From 1788 to 1812, he was rabbi of Stryi, a position later to be held by his opponent in many halachic debates, Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum. He had four children: a daughter, Franziska Freide (1788-1842), who married Solomon Judah Loeb Rapoport (Shi'r) in 1810, and three sons: Yosef (1769-1832), David (1771-1830), and Zwi Hirsch (1776-1834). Heller was a staunch misnaged and prominent critic of the Hasidic movement. Rabbi Heller's works became widely disseminated throughout Europe at a time when, due to technical and financial reasons, this kind of recognition was rare.