ר׳ פינחס שפירא מקוריץ

ר׳ פינחס שפירא מקוריץ (1726–1791) was an early Hasidic master and one of the important disciples of ר׳ ישראל בעל שם טוב. Born in Shklov into a family initially associated with opposition to Hasidism, he moved with his family to Miropol and encountered the new movement in the Podolian–Volhynian world. He became closely linked with Koretz, where his distinctive teaching emphasized truthfulness, humility, disciplined speech, and inward prayer. Unlike leaders who created large courts, he was remembered for reserved spiritual instruction and for aphoristic teachings transmitted by disciples. During the 1770s he left Koretz and lived in Ostroh; sources also associate his final period with Shepetivka. In 1791 he set out intending to travel to the Land of Israel but fell ill and died in Shepetivka. He did not publish a systematic book during his lifetime. His teachings were assembled much later, notably in מדרש פנחס and אמרי פנחס, so their publication dates must not be mistaken for dates of composition. No authenticated portrait has been found.