Everything isn't a plot, you know. Rav Ovadia, z"l , was not in very good health the last few years. Come on, the man was 93 already. He had good days and less good days. If his family didn't run some interference between him and everyone who wanteda piece of him, he wouldn't say no and rest. I suspect if they hadn't we wouldn't have had him this long. Gedolim tend to be like that. And their families also try to shield them especially as they get older, usually without entire success. The Rabbanit means the obvious-- he's now in the Olam HaEmet but his grave is accessible to everyone..

I don't think it was any secret whatsoever that there was a filter in place, to the chagrin of many a visitor to his home.

2senseplain makes a sound point.

Funny that the whole notion of getting brachot from dead people is so mekubal that no one even gives that part of the quote a second thought!

I can personally say that protexia wasn't enough to get in. My family is very close to his son R' David's and yet I (and even my dad too) was still denied entry most of the time in the past five years. Only if you had a really, really, good reason or if you were named Aryeh Deri would you have been able to get in since he started feeling ill most of the time over the past five years.

Amsalem revealed that he was a personal friend of the rav until he became a member of Knesset when he was denied access. He related that one time during that period he did happen to be in Rav Ovadia's shul and the rav called him over to speak afterwards and asked 'why he does speak to him anymore' to which he answered frankly that he was not allowed inside. The fence around him was not only recent due to sickness but to protect certain people's interests.