Rav Yaakov Aryeh Leib Shapira of Kavla zt"l
הרב יעקב אריה לייב בן מרדכי שפירא זצ"ל
Elul 27 , 5598
Rav Yaakov Aryeh Leib Shapira of Kavla zt"l
Rav Yaakov Aryeh, son of Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz, was born in תקל'ט/5539.
In the year, תק"ס, he was appointed as Rav of Kovil at the young age of 21. From Kovil he moved to Neshchiz and then Trisk.
In ז"תקצ/5597, he wrote an approbation (haskama) for the Slovita Shas.
His sons were Rav Yisroel of Stabichov and Rav Levi Yitzchok of Kamin. His son-in-law was Rav Avrohom of Trisk. Some of his Torah were collected and printed at the back of Rishpe Aish HaShalem (Neshchiz).
He passed away on 27 Elul in the year תקצ''ח/5598 (some say תקצ''ט/5599).
Stories of Rav Yaakov Aryeh Leib Shapira of Kavla zt"l
The two litigants stood before Rav Aryeh Leib Shapira of Kavla.
“Rebbe we cannot agree on how to resolve the conflict between us. However, the only thing we agreed to is that you should decide, and whatever the rebbe rules we will accept the judgment.”
Rav Aryeh Leib sat lost in thought for some time. Finally, he came to a conclusion. He banged his hand on the table (as was his custom when intending to especially arouse himself towards serving Hashem) and declared, “When I was a young child, just beginning to learn the shape of the holy letters of the aleph- beis, my holy father, Rav Mordechai of Neshchiz, asked me to dine with him. During the meal, he told me the following:
“Know my son that whatever you see was created by One Creator, Hashem, and all of this was done for the sake of the giving of the Torah!
“He then began to relate all of the events of Jewish history to me, all the tales of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov and their deeds and the events of their lives, all the stories of the tribes, Yosef and his brothers and their descent into Egypt, their slavery and miraculous deliverance through the Exodus, their travels through the desert and so on. He explained how these events were put into motion all for one purpose and one purpose alone: for the sake that we merit to accept the holy Torah!
“‘Now know my son’ my father continued, ‘that Hashem and the Torah and Bnei Yisroel are bound together as one cohesive unit. Hashem is Truth, and His Torah is true and His seal is truth. Therefore, if you speak the truth, you will also be bound up with Hashem and with His Torah. If, however, heaven forbid, you lie and speak falsely then you will have nothing whatsoever to do with Hashem or His holy Torah!’ This did my father teach me and reviewed with me day after day until my Bar Mitzvah.”
“Now if my holy father spoke this way even to the simplest ignoramus, his words would have made an impact and caused him to never speak falsely all the days of his life. However, my father spoke those words to me, and upon me they did their work. He therefore succeeded in making me unable to hear lies and falsehood. Therefore, I tell you both, speak the truth, if either of you speaks a lie or utters and falsehood, I simply won’t hear you speaking at all! Therefore, speak the truth in your arguments and I will hear them!”
And this was Rav Aryeh Leib of Kavla’s way, if anyone ever lied in his presence, he simply was deaf to him, and did not even hear what he said at all. (Derech Tzadikim p. 22 # 9)[3 of 38]