After the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch, his talmidim gathered to decide who should become the next Rebbe. After much discussion, they all agreed that Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk was the right choice.
They told him their decision, and he accepted the responsibility. The group then left the town of the Maggid together and began traveling home.
Along the way, they stopped at an inn. Reb Elimelech went to rest in his room, but after several hours he still had not come out. The Chassidim became disappointed, thinking that perhaps their new Rebbe liked to sleep too much.
They asked his brother, the holy Reb Zusha, to wake him up. Reb Zusha walked to the door, placed his hand over the mezuzah, and within a minute Reb Elimelech was awake.
The Chassidim asked Reb Zusha what he had done. Reb Zusha explained that a person should always think about Hashem, Shivisi Hashem l’negdi tamid — “I place Hashem before me at all times.” While we are asleep, we cannot consciously do that, so we rely on the Name of Hashem written in the mezuzah. Once he covered the mezuzah, Reb Elimelech could no longer rely on that, so he immediately woke up to think consciously about Hashem.
The chassidim breathed a sigh of relief. “Baruch Hashem,” they said, “we really do have a Rebbe after all!”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 91.
