Shas ' spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, paid a tribute to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in his weekly sermon Saturday night. "He has fallen and I pray to God to save him from his enemies," the rabbi said.

Rabbi Yosef and Mubarak maintained good personal relations and often wrote to each other during the Egyptian president's years in power.

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"Mubarak brought respect to Egypt," the rabbi said Saturday night. "He was admired by kings and presidents, he prevented wars, he was a peace-seeking person and a friend of Israel…

"I pray that God will instill wisdom in the hearts of his judges so that they will acquit him."

According to the Shas rabbi, Mubarak "is a decent and wise man… He kept every promise he made to me." He added that because the ousted president was "a friend of Israel", it was a mitzvah to pray for his health and full recovery.

About a year and a half ago, when Mubarak was still president and was undergoing medical treatments in Germany, Rabbi Yosef sent him a letter stating: "We pray to God to send you a full and speedy recovery."

About two weeks later, the Egyptian president sent a response, addressed to "the dear friend and great Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, head of the Rabbis' Council, the State of Israel."

He told the rabbi about this meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , and added: "I express my appreciation and gratitude for the kind wishes and sentiments in your letter and would like to make it clear that I have fully recovered and I am in the best condition – as opposed to reports by several media outlets in Israel and other countries."