Two Giants of Jewish History: Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz and the Ben Ish Chai

Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz

Rabbi Pinchas (son of Rabbi Avraham Aba) Shapira of Koretz was a close disciple of the holy Baal Shem Tov and the teacher of Rabbi Ze’ev Halevi of Zhitomir. He was also a grandson of the author of Maggaleh Amukot.

He was known for his lifelong attachment to the attribute of Truth. He worked for 13 years to uproot falsehood from within himself; 7 years to toil after truth; 7 more years to understand what truth truly is; and an additional 7 years to push that truth into the depths of his heart.

“Let No One Seek Me Out” — His Request for Isolation

At one point, Rabbi Pinchas reasoned that it was not proper for him that chassidim and crowds constantly came seeking blessing and salvation, as this distracted him from the service of the Creator. He therefore prayed that he should become disliked in the eyes of people so they would stop coming — and so it was.

He lived a life of isolation and sorrow, avoiding human company except when necessary for public prayer.

The Sukkah That No One Helped Build

On the eve of Sukkot, Rabbi Pinchas needed to build his sukkah, but no Jew was willing to help him because he was despised in their eyes. He was forced to hire a non-Jew, who lacked the proper tools. The rebbe sent his wife to borrow tools from neighbors, but they too refused. Only with great difficulty did she obtain what was needed.

On the first night of Sukkot, after prayers, Rabbi Pinchas invited several guests to his Yom Tov meal — but none agreed to join him. He entered the sukkah alone.

When he began reciting the Ushpizin invitation, “Let Abraham enter…,” he saw that Avraham Avinu stood outside and refused to enter. Shocked, he asked, “What is my sin? What is my wrongdoing?”

Avraham answered: “It is not my way to enter a place where there are no guests.”

From that moment on, Rabbi Pinchas prayed that his original request be reversed — that he once again find favor in the eyes of people. (Sippurei Chassidim, 124)

Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad – The Ben Ish Chai

Rabbi Yosef Chaim (son of Rabbi Eliyahu), known worldwide as the Ben Ish Chai, was a disciple of Rabbi Abdallah Somech. His mother once traveled with self-sacrifice all the way from Iraq to distant Morocco to receive a blessing from the tzaddik Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira. While waiting, she cared lovingly for the sick and the poor around her. Seeing her devotion, the tzaddik blessed her that she would merit a son who would illuminate Israel with Torah — and so it was.

A Miraculous Childhood

At age seven, he fell into a deep well and was saved through a miracle. From that day he vowed to dedicate his entire life to Torah.

When he later ascended to Eretz Yisrael, he prostrated himself at the gravesite of Benaiah ben Yehoyada. He felt overwhelming sweetness in his prayer and understood that his soul was rooted in that tzaddik. He therefore named his books after the verse describing Benaiah: “U’Benayahu ben Yehoyada, ben ish chai…”

Two Torah Scholars and a Test of Conduct

Rabbi Yosef Chaim recounts the following story in his work Chasdei Avot when explaining the Mishnah “Beautiful is Torah with derech eretz”: Two great sages, out of respect and social obligation, were forced to attend a festive meal hosted by a wealthy man. This caused them great anguish — the atmosphere was frivolous and inappropriate for Torah scholars, and they regretted losing valuable hours of learning, including the recitation of Tikkun Chatzot.

Yet they attended so as not to embarrass the host or desecrate God’s name.

• The first sage showed a pleasant demeanor, appearing to participate outwardly in the celebration. Inwardly, however, he never ceased his Torah thoughts. When midnight arrived, he leaned his head on his hand as if tired, and silently recited Tikkun Chatzot without anyone noticing.

• The second sage, however, showed visible discomfort from the start. When midnight came, he openly sat on the floor and recited Tikkun Chatzot in front of everyone. The guests mocked him; the wealthy host was angered, for it appeared he was being disgraced.

In contrast, the first scholar was praised for his pleasant and wise conduct.

Rabbi Yosef Chaim concludes: Sometimes a person must fulfill a Torah obligation that appears strange or offensive to others. The truly wise individual finds a way to satisfy both Heaven and derech eretz. And out of humility, Rabbi Yosef Chaim hints that he himself was the “first sage” in the story.