The first groups of Hasidim, mainly from Europe, are arriving in Leżajsk in the Podkarpackie region to pray at the grave of Tzadik Elimelech on the 239th anniversary of his death. The main ceremonies will take place on the night from Monday to Tuesday. In total, about 4,000 Jews are expected to attend.
Tzadik Elimelech died on March 11, 1787, in the month of Adar (on the 21st day of that month according to the Hebrew calendar). He was one of the three most renowned tzadikim of old Poland. He became famous as a healer of souls and bodies and as the most active preacher of Hasidism – a rebellious religious-mystical movement within Judaism. The movement emerged in the 1730s in the territories of present-day Ukraine and southeastern Poland. It taught that God can be served not only through observing religious law and prayer but also through everyday duties. In 1772, the tzadik established the center of his activity in Leżajsk.
For Jews, the day – or rather the full 24-hour period – begins after sunset, which is why the main ceremonies marking the anniversary of Elimelech’s death usually begin in the evening and last until sunset the following day.
As Michał Konieczny, director of the Leżajsk-Poland Hasidim Foundation, told PAP, the first groups of Hasidim, mainly from Europe, have already arrived. Others – from the United States and Canada – will arrive in the evening. Some will leave immediately after the prayers to make room for the next groups, while others will stay until Tuesday evening. Due to the situation in the Middle East, a total of about 4,000 Hasidim are expected, rather than the 15,000 previously anticipated.
Hasidim arriving in Leżajsk believe that on the anniversary of his death the tzadik descends from heaven and carries their requests to God – for health, prosperity for their children, or success at work. They write these requests on small notes called kvitlech and place them at the tzadik’s grave.
Before prayer, the Jews wash themselves in a mikveh, a ritual bath. They then go to the ohel, a chapel where the symbolic grave of Elimelech is located, and pray there. The prayers are accompanied by traditional dances and the singing of psalms. Women participating in the prayers gather in a specially designated room for them, which is also located at the kirkut, the Jewish cemetery.
The prayers and all the associated rituals last two to three hours. After the prayers are completed, the participants eat a meal consisting, among other things, of properly prepared beef, fish, chicken, kugel – a traditional Jewish dish similar to a casserole, most often made from potatoes – as well as fruit and vegetables.
The commemoration of the anniversary of Tzadik Elimelech’s death is movable (as it is determined by the Jewish calendar), which is why the arrival of Hasidim takes place on different dates each year, most often in March. In some years, the anniversary ceremonies are held twice. The month of Adar roughly corresponds to March in the Gregorian calendar. However, from time to time – in leap years – Adar occurs twice, which results in Hasidic pilgrimages taking place on two separate dates.
Until World War II, Leżajsk was inhabited by a very large Jewish community and was one of the most important centers of Hasidism in Poland. The tradition of visiting the grave of Tzadik Elimelech of Leżajsk was revived in the 1970s.
For Hasidim, Leżajsk and the grave of Tzadik Elimelech (according to some sources Elimelech Weissblum on his mother’s side, and according to others Lipmann on his father’s side) is one of the holiest places in the world. Hasidim come there not only for the anniversary of the tzadik’s death, but also during various Jewish holidays, as well as for private pilgrimages and trips around Poland.