Naftali HaKohen Katz

Rabbi Naftali ben Yitzchak ve-Idel Margoliot HaKohen Katz was a direct descendant of the Maharal of Prague and a follower of the greatest Polish kabbalists — Rabbi Net Nathan Shapiro, the Shelah HaKadosh, and Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropol. Rabbi Naftali Katz is also the author of the important "Tikkun HaNefesh" — 11 Psalms recited in a specific order — which has been revived in our time by the Mekubal Rabbi Yosef Yeshayahu Pinto. In 1663, Rabbi Naftali was captured by Tatars, who held him in captivity for several years. Escaping through the use of practical Kabbalah, he returned to Ostrov and was elected rabbi of the community, succeeding his father in that position. He later moved to Posen, where he devoted himself to Kabbalah and amassed a large library of kabbalistic literature. On the 24th of Tevet, 1711 — the seventh year of his tenure in Frankfurt — a fire broke out in his home. The flames spread rapidly, and more than five hundred houses in the Jewish quarter were destroyed. The city authorities accused Rabbi Naftali of having halted the fire's spread through unusual mystical powers, employing Kabbalah. He was arrested but managed to escape from prison. Rav Naftali made his way to Prague, where many members of his family resided. There another misfortune befell him — one that darkened his life more deeply than the loss of his wealth and standing. Nehemiah Chiyun, a follower of Shabbetai Tzvi, traveled throughout Europe after fraudulently obtaining letters of recommendation from prominent rabbis. Arriving in Prague and presenting himself as an emissary from Palestine, he used his duplicity to win the trust of Rabbi Naftali Katz. As a devotee of practical Kabbalah, Rabbi Naftali, suspecting nothing amiss, endorsed Chiyun's mystical work "Mehemnuta de-Khula" — unaware that Chiyun had shown him only the central portion of the text. Rabbi Naftali soon discovered his error and attempted to remedy it, but his efforts proved unsuccessful. In 1713, while Rabbi Naftali was in Breslau, he sided with the renowned Talmudist Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi (the "Chacham Tzvi") against Chiyun. When Rabbi Naftali resolved to ascend to the Holy Land, his route took him through Constantinople. There, on the 24th of Tevet — the very same date, though many years after the fateful fire — he ascended to the Heavenly Yeshiva. Rabbi Naftali Katz left behind several celebrated works: The treatise "Semichat Chachamim" (Ordination of the Sages), which brought him great renown and which he bequeathed to be buried alongside him; The treatise "Pi Yesharim" (Mouth of the Upright), a profound commentary on a single word — the very first word of the Torah: "Bereishit" (In the beginning). "Sefer Beit Rachel" (The Book of the House of Rachel), cited in his will. And "Tikkun HaNefesh" — widely popular in Israel today. Rabbi Naftali Katz is buried in Istanbul at the Jewish cemetery in Beşiktaş. The Sila Tehillim team, during a journey to the Kivrei Tzadikim in Izmir and Istanbul, was deeply moved by the special atmosphere at his grave. May the merit of the Tzadik protect our people! (https://silatehilim.com/tag/раби-нафтали-кац/)