Menorat zahav (Golden Menorah)

Born in Tykocin, Poland, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk was the founder of Hasidism in Poland and Galicia. He was the foremost disciple of Dov Ber, the Magid of Mezritsh, whom he succeeded after the latter’s death in 1772. The brother of Meshulam Zusya of Annopol, he settled in the Galician town of Lizhensk, where he gathered his own group of disciples, including Jacob Joseph Horowitz (the “Seer of Lublin”) and Abraham Joshua Heshel of Apt. Elimelech’s magnum opus, No‘am Elimelekh (1788), emphasizes the roles of a tsadik, or Hasidic rebbe, including praying for the material as well as spiritual welfare of his followers.

Meshulam Zusya of Annopol was born in Poland and was the brother of Elimelech of Lizhensk. Zusya was a follower of Dov Ber, the Magid of Mezritsh, who also influenced Elimelech to become a Hasid. After Dov Ber’s death in 1772, Zusya moved to Annopol, where he was instrumental in establishing Hasidism in Galicia. Zusya was one of the best-known heroes of Hasidic folk tales, portrayed as a humble and kind man who attained merit on account of his innocence and personal righteousness.