The Shach - Rav Shabsi Kohen, On The Run One Step Ahead
After
wandering from place to place, one step ahead of the murderous Cossaks,
Rav Shabsi Kohen, known by the name of his famous peirush on Shulchan
Aruch, the Shach, found himself in a small town in Moravia. After his
greatness was discovered by the townspeople of Helishoi, they wanted to
appoint him Rov. Before doing so they sent a message to Rav Menachem
Mendel Krochmil one of the Gedolei HaDor and the Rov of the entire
Moravia. He had never heard of the Shach but in his house at the time
was Rav Heshel of Cracow the Rebbi of the Shach.
When Rav
Menachem Mendel asked Rav Heshel about the Shach he said, if you are
talking about my Shabsi then he is worthy of being Rov of the entire
Moravia and you should go be the Rov of Helishoi. In his great
modesty, Rav Menachem Mendel sent a message to Helishoi saying that
upon the advice of Rav Heshel, the Shach should come be Rov of Moravia
and he is willing to take on the Rabbanus of Helishoi. The people of
Helishoi said no thanks and hired the Shach on the spot.
The
Shach was born around 1622 to his father Rav Meir, a talmid chochom of
great repute. He was a child prodigy and learned under the famed
Maginei Shlomo the grandfather of the Pnei Yehoshua on Shas. He later
went with his Rebbi to Cracow where he also learned under another one
of the Gedolei HaDor, Rav Heshel of Cracow.
He married the
daughter of Rav Wolf Toiber the great grandson of the Rema and son in
law of the Maharsha. At a very young age he was chosen to serve on the
Bais Din of Vilna headed by Rav Moshe Lema the Chelkas Michokeik. Due
to the murderous onslaught of the Cossaks, he and many of the gedolim
fled. He found sanctuary in Lublin until the cossaks set there eyes on
massacring Jews in that town as well. He ended up in Helishoi, Moravia
where he served for a few years until his untimely passing at age 41 in
1663.
The Shach wrote his famous peirush on Yoreh Dei'a
at a very young age and received haskamos from 18 leading gedolim.
Although 35 years the junior of the Taz, the Shach did not hesitate to
argue on his senior when he saw fit. He printed Nekudos HaKesef
arguing on specific points of the Taz, despite considering himself a
friend and admirer of the Taz. His criticism was L'Maan HaEmes.
The
Shach also wrote a peirush on Choshen Mishpat, as well as Po'el Tzedek a
concise summary of the Taryag Mitzvos. He also wrote his landmark work
entitled Takfo Kohen at the age of 19 in the short span of one month. He did not have arichasshanim but he had fulfilled and accomplished arichasyamin. Yehi Zichro Boruch!
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