Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz - The Shelah Hakodesh

Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz, known as the Shelah Hakodesh, (1558 - 1630). His sefer "Shnei Luchos HaBris" is one of the foundational works of the Chassidic movement.

Life History

Born in Prague in 1558 to Rabbi Avraham HaLevi Horowitz, who was a talmid of the Rema and authored the sefer "Chesed L'Avraham."

From his youth, the Shelah excelled in his studies. He learned in Lublin at the yeshiva where his father taught, under Rabbi Shlomo Luria (Maharshal) and Rabbi Meir of Lublin (Maharam of Lublin), who were among the greatest rabbonim of Poland in the 16th century.

He later served as a rav and av beis din in many places throughout Poland, Lithuania, Galicia, Austria, and Germany, in the communities of Poznan, Metz, and Frankfurt am Main, and was known as a strict rav. During his tenure in Vienna, he married Chaya (daughter of R' Avraham Moil).

After the Jews were expelled from Frankfurt am Main in 1614, he returned to Prague and served as rav there. His wife Rebbetzin Chaya passed away in 1620, and then he decided to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael to establish and expand the Jewish settlement in the land, for whose maintenance he had already worked to collect funds, and also due to his belief in the coming of Moshiach which was expected to occur in the fifth century of the sixth millennium.

The Shelah embarked on a long journey by foot and arrived through the city of Aleppo in Syria to Yerushalayim in 1621, where he was received with great honor. In Yerushalayim he married a second wife. After Mohammed Ibn Faruk arrested fifteen of the city's notables including the Shelah, until they were redeemed for a large sum of money, he moved to live in Tzfas where he lived for about three years, and in Teveria where he lived another five years, and where he passed away and was buried. Tzfas and Teveria were centers for the study of Kabbalah in those days and the Shelah also devoted himself to studying Kabbalah, and pnimiyus haTorah served as the foundation for his great work "Shnei Luchos HaBris."

In Eretz Yisrael, the Shelah arranged his famous siddur "Shaar HaShamayim." He gave his siddur this name since his name Yeshayahu equals in gematria the word 'hashamayim' and also because in the week he arrived in Yerushalayim they read Parshas Vayeitzei in which Yaakov said "this is the gate of heaven." About two years after his arrival in Eretz Yisrael he completed his work "Shnei Luchos HaBris," which was written as a testament to his family members, in which he commands to abstain from worldly pleasures.

Before his passing, the Shelah commanded that they should not give hespeidim for him. He passed away on 11 Nissan 1630 and his resting place is in Teveria (near the kever of the Rambam).

In Chabad Chassidus

The Maggid of Mezritch connected the birth of the Baal Shem Tov to the fact that in that same year they printed the Shelah's sefer in clear letters.

The Alter Rebbe in his youth constantly learned the seforim of the Shelah and conducted himself according to the minhagim of the Shelah, and also davened from the Shelah's siddur and focused on the kavanos of the Shelah.

Following this, the Rebbe Rashab defined the Alter Rebbe with the title "Shelah - Yud" (Man of the Shelah).

The Chabad minhag to wait after eating dairy foods for an hour is according to the minhagim of the Shelah.

In the title page of the Tanya, the Alter Rebbe writes that it was written from seforim and sofrim. It is accepted among chassidim that by the word "seforim" the Alter Rebbe meant the seforim of the Maharal and the Shelah.

The Rebbe said that the Frierdiker Rebbe was not particular to say "the Holy Shelah," however the Rebbe himself did use the expression 'the Holy Shelah.'

On one occasion the Rebbe addressed what is brought in Polish seforim that the Shelah is one of three gedolei Yisrael who called their seforim by lofty names (the Rambam who called his sefer by the name which the sefer Devarim is called - 'Mishneh Torah', Rabbi Moshe Alshich who called his sefer 'Toras Moshe', and the Shelah who called his sefer 'Shnei Luchos HaBris') and the names were not accepted throughout Jewish communities as a 'punishment' for taking for themselves a crown that wasn't fitting for them, but the Rebbe rejected these words and said they are not acceptable to reason.

Quotations

The Shelah writes (13:1): "One who is unable to learn should recite the names of the Chumashim and Parshiyos, books of Tanach and Masechtos of Shas." However, Chabad Chassidus achieved - says the Rebbe - that we don't suffice with merely saying letters, in the manner of invoking names, but rather there needs to be a "wonderful unity" between the intellect of the simplest person and the deepest secrets of Torah. — Farbrengen of 19 Kislev 5716, Toras Menachem Vol. 15 p. 269.

In the Rebbe's sichos, many foundational concepts about the weekly Parshiyos are mentioned. One of them is that even the name of a Parshah is precise. "The festivals throughout the year are all connected to the Parshiyos that fall during them." "Adam" comes from the term "Adameh L'Elyon" (I will be similar to the Most High). "The Torah speaks of the higher realms and hints at the lower realms," and more.

Since the Rebbe began his path and unique approach in explaining Rashi (in 5725), he based it on the words of the Shelah - that in Rashi's commentary on the Torah there are "wondrous matters." This concept is mentioned repeatedly in the sichos.

His Prayer

He composed a prayer for the success of children and finding their shidduch, to be recited on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, and all of Beis Yisroel adopted the custom of saying it.

Gedolei Yisroel on the Holy Shelah

Rabbi Yoel Sirkis "the Bach" writes in his approbation to Shaar HaShamayim: "I lift my eyes and see a holy and awesome man speaking from within the fire, drinking holy waters from a holy source, flowing from holy channels of the Holy of Holies, quenching those who thirst and yearn for holy matters - none other than the great Rav in all of Torah, the Gaon Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi z"l... He left behind blessing in his holy works, and when we saw and read them, we felt the influence of holiness from the highest levels in all our limbs, and this is the sign that his works are composed for the sake of Heaven..."

Rabbi Yaakov of Lublin, father of Rabbi Heschel of Krakow writes in his approbation: "The famous needs no proof, for he was a distinguished Rav, a prince in Israel, great was his name and holy shall be said of him... that the Gaon Rabbi Yeshaya Segal z"l Horowitz composed."

The "Tosafos Yom Tov" in his approbation: "...Pleasant words that the Rav, the Gaon, the famous Chassid Rabbi Yeshaya composed... for indeed he is a holy and awesome man whose light of Torah shone previously in Israel... for without doubt a spirit from above was emanated upon him, as was testified from Heaven..."

The "Maginei Shlomo" (grandfather of the "Pnei Yehoshua") writes: "...And as Hashem sent before us one holy person speaking matters that are the secrets of the world, for fiery speech emanates from his mouth and sparks of fire emerge from his mouth... and the holy Chassid, the Gaon z"l opens for us the gate of prayer... and showed without doubt that from the power of his piety and pure fear [of Heaven], as all his deeds were for the sake of Heaven as is known to all our people, and elaborating on this is unnecessary, he merited all this..."

His Books

• Siddur Shaar HaShamayim
• Shnei Luchos HaBris (published in many editions, the Rebbe's references in his seforim to the Shelah are based on the 5448 edition)