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Rabbi Nosson Nota (ben Shlomo) Shapiro was born in 1585 into one of the most prominent rabbinic families in Europe. His grandfather, Rabbi Nosson Shapiro of Hrodna (Grodno), was an illustrious rabbi and author of several important sefarim which were discussed in an earlier post (see https://nossonwiggins.substack.com/p/birchas-hamazon-the-original-bencher).

Although it is not known who Rabbi Shapiro’s teachers were, from a young age he was recognized as a brilliant student with a phenomenal memory. Rabbi Shapiro mastered the Talmud and poskim (halachic authorities) by heart, and as his son, Rabbi Shlomo Shapiro, writes, when his father would deliver a Talmudic lecture to his students, he would recite the Gemara, Rashi, Tosfos, Rif and Tur by heart! So great was Rabbi Shapiro’s erudition that printers in Sudilkov attributed a halachic work titled Yishmach Yisrael, (written by Rabbi Yisrael Shmuel Kalihari, a contemporary of Rabbi Shapiro in Cracow) to the Megaleh Amukos.

Rabbi Shapiro married the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yaklish, who was a prosperous communal leader in Cracow. Rabbi Moshe Yaklish established a private beis midrash for his son-in-law to study and deliver shiurim. This beis midrash was called Al Ha-givhah (on the hill) by the people of Cracow.

From 1617, Rabbi Shapiro served as the rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Cracow. There he taught many students, among them Rabbi Shabsi Kohen, author of Sifsei Kohen (Shach).

Although Rabbi Shapiro was one of the greatest Talmudic scholars of his day in Poland, he is more prominently known as a Kabbalist and a major disseminator of the Arizal’s Kabbalah.

Rabbi Shapiro wrote many works, most of which have not been published. His published works include Chiddushei Anshei Sheim on the Rif and Megaleh Amukos on Chumash. Megaleh Amukos is actually the title of two separate works, one a commentary on Chumash, and the other a treatise which expounds the word Va’eschanan in 252 different ways.