Writings

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk’s primary composition is the “Noam Elimelech,” which is among the first great Chassidic works; it teaches the principles of his lifelong philosophy. Every Shabbat during the third meal, Rabbi Elimelech would give over to his students a lecture on the weekly Torah-portion. His son, Rabbi Eleazar, would memorize the lectures and copy them down after the Shabbat. Rabbi Eleazar showed the work to his father and received his blessing; however R’ Eleazar did not print the compilation of lectures and produce the book until after his father’s death, in accordance with his father’s mystical reasoning-based instructions, and despite the pleas of his students for the work. Over 50 editions have since been published.
The “Noam Elimelech” is divided into two parts: an exegetical commentary on the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, and the “Yalkut Shoshana,” a commentary on the remainder of the Hebrew Bible, the Books of Prophets and Writings, as well as on the teachings of the Jewish sages.
The composition’s original printed text displays asterisks in seemingly random places above various words. Chassidic traditions maintain that these asterisks relay great meaning, and so they have remained in subsequent printings. Rabbi Dov Ehrmann writes in his book “Devarim Areivim”:
“In the first edition of the sefer [book], there are in many places small stars which allude to some secret meaning.”
The Klausenberger Rebbe once said that the stars in the heavens are a commentary on the stars in the Rabbi Elimelech’s “Noam Elimelech.”
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov says in his book, “Likutei Moharan,” that:
“The level of holiness of the holy Rabbi Elimelech is transcendent high above anything seen or understood within his book.”
A student of Rabbi Elimelech, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, Rabbi Yisroel Hopsztajn, is reported by his son not to have ever begun the Shabbat without first learning some from the “Noam Elimelech.” Another student, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, said that only on the eve of the holy Shabbat, and only after a purifying immersion in the mikvah, or ritual bath, could he begin to comprehend the depth of wisdom of Torah in the book.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi referred to the “Noam Elimelech” as the “Book for the Righteous.”
Yitzchak Ginsburgh in his book, “Transforming Darkness into Light: Kabbalah and Psychology” talks about three main Chassidic compositions and describes each as serving a different type of person:
The Likutei Moharan, by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, is described as a book for giving hope and encouragement to those trapped in problems, through the Rabbi’s personal and creative articulation of problems in life.
The Tanya, by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidism, is considered a resource for people of average level. Its focus is on a coupling of intellectual comprehension and of esoteric understanding.
Rabbi Elimelech’s “Noam Elimelech” is held as the handbook of a righteous Master of Chassidism. His book teaches those special few the path to both mystical leadership in Chassidism and temporal leadership of the lay flock. The development of the phenomenon of the Tzaddik, or righteous master, as a concept in Chassidic thought attached to the Rabbi’s leadership position, was significantly influenced by Rabbi Elimelech’s book.
In the book Rabbi Elimelech stressed an idea that the Tzaddik’s role is “to give life to all the worlds by virtue of his Divine soul.” He also believed that the Tzaddik’s personality should play a central role to the Chassidic follower.
Chassidism subsequently adopted the book as a central pillar of study, and it is weekly learned by many on the Shabbat. It was also used as a charm for women bearing children, and the book would be placed beneath the birthing woman’s pillow.
Endorsements of the book by the greatest leaders of the community heaped praises on Rabbi Elimelech and his work.
Rabbi Elimelech is also famed for another, small composition known by its Yiddish name, “Tzetel HaKatan,” which means “little note.” The work contains seventeen instructions for a pious Jew’s behavior in daily life.
He also wrote a list of customs for devout practice called “Hanhagot HaAdam.”
Rabbi Elimelech composed a supplication meant to be said as a preparation for Shachrit, the daily morning prayer service. The prayer bears his name, “Tefillat Rabbi Elimelech.”

The prayer before Praying

The Prayer Before Praying of the holy Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk May it be your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, who listens to the sounds of our entreaties, pleas, and supplications and who listens intently to the prayers of His nation Israel with compassion: Prepare our hearts and organize our thoughts, and make our prayers flow fluently
from our mouths and listen with Your ears to hear the sound of the prayers of Your servants who are beseeching You with cries of entreaty and a broken spirit.

You are a merciful G-d, with Your abundant compassion and great kindness. Have mercy and forgive and pardon and atone for us and all of Your nation Israel. Forgive all that we have sinned, transgressing and vilifying ourselves while rebelling against You. For it is revealed and known before You that we did not, Heaven forbid, willingly and rebelliously sin and embitter the words of Your mouth and the words of Your Torah and Your commandments. Rather, it is because of the evil inclination, which constantly burns in our hearts restlessly without respite until it brings us into the clutches of the pleasures of this lowly world and its vanities. It continually confuses and confounds our minds and our thoughts. Even when we stand in prayer before You, pleading for our very souls, the evil inclination persistently confuses our thoughts with its tricks and ruses. We simply cannot stand up against him. Our minds and brains have weakened very much, and our power of endurance has faltered due to the numerous tragedies, hardship, and suffering that have befallen us and also due to the pressures, preoccupations, and lack of time.

Therefore, You, compassionate and graceful G-d, we ask of You: do as You have promised us through your faithful servant — “I shall show favor when I choose to show favor and I shall be merciful when I choose to show mercy” (Shemos 33:19).
And our Sages teach (Berachos 7a) that this applies even to those who are unworthy and undeserving. For this is Your way: to do good for both the wicked and the good people. Our moans and groans, our sorrows and pains, are revealed and known before You, as well as our conversation about how far we are from You and how hard it is for us to draw near and take part in serving You. We wish to completely bond and sincerely connect our hearts with You.

Oh! Woe to our souls!
Oh! A very great woe is upon us, our Father in Heaven!
Now, please awaken Your abundant compassion and kindness toward us. Drive out, chase away, and destroy our evil inclination from our midst. Rebuke and scold it,1 telling it to leave us and to cease tempting us away from Your service.
Let no evil thought arise in our hearts, Heaven forbid, whether it is while we are awake or dreaming, and especially when we stand before You in prayer, and when we learn Your Torah, and when we are occupied in fulfilling Your commandments. Then may our thoughts be pure, clear, lucid, strong, true, and sincere, as You desire for us in good will.
Awaken our hearts and the hearts of all Your nation Israel to unify You in truth and love; to serve You with integrity so that our service shall be acceptable before Your Throne of Glory. Establish Your faith in our hearts, constantly without stop, and may our faith in You be tied fast and strong as an immovable peg. Remove all barriers and partitions which separate us from You, our Father in Heaven. Rescue us from all obstacles, from failures and mistakes.

Do not forsake us and do not abandon us and do not embarrass us. Be with our mouths when we speak, with our hands when we act, with our hearts when we think. Oh, our Father in Heaven! Aid us in meriting, Powerful One, O G-d full of mercy, to unify our hearts and minds, our speech and our deeds, and all our actions and feelings and emotions, whether we are aware of them or not [whether they are conscious or subconscious, voluntary or involuntary], revealed or hidden. May it all be unified for You in truth and sincerity, with no ulterior motives or invalid thoughts, Heaven forbid! Purify our hearts and sanctify us; douse us with pure water and cleanse us with Your love and compassion!2 Plant firmly in our hearts Your love and divine fear and reverence forever with no disruptions, at all times, every moment and in all places. When we walk and when we sit, when we lie down and when we rise, the fire of the holy spirit should burn within us constantly. We are constantly sustained by You and Your greatness, love, and fear. And we are supported by Your holy Torah, both written and oral, hidden and revealed, and by Your commandments in order to unify Your great and
awesome Name.

Safeguard us from ulterior motives, from haughtiness and vanity, from anger, pedantry and bearing grudges, sadness, slander, and other bad character traits. Save us from all things that destroy and prevent Your pure, holy service which is so dear to us. Bring down upon us the influx of blessings and Your holy spirit so that we may cleave passionately to You in rapture. May we desire You more and more! Raise us up from one level to the next, until we merit to reach the level
of our holy patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov.3 Hear our prayers in their merit so that we may be answered whenever we beseech You, whether praying on our own behalf or on behalf of someone else from Your nation
Israel, whether an individual or a group. Rejoice and glorify Yourself through us. May our prayers bear fruit above
and take root below. Do not remember our sins and iniquities, especially the sins of our youth, as King David prayed: “The sins of my youth, remember not!” (Tehillim 25:7). Transform our sins and iniquities into merits.4 Bring down upon us
always from the spiritual realm, from the world of repentance, the desire to repent and return to You wholeheartedly, to rectify and restore what we have damaged in Your pure holy divine Names.

Protect and shield us from jealousy between fellows. Let not jealousy enter our hearts and may others not be jealous of us. On the contrary, place in our hearts the ability to see only the good in our friends and not their shortcomings! May we speak to each other in a way that is straight and desirable in Your eyes. May there be no hatred between friends, Heaven forbid. Strengthen our ties and our bond to You with love, as it is revealed and known to You that we strive to give You only satisfaction and pleasure. This is our primary intention. If we do not have the intellect to properly direct our hearts to You, please teach us how to know in truth the intent of Your will, which is always for the best. Above all, we beg of You, plead before you, O G-d of mercy: accept our prayers with compassion and goodwill. Amen, may it be Your will.

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Notes:
1. See Zechariah 2:3.
2. This idea is based on Yechezkel 36:25.
3. Our Sages taught in the Midrash Tanna D’Vei Eliyahu 25: “Every man should say
to himself: When will my own deeds measure up to those of my forefathers
Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov?” See also Yalkut Shimoni, Devarim 830.
4. This teaching is found in the Talmud (Yoma 86b) — that he who repents out of
fear of punishment or divine retribution, his intentional sins are transformed
into unintentional accidental sins, and he who repents out of his love for
Hashem his intentional sins are transformed into merits

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תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצוֹן. אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן