What did tzaddikim say about supporting descendents of the Rebbe R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, zatzal?

The Divrei Chaim of Sanz –

“When Moshiach arrives, the first question he will ask is, ‘did you help the descendents of the Rebbe R’ Elimelech, z”l?”

The Sanzer Rav himself went to great lengths to help the grandchildren of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. He would often say about himself, “Yeh, mir haben zei takeh mekarev geven” – Yes, we did, indeed, help them.

Once, when his nine year old daughter Gitcha asked for money so that she could buy a pair of shoes, the Sanzer Rav refused her. Immediately afterward, he gave money to a poor bride, so that she could buy shoes for her wedding. Gitcha began to cry.

When her older sister, Nechama’la a”h, heard her crying, she went in to her father, the Sanzer Rav.

“Gitcha is crying because you didn’t let her buy new shoes, but you gave money to another girl who needed shoes.”

“Nebach, nebach, she’s comparing herself to a poor girl,” the Sanzer Rav answered. “How can you compare to that girl? She is a granddaughter of the Rebbe R’ Elimelech?!”

Original copy of letter of Rabbi Chuna of Kalashitz writing about Moshiach asking whether we helped the descendants of Rebbe R’ Elimelech Ztz”l

Rabbi Chuna of Kalashitz In a letter to a follower, regarding the support of a descendent of the holy Rebbe R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk - “I heard personally from the chassid R’ Shaul of Altshtat, who heard from my grandfather, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, that the first question Moshiach will ask when he arrives will be, ‘did you help the descendents of the Rebbe R’ Elimelech, z”l?” The Kalashitzer explained that the reason for this is twofold.  1.     The Rebbe R’ Elimelech worked to ease the chevlei Moshiach – the pangs of the time before Moshiach’s arrival. Moshiach will demonstrate his gratitude, by asking Jews if they supported R’ Elimelech’s descendents.  2.     R’ Elimelech said that his descendents will struggle until shortly before Moshiach’s arrival. Those who support them ease their struggle, and help bring this time closer. According to this interpretation, Moshiach’s question is a variation of the known question he will ask, tzipisa l’yeshua – did you await my arrival? Moshiach will say that a Jew’s attitude towards the descendents of R’ Elimelech is demonstrative of his level of anticipation for the ultimate salvation, Moshiach’s arrival.

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Ruzhiner Rebbe, zatzal

Shomer Emunim, zatzal

In the Sefer Otzar Yisroel, Rabbi Yisroel Rosensweig, zatzal, of Yerushalayim quotes his rebbe, the Shomer Emunim, zatzal, who quotes the tzaddik of Ruzhin. The Ruzhiner said -

“Five hundred years before the holy Rebbe R’ Elimelech was born, the world experienced a shefa – an abundance – in his merit.”

To that, the Shomer Emunim added
“If the shefa that came in the Rebbe R’ Elimelech’s merit was so great before he was born, certainly, to this very day, great blessing continues to descend upon the earth, in his merit.”

Supporting his descendents is, therefore, an act of hakaros hatov – an act of appreciation for the goodness we enjoy in the merit of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Rabbi Eliezer of Dzikhov

Rabbi Eliezer of Dzikhov once told of an incident where he helped three descendents of the Rebbe R’ Elimelech. The threesome had no winter coats. R’ Eliezer’l invited a certain R’ Koppel to his home, and asked him to help. R’ Koppel donated first 50 gulden, then 100 gulden, and finally, the entire amount they needed to buy coats.

That night, R’ Eliezer had an astounding dream, in which an angel showed him the holy R’ Elimelech. The angel then told him that he merited this, because he helped the tzaddik’s descendents.

R’ Eliezer said that he hoped to be in Gan Eden together with R’ Koppel, because he gave so generously to Rebbe Elimelech’s descendents.