7 Fascinating Facts About the Shelah HaKadosh

1. Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, known as the Shelah HaKadosh, was born in 1558 in Prague to a distinguished rabbinical family. His father, Rabbi Avraham Halevi Horowitz, was a disciple of the renowned Rabbi Moshe Isserles and authored the book 'Chesed L'Avraham'.

Even as a child, Isaiah showed extraordinary talent in Torah study. As he grew, he received rabbinic ordination and served as a head of court in various European cities, including Poland, Galicia, Austria, and Germany. In Vienna, he met and married his wife Rebbetzin Chaya, the daughter of Rabbi Avraham of Vilna. Sadly, Rebbetzin Chaya passed away in 1620, prompting Rabbi Isaiah to emigrate to Israel to strengthen the Jewish community there.

2. Rabbi Isaiah's journey to Israel was made by foot, passing through Aleppo, Syria. It was a long and challenging trip filled with hardships. Upon reaching Syria, he was welcomed with great honor.

3. After arriving in Jerusalem, Rabbi Isaiah remarried and moved to Safed with his new wife. They lived there for three years, during which he devoted himself to Torah study, particularly Kabbalah. He later moved to Tiberias, where he resided for five more years until his passing in 1630, and where he is buried.

4. In 1624, while in Jerusalem, Rabbi Isaiah, along with about 15 other rabbis, was imprisoned by the Farouk family, an Arab family that had taken control of the Jewish settlement, making their lives difficult. The rabbis were required to pay a substantial ransom for their release. The small Jewish community struggled to collect the required sum but eventually succeeded in freeing them.

5. Rabbi Isaiah is credited with many letters, prayers, and compositions, among them the 'Prayer for the Children', traditionally recited on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the siddur 'Shaar HaShamayim', 'Shemot Gitin', 'Mitzvot Tefillin', 'Bigdei Yesha' on Moed order, and more.

6. Sadly, Rabbi Isaiah did not live to see the publication of his writings during his lifetime. After his death, his son Rabbi Shabtai Sheftel Halevi Horowitz undertook the task of publishing them, beginning with his major work, 'Shnei Luchot HaBrit', which he wrote while in Safed. This work earned him the nickname 'Shelah HaKadosh' (Shelah being an acronym for Shnei Luchot HaBrit), in which he left a kind of ethical will to his family, warning them not to be lured by the vanities of the world.

7. During his time in Tiberias, the Shelah HaKadosh frequently prayed at a synagogue thought to have been established 800 years prior. The synagogue quickly became known as 'The Shelah's Synagogue' in his honor. About 200 years ago, the Jewish community in Tiberias faced economic hardships and decided to sell the synagogue to Greek pilgrims. Since then, special permission is required to visit, and few have had the privilege to enter this sacred space.