Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk: Life, Legacy, and the Spiritual Power of the Noam Elimelech

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk was born in 1717 in a small village near Tykocin, Poland. His father, Rabbi Eliezer Lipa, was a wealthy, G-d-fearing Jew known for his abundant acts of charity. His mother, Rebbetzin Mirel, was also a great woman of kindness.

Every Friday afternoon, she would walk to nearby Tykocin to distribute charity to the poor and provide for all their needs. The couple had seven sons and one daughter. Two of their sons stood out for their exceptional love of Torah: Rabbi Elimelech and his younger brother, Rabbi Zusha (Zusha). In time, they became known as “the Holy Brothers.”

A Hidden Test: The Blessing That Changed Everything

The Alter Rebbe (founder of Chabad) once explained how their mother merited such exalted children:One day, a group of wandering paupers — exhausted and starving, arrived at the family home. The family welcomed them warmly and cared for them generously.

Among them was a man covered from head to toe with boils, isolated even by his fellow paupers. He was gravely ill and deeply lonely. Rebbetzin Mirel personally cared for him with compassion and devotion.

When the paupers left the next morning, the leper blessed her that she merit to bear children like him. She was frightened by the blessing — until she turned back and saw that the entire group had vanished. She understood then that these were heaven-sent envoys, and her care had been a test from Above.

Years of Intense Torah Study and a Harsh Exile

From their youth, Rabbi Elimelech and Rabbi Zusha studied Torah day and night. After many years immersed in Talmud and halacha, they began learning Kabbalah.

Shortly afterward, they embarked on an eight-year self-imposed exile, wandering from town to town in poverty. They refused to sleep in the same place twice and lived lives of deprivation — fasting, enduring hardship, and suffering humiliation.

Wherever they went, they brought Jews closer to G-d in a remarkable way: With their spiritual insight, they perceived the sins of those who stood before them. They would begin to weep and confess those sins as if they themselves had committed them. Hearing this, the Jew would be shaken to repentance and would return to G-d wholeheartedly.

Following the Maggid of Mezritch

In time, Rabbi Zusha’s soul was drawn toward the Maggid of Mezritch, successor of the Baal Shem Tov. When Rabbi Elimelech visited together with his brother, his soul instantly cleaved to the Maggid as well.

At the Maggid’s instruction, the two brothers ended their years of wandering. Rabbi Elimelech soon became one of the Maggid’s greatest disciples, and later, one of the central founders of Chassidut in Poland and Galicia.

Establishing His Court in Lizhensk

Eventually the brothers parted ways:

• Rabbi Zusha settled in Anipoli as a Rebbe.

• Rabbi Elimelech returned to Galicia and settled in Lizhensk.

A vast community of thousands of followers soon gathered around him, many of whom became great leaders themselves. Unlike his own ascetic path, Rabbi Elimelech instructed his disciples not to fast beyond what halacha requires, saying that the generations were too weak to attain spiritual perfection through fasting.

A Reputation for Ruach HaKodesh

Rabbi Elimelech’s holiness became known far and wide. Thousands traveled great distances for his blessing and experienced wondrous salvations.

One famous story recounts that Rabbi Shmelka of Nikolsburg merited a revelation of Elijah the Prophet on Rosh Hashanah. Elijah told him that Rabbi Elimelech was one of the two tzaddikim upholding the world on that Day of Judgment, shielding the Jewish people from catastrophic decrees.

His Remarkable Piety and Humility

Rabbi Elimelech spent his life in repentance, sleeping only a few hours each day. He prepared for Shabbat starting from Wednesday and lived in extreme poverty, giving away all his money to the poor daily. He refused to keep even a single coin overnight, trusting fully in Hashem for the next day’s needs.

His humility was profound. He once said: “For Elimelech, a new Gehinnom will have to be created, because the existing one will not suffice for me.”

The Alter Rebbe testified to his humility as well. When a noted opponent of Chassidut placed Rabbi Elimelech’s book under his chair in contempt, the Alter Rebbe responded: “Even if you placed Rabbi Elimelech himself beneath your chair, he would sit silently and accept it with love.”

The Creation of Noam Elimelech

Twenty-two years before Rabbi Elimelech’s passing, his son Rabbi Elazar began writing down his father’s teachings. These were compiled into Noam Elimelech, arranged according to the weekly Torah portions.

The book became one of the most foundational works of Chassidic thought and has been printed in more than 50 editions. Chassidic tradition states: “One who truly understands this book can revive the dead.”

He also authored Likutei Shoshana and the heartfelt Tefillah Kodem HaTefillah (“The Prayer Before Prayer”), a prayer for purity of heart and thought recited by many daily.

Disciples

Among his illustrious disciples were:

• Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev

• The Chozeh (Seer) of Lublin

• The Maggid of Kozhnitz

His Passing and Final Blessings

Rabbi Elimelech passed away on the 21st of Adar, 1787. Before his passing, he promised: “Anyone who comes to my grave will not leave this world without doing teshuvah.”

In his final moments, he placed his hands on the heads of his disciples and bestowed upon them portions of his spiritual essence:

• To the Chozeh of Lublin — his spiritual vision

• To the Maggid of Kozhnitz — his heart’s spiritual power

• To Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel — the strength of his holy speech

• To Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov — the soul-light within his mind