ELIMELECH OF LIZHENSK

born 1717 died 1787, Lizhensk, Galicia Jewish teacher and author, one of the founders of Hasidism (a Jewish pietistic movement) in Galicia. Elimelech was a disciple of Tov Baer, one of the early Hasidic leaders, and after Baer's death he settled in Lizhensk, which subsequently became an important Hasidic centre. Elimelech emphasized the importance of the leader (zaddik, meaning righteous one), who, he believed, is mediator between God and the people and possesses authority not only in the spiritual sphere but in all areas of life. Although the zaddik belongs to a higher world, he descends to the level of the community to redeem it, and his capacity to sin is a necessary part of his mission of transforming evil into good. Elimelech's ideas are set forth in his treatise No'am Elimelekh, which was published after his death by his son Eleazar.