Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk

And there is a deep reason for this. The Admor of Rachmastrivka related that this could not have happened, in principle. Rabbi Elimelech was the gilgul (reincarnation) in this world of the soul of the Prophet Achiyah (Achiyahu) of Shiloh - Achiyah HaShiloni, and the Baal Shem Tov studied for more than 10 years with this prophet, who would come to him from the Upper World for joint study. A teacher, the giver of the soul, cannot study with his own student. Therefore Providence arranged that they would never meet. The tzadik Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin said: "They say that stories about the Baal Shem Tov told at the close of Shabbat are a means for a good livelihood, while stories about Rabbi Elimelech and Rabbi Zusha are a means for Yirat Shamayim (fear of Heaven) and blessings for children." ("Brothers" - Yaakov Doctor) The Prophet Achiyah HaShiloni Many wonder why the Baal Shem Tov devoted 10 secluded years in the Carpathian Mountains specifically to studying with the Prophet Achiyah HaShiloni, to whom the Tanach devotes only a few pages, unlike other prophets. There is an explanation for this as well. Achiyah of Shiloh belonged to the tribe of Levi. According to the kabbalists, he was a gilgul of Avraham Avinu. (Seder HaDorot 2387, 2892) Achiyah of Shiloh prophesies in the book of Melachim I 11:9-13 that the kingdom of Israel would split into two kingdoms due to the fault of King Solomon. There is an account of the meeting of Yeravam ben Nevat with the Prophet Achiyah. Achiyah HaShiloni tears his new, just-purchased garment (a hint at the recently established unified kingdom) into 12 pieces and gives 10 of them to Yeravam. He then tells him that he will become king over 10 tribes, and describes to him the conditions under which his kingdom and the kingdom of his descendants can flourish: "If you hearken to all that I command you, and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, then I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." Nevertheless, Achiyah honestly warns Yeravam - the lamp of David will not be extinguished, and the scepter will not depart from his descendants forever. So too, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidism, brought a deep rift to European Jewry. The teaching of Chassidism provoked fierce opposition from the "Misnagdim-Litaim"; Chassidism was born during a deep split in the religious life of the nation and its spiritual leadership. The Torah "did not reach" the common people; the select scholars studied, while the common people grew ever more distant from spirituality, laboring hard just to survive. It was also on the eve of great upheavals, such as the Enlightenment, emancipation, and so on. And if the Prophet Achiyah HaShiloni took part in the split in order to preserve the Kingdom of David, the Baal Shem Tov did so in order to save the Jewish people spiritually. This is why the Baal Shem Tov had to take lessons from the Prophet Achiyah. (http://midrasha.net/baal-shem-tov-i-akhija-iz-shilo/)   The "Prayer Before Prayer" On the Yahrzeit of the tzadik there is a tradition to recite the "Prayer Before Prayer" by a lit candle Le-Kavod (in honor of) Rabbi Elimelech ben Mirosh ve-Eliezer. The history of the prayer: The Saba Kadisha of Radoshitz (may the memory of the righteous be blessed), in his book "Nifla'ot" (vol. 1, pp. 21-22), wrote an amazing story about the "Prayer Before Prayer" of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk. When the Saba Kadisha was a child, he often visited the Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. One time, while he was conversing with chassidim from the Rebbe's inner circle, several unusually tall men approached the Rebbe's house and hurried inside. When they reached the doorway, they had to bend down to enter, since they were so tall. The holy Rebbe closed the door behind them before the chassidim could see their faces. They waited outside until the visitors left, so as to find out what kind of guests had visited their Rebbe. Once again the chassidim were astonished when the men hurried to leave the Rebbe's house - the chassidim did not manage to see their faces and only saw their backs - so quickly did they retreat that they nearly vanished. The chassidim understood that something unusual had happened and decided to find out exactly what it was. Meanwhile, the senior chassidim approached the Rebbe and asked him to explain the strange incident. And this is what Rebbe Elimelech told them: "When I realized that most people cannot properly focus on their prayers because of the enormous burden of earning a livelihood, and that they lack the time and understanding to fully concentrate, I decided to rewrite the standard formula for the prayers. I would write a new, brief version that would be equally understandable to everyone. But the holy members of the Great Assembly, the "Anshei Knesset HaGedolah" (the authors of the standard prayers since the time of the Talmud), understood what I intended to do. They came here to ask me not to change any of the prayers they had established. I consulted with them and discussed the matter with them. They advised me to compose a 'prayer' to be said before the official prayer service. This, they said, would help anyone who lacks the concentration and proper kavanah needed for all the formal prayers." The "Prayer Before Prayer" is the "Yehi Ratzon" prayer, printed in many siddurim in the name of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. It is a segula to recite the words of Rebbe Elimelech before prayer: "Whenever you undertake any action, whether you study Torah, or recite a prayer, or fulfill a positive commandment, you should familiarize yourself with the following words and make a habit of reciting them: - "Hareini oseh zot leshem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu u-Shechinteih la'asot nachat ruach la-Borei yitbarach Shemo" — (I do this in order to unite the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Shechinah, in order to give delight to the blessed Creator). This is a segula for receiving help from Heaven. The Melitzer Rebbe (Shlita) - a direct descendant of the "Noam Elimelech", stated that the Rebbe of Ruzhin said that 500 years before Rebbe Elimelech was born, the world received abundance in his merit. Now, after his passing, all the more so! It is said that Rabbi Elimelech promised everyone who would visit his grave that they would not leave this world without teshuva.     "The Prayer Before Prayer" - "Hareini oseh zot leshem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu u-Shechinteih la'asot nachat ruach la-Borei yitbarach Shemo" "May it be Your will, L-rd, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, who hears the cry of our supplication and mercifully listens to the voice of the prayer of His people Israel, that You open our hearts and focus our thoughts and help the words of prayer flow from our lips. And bring Your ear close to the voice of the prayer of Your servants, who beseech You in humility and with a broken heart. You, merciful G-d, in great mercy and abundant kindness, erase and forgive and atone for us, and for all our loved ones, and for all Your people Israel — for all that we have sinned and are guilty before You. For it is open and known before the Throne of Your Glory that it is not out of malice, G-d forbid, that we have rebelled against Your commands and violated the words of the Holy Torah and its commandments — but solely because of the evil inclination that burns within us constantly without rest, and which does not settle down until it leads us to the vain pleasures of this world. And it misleads us constantly, even at the time when we stand before You in prayer, to ask You on behalf of our souls - it distracts us from prayer and confuses our thoughts. And we have no strength to withstand it, since our awareness, mind and heart have weakened. And our strength has been depleted because of many troubles and the heavy labor of daily concerns. Therefore, You, Merciful and Compassionate One, treat us as You promised our teacher Moshe: "and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy, and I will show compassion to whom I show compassion" (Shemot 33:19). And our sages explained that this means that You will show mercy even to those who do not deserve it - for it is Your way to bestow good on both the righteous and the wicked. For our groans and our sufferings are known to You, and our pain because we are unable to draw close to Your service, and to truly bind our hearts to You. Woe to our soul. We are exceedingly bitter, our Father. So awaken now Your great mercy and kindness toward us, and in particular in order to drive out and destroy the evil inclination that incites us from within. Rebuke it, so that it will leave and depart from us and no longer tempt us to stray from Your service. And let no extraneous thought enter our hearts — neither while awake nor while asleep, and especially when we stand in prayer before You, and when we study Your holy Torah or perform any of Your commandments. Let our thoughts be clear and pure before You, so that we may enter Your Oneness and reveal it truly with all our heart, as You desire for our good. And awaken our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones and the hearts of all who wish to be together with us, and the hearts of all Your people Israel, so that we may all enter Your Oneness and reveal it truly and with love; and so that we may serve You properly, as is pleasing to You. And let firm faith take root in our hearts forever, without doubt for even a moment. And let the faith in our hearts be unshakable. And remove all the obstacles that separate between us and You, our Heavenly Father. And save us from all hindrances and errors. Do not abandon us, and do not forsake us, and do not make us a laughingstock. And be with our mouths when we speak, and with our hands when we act, and with our hearts when we think. And grant us, our Heavenly Father, the merit to direct our hearts and to focus our thoughts, our speech and our deeds, and all our movements and feelings, both conscious and unconscious, both revealed to us and hidden from us — let them all be directed solely to You - sincerely and honestly, with no extraneous thoughts whatsoever. Purify our hearts and sanctify us. Wash us with cleansing waters — in Your great mercy - with love and compassion. And root the love of You and the awe of You in our hearts forever — without interruption. At every time, in every situation and in every place — whether we are traveling or at home, whether awake or asleep. Kindle within us the spirit of Your holiness, so that we may delight and rejoice in You, in Your holiness, in Your love and awe of You, in Your Torah — the Written and the Oral, the revealed and the hidden, in Your sanctuaries (synagogues) and in Your commandments — so that we may reveal the Oneness of Your Name - great and awesome. And guard us from misunderstanding, and from arrogance, and from anger and from pettiness, and from sadness, and from stinginess, and from all other bad character traits, and from anything that hinders serving You in holiness and purity, as this is dear to us. And pour upon us the spirit of Your holiness, so that we may cling to You, and so that we may strive toward You constantly, more and more. And raise us step by step continually, so that we may be able to reach the level of our forefathers - Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. And in their merit, hear this prayer, so that You will answer us at the time we turn to You, whether on our own behalf or on behalf of another person of the people of Israel, whether for many or for one. And rejoice, and take pride in us, and let the fruits of our service be Above, and the roots below. And do not remember against us our sins, and especially, the sins of youth, as King David prayed about this: "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness' sake, O L-rd" (Tehillim 25:7). On the contrary, turn all our mistakes and sins into merits. And send us continually thoughts of repentance from the World of Repentance, so that we may return to You with all our heart, and so that everything we have violated in Your holy and pure Names will be corrected before You. And save us from envying one another, so that none of us envies his fellow or searches out his fellow's faults. On the contrary, awaken our hearts so that each of us sees only the merits of the other, and not his faults. And let each of us guide our fellow along the straight path that is desired by You. And let no hostility toward one's fellow enter our hearts, G-d forbid. Rather, strengthen our friendship in a spirit of love for You, since our inner striving is revealed before You, that through our friendship we may strengthen one another in true service that pleases You — for this is our primary goal. And if we lack the understanding to direct our hearts to You, teach us Yourself the way, so that we may know what You truly want from us. And for all this we beseech You, merciful G-d, that You accept this prayer of ours with compassion and favor. Amen, may this be Your will." (Translation by Rabbi Tal Moshe Zwecker, torahdownloads.com)   Segulot of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk

1. The sefer "Noam Elimelech" - a segula for pregnant women (it is good to place it under the pillow in the final stage of pregnancy);
2. It is good to give the sefer "Noam Elimelech" to those unable to conceive;
3. On the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Elimelech, or at his Kever, it is good to take the book "Noam Elimelech", ask a question, and open the book to any page, place a finger without looking, and read that verse (pasuk) - there will be a hint or advice from Rabbi Elimelech himself. (Rebbetzin Chagit Shira).

  A segula for parnassah on Erev Pesach from Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk https://silatehilim.com/сгула-в-эрев-песах-на-парнасу-от-магида/ Segulot for the birth of children from Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk https://silatehilim.com/как-родить-сыновей-по-раби-элимелеху-и/   Chassidut - the 4 Rivers of Gan Eden https://silatehilim.com/хасидут-на-теилим-раби-элимелех-из-лиж/?fbclid=IwAR3embz5tY6dvfgiUnC_UmvW-JMGtfyZdnsi9AoKx0sDheMM0MbMUawDZ8M   The Power of Tehillim according to Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk https://silatehilim.com/хасидут-на-теилим-раби-элимелех-из-лиж-2/