Elimelech Szapira
Elimelech Szapira of Grodzhisk was the leading Hasidic rebbe of his time in Poland. He was a chosid of the Rizhiner Rebbe. After the death of his father, the Sorof of Mogelnica, he assumed leadership of the chasidim, who eventually numbered ten thousand.
His sons-in-law were the Kozhnitser Rebbe and Rebbe Osher the Second of Stolin-Karlin.
When he died, his surviving sons were aged two and three, the sons from his first marriage having predeceased him. Some of the chassidim waited for the sons to grow up; one eventually became the Piasetzner Rov. Other chassidim chose a grandson, Rabbi Yisroel Shapira as their next leader. A third group, including many learned rabbis, followed the scholarly Ostrovtser Rov. This led to the common epithet that when the Imrei Elimelech passed away, his main successors were the Rebbe fun der Daies the Rebbe fun der Maiyes and the Rebbe fun der peiyesWritings
The teachings of the Grodzhikser Rebbe are collected in Imrei Elimelech and Divrei Elimelech.
