Rav Yeshaya was a son of Rav Avrohom Moshe of Rosphsha, a descendant of Rav Yeshaya of Pshedborzh. On his mother’s side, he was a descendant of Rav Yaakov Yitzchok, the Chozeh of Lublin.
Their forebear, Rav Yeshaya of Pshedborzh became a Chassid under the influence of Rav Dovid of Lelov, who traveled with him to the Chozeh. The Chozeh would refer to Rav Yeshaya as “my seforim shrank”, and Rebbe and talmid maintained a strong bond. Rav Yeshaya became Rav in Pshedborzh, one of the ancient kehillos in Poland. After the petira of the Chozeh, Rav Yeshaya became a Rebbe, as well, as Chassidim began flocking to him.
He was succeeded by his son, Rav Emanuel, who, in turn, was succeeded by Rav Avrohom Moshe of Rosphsha, the father of Rav Yeshaya of Kalisch.
Rav Yeshaya, carrying the illustrious name of his great-grandfather and emulating the holy ways of his forebears, was from his youth a kodosh v’tohor and a fervent oved Hashem.
He married the daughter of Rav Yechiel Danziger, the first Alexander Rebbe, and resided in Dzunska-Walya, where he was commonly referred to as Rav Yeshaya of Walya.
Eventually he moved to Kalisch, a less primitive city, where he was the first Chassidic Rebbe ever. The Rebbe was well-loved by his followers, stirring their souls and bringing them ever closer to Hashem with his moving tefillos. In addition to his own Chassidim, he was revered as well by many Alexander Chassidim, since he was the son-in-law of Rav Yechiel of Alexander.
The Rebbe would say that when a Yid came to his court thinking that he could be helped by the Rebbe, and even spent money for that purpose, then the Rebbe had to do all in his power to help him.
He was niftar about a month before the outbreak of World War II. A large number of his descendants were murdered al kiddush Hashem, although one son, Rav Yechiel, had moved to Eretz Yisrael before the war, while another, Rav Chaim, survived the Holocaust, and was niftar in 5757/1997 in Eretz Yisrael.
Zechuso yagen aleinu.
