The Holy Brothers: Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk was born in 1717 in a small village near the city of Tiktin in Poland. His father, Rabbi Eliezer Lipa, was a wealthy and devout man known for his acts of kindness and widespread charity. His mother, Rebbetzin Mirel, was also known for her great acts of kindness. It is said that every Friday before Shabbat, she would go to the nearby town of Tiktin to give charity to the poor and provide for their needs. The couple had seven sons and one daughter, with two sons standing out for their love of Torah — Rabbi Elimelech and his younger brother, Rabbi Zushia. Over time, the two became known as "the Holy Brothers."

It was no coincidence that the righteous mother was blessed with children who became such great figures. The Alter Rebbe recounted how she merited this: Once, a group of beggars, poor and destitute, who had wandered for a long time in the villages of the region and were tired and hungry, arrived at their home. The family welcomed them warmly and provided for all their needs. However, one of the beggars was very ill, covered in sores from head to toe, and was thus isolated — all his fellow beggars kept away from him and refused to care for him. This beggar could not fend for himself due to his illness, and was very sad and depressed. The righteous Rebbetzin Mirel took so much pity on him that she cared for him devotedly.

 

The next day, when the beggars left the house, the leper sincerely thanked her from his heart, wishing her to have sons like him. The righteous woman was deeply troubled and fearful that her children would be lepers like him. Yet when she wanted to respond to the beggar's blessing, the group of beggars vanished from sight along with their wagon. She then understood that they were not ordinary people but rather emissaries from Hashem who came to test her.

From a young age, Rabbi Elimelech and Rabbi Zushia studied Torah day and night. After many years of intense study of Torah, Talmud, and Jewish law, they delved into the study of Kabbalah. Shortly thereafter, they began an eight-year-long exile journey, wandering from town to town, living in poverty, and never sleeping more than one night in the same place. They engaged in ascetic practices, fasting, and living in hardship while enduring many humiliations. During this period, they approached every Jew they encountered through a unique method: being divinely inspired, they knew the sins of the person before them and would cry and confess with a broken heart as if they were their own sins. The Jew, recognizing their sins, would immediately begin soul-searching until they were moved to complete repentance, with the Holy Brothers guiding them on how to rectify their transgressions.

At some point, Rabbi Zushia was drawn to the Maggid of Mezeritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov and a leader in the Chassidic movement. When Rabbi Elimelech joined his brother for a visit to this teacher, he, too, became a passionate disciple. By the Maggid's order, the brothers were instructed to end their wandering. Soon, Rabbi Elimelech was among the Maggid's most prized students, eventually becoming his successor after his passing.

Eventually, the brothers went separate ways: Rabbi Zushia settled in Anipoli, becoming a Rebbe there, while Rabbi Elimelech returned to Galicia and settled in Lizhensk. Over time, he drew a large following of thousands of students, some of whom went on to lead their own communities. Unlike his personal practice, Rabbi Elimelech instructed his students not to engage in fasts beyond what the sages commanded, arguing that the generations had weakened and could no longer reach completeness through fasting.

Over time, Rabbi Elimelech became known far and wide as one with divine inspiration. Thousands of people came from all corners of the world to receive his blessings and experienced great salvation. It is told that Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, a close friend of Rabbi Elimelech, was privileged to see Elijah the Prophet on Rosh Hashanah, during which Elijah revealed that Rabbi Elimelech was one of the two people sustaining the world on that Judgment Day. There was a severe decree against the Jewish people, and thanks to Rabbi Elimelech and Rabbi Shmelke, the decree was averted.

Rabbi Elimelech dedicated his life to repentance and kept his sleep to a minimum. He followed holy practices, like preparing for Shabbat from Wednesday and lived in great poverty, distributing all his money to the poor. He never kept even a single coin from one day to the next, due to his unwavering faith that Hashem would provide for all his needs anew each day.