Rav Pinchos Halevi Bilitzer (Elul 1, 5673 / 1913 - 110th Yahrzeit)
Author or Givas Pinchos.
Rav Pinchos was born in the year 5620/כ”רת to Rav Amram Yishai, the Av Beis Din of Serentsh (yahrzeit 24 Tammuz), whose father was the gaon and tzaddik Rav Yitzchok Isaac, Av Beis Din of Nadi’ida (yahrzeit 9 Sivan) and a descendant of the gaon Mesores HaShas.
In his youth, Rav Pinchos studied under his grandfather. When he was eighteen years old, he travelled to study in the yeshiva of the gaon Rav Tzvi Manheimer and to learn in Ungvar under the author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. At the age of twenty, he married the granddaughter of Rav Yehonasan Binyamin Osreicher, the Av Beis Din of Tshenger.
In the year 5649/ט”תרמ, when Rav Pinchos’ father passed away, he succeeded his father as Rav and served the community of Serentsh for some 24 years, where he taught Torah to the multitudes. He was renowned as a gaon and a beautiful darshan (orator) whose drashos would excite and inspire the hearts of his listeners and set them aflame with the holy fire of Torah.
He was extremely humble, yet he did not let his personal humility prevent him from defending the honor of the Torah at all costs. He was known as a baal tzedaka (charitable individual) and a person of great integrity, whose admirable character and middos were legendary. He was a great masmid and he left behind many chiddushei Torah.
His son-in-law, Rav Asher Anschel Yehuda Miller (the Av Beis Din of Petrazhan and author of Lechem Asher) published his sefer Givas Pinchos. Rav Pinchos’ other son-in-law was Rav Menachem Mendel Segal Pollack, Av Beis Din of Serentsh. Both of Rav Pinchos’ sons – Rav Ephraim Segal (dayan and Rav of Bethalan) and Rav Baruch – praised and lauded him.
He passed away on 1 Elul in the year .תרעג/5673
