The Shelah HaKadosh

Family

• 1492 - R Yeshaya HaLevi
• Descended from R' Yitzchak HaLevi of Navon, son of R' Pinchas HaLevi, older brother of רא״ה, great grandson of בעל המאור
• Complete yichus going back to Shmuel HaNavi

Horowitz

• Fled to Bohemia / Prague, a town called Horwitz איש הורוויץ
• Became very wealthy and influential
• Most famous descendant was Rabbi Yeshaya - The Shela

The author of the Seder HaDoros wrote that he found in the writings of the Chasid (pious one) R. Leib of Slutzk that the Gaon, the author of the Shelah, possessed the soul of Ruth. That is the reason that all of the verses of Ruth start with a vav with the exception of eight verses. The first letters of these verses spell out, Yeshayah B A L, which are the first letters of the words, "Ben Avraham Levi, which is amazing.
- Chida, Shem HaGedolim

Traditions from His Teachers

• His father
• Maharshal (HaKatan)
• Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz

Respected by his teachers

• 26 Signatories including: R. Shlomo of Lublin (the Shelah's mentor), Yehoshua Falk Katz (the author of the Sefer Meiros Aynaim , a mentor of the Shelo), R. Meir of Lublin (a mentor of the Shelo), R. Shmuel Aidels (Maharsha), . . . R. Ephraim of Luntshitz (author of the Keli Yakar ), R. Yeshaya Horowitz (Shelah), . . . (twenty six Rabbis in all)
• When was he born: 1560/1570 - Very young to be included

Rabbi of the Gola

• Russia
• Krakow
• Frankfurt
• Prague

To Israel...

• Secrets in Damascus
• Tzfas in Decline
• Finally to Yerushalaim

The SHELAH

• Not for public consumption...
• A Unique currliculum