Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, revered as the leader of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox community in Israel and abroad, was admitted to Jerusalems Shaare Zedek Medical Center on Sunday in critical condition. The 101-year-old rabbi is being treated in the hospitals cardiac intensive care unit and on Tuesday was listed in serious but stable condition. In recent months, Rabbi Elyashiv has suffered from poor health and his condition deteriorated in recent days. He was brought to the hospital Sunday after reportedly feeling short of breath and experiencing a drop in blood pressure. According to some news reports, the elderly rabbi, whom many Ashkenazi Jews regard as the leading authority on Halachah (Jewish law), was subsequently sedated and placed on a respirator. By Monday night dozens of ultra-Orthodox community members had gathered outside the hospital to pray for their leaders recovery. Senior rabbis and other close associates of Elyashiv also arrived at the hospital, while around the world Jews prayed and read Psalms in hopes of aiding his recovery. Israels Chief Sephardi rabbi, Shlomo Amar, made an impassioned plea for everyone to pray continuously in light of the rabbis critical medical condition. Rabbi Benjamin Fisher, founder and chairman of the non-profit organization Magen Lacholeh (shield and protector of the sick in Hebrew), who came to visit Elyashiv on Monday and sat at his bedside, said of the ailing rabbi, His condition is very serious. Over the last few hours there have been ups and downs, and he even had to be resuscitated at one point. Fisher added, His condition is stable but it is very difficult. Given his advanced age, a miracle is needed for him to recover. Over the years, however, the rabbi has been known to defy statistics.