The Vavei Ha’amudim
28 Nissan 5420
Harav Shabsai Sheftel Halevi Horowitz was born to his father, Rav Yeshayah Halevi, the Shelah Hakadosh. He learned under his father and the Kli Yakar, who at the time were serving together as the Rabbanim of Prague. In 5382, when his father moved to Eretz Yisrael, he was appointed moreh tzeddek and maggid meisharim in Prague. In 5388, he was appointed Rav of Furth, and later Rav of Frankfurt; in 5403, he became the Rav of Posen. Wherever he served as Rav, Rav Sheftel had a yeshivah and taught many students.
After the pain and destruction that struck Am Yisrael during the riots of Tach Vetat, many women were bound as agunos, and Rav Sheftel was very involved in trying to release them. Due to the events of the time, he had to flee from Posen, and in 5414, he was appointed Av Bais Din in Vienna, which in his times, became a large Jewish center.
Rav Sheftel authored his sefer Vavei Ha’amudim, which contains chapters of mussar on the six pillars of the world listed in Pirkei Avos (1:2; 1:8): Torah, avodah, gemilus chassadim, emes, din and shalom. He printed his sefer at the end of his father’s Shnei Luchos Habris. Many compilations that he wrote, including on halachah, masechtos in Shas and on Torah remained in manuscript form.
He passed away on Friday 28 Nissan, 5420, and was buried in the ancient Jewish cemetery in the Viennese suburb of Rossau.
Caption: A photo of the fish monument in the old cemetery in Vienna, near the kever of Harav Sheftel Horowitz, the Vavei Ha’amudim. The story has it that one of the residents of Vienna bought a fish for Shabbos, and before it was killed to prepare it for eating, the fish suddenly opened its mouth and shouted: “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.” The person came to Rav Sheftel, who was serving as Av Bais Din at the time, and asked him what to do. The Rav instructed him to bury the fish in the Jewish cemetery. The man heeded the Rav’s ruling, and even erected a fish-shaped headstone as an eternal memory. (Adir Bamarom p. 358)
