader had expressed a wish against saying eulogies at his funeral.

Elyashiv, the leader of the Lithuanian (non-Hasidic) branch of ultra-orthodox Judaism, was admitted to hospital for pneumonia on 5 February. Though his condition improved for some time, he succumbed on Wednesday at the age of 102 after battling heart, lung and kidney complications.

Rabbi Elyashiv was known for his conservative tradition and commitment to the study of the Torah and Talmud (Jewish laws). His rulings were regarded law by hundreds of thousands of Jews in Israel and the diaspora.

"In his rulings, Rabbi Elyashiv made a deep impression on the ultra-Orthodox world and on the entire Jewish people. In his teachings, he outlined a path for many, who drew their strength from his wisdom and his sharp thinking," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement.

"Today, the Jewish people have lost a sharp and incisive rabbi, a wise man of great stature, an emissary who was faithful to the values of the Torah and who gave to others. We mourn his passing," he added.

The UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said Elyashiv was a Torah giant of the present day world.

"We deeply mourn the passing of one of the greatest Talmudic and halachic authorities of our age, a man widely admired for his wisdom and erudition, and consulted by Jewish communities throughout the world. He was a Torah giant of our time," said Sacks in a statement.

Take a look at the funeral procession of Rabbi Elyashiv: