The Tefillah of the Noam Elimelech

The Sabba Kadisha recorded in his sefer Niflaos a remarkable account of how the Noam Elimelech's Prayer Before Praying came to be. As a child, he was once visiting Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk and stood talking with the Rebbe's close chassidim in front of the house. Several unusually tall men came and hurried inside. They had to stoop to pass through the doorway, and the Rebbe closed the door behind them before anyone could see their faces.

The chassidim waited outside to see who they were. When the men left, they did so so quickly that only their backs could be seen, and they almost vanished. The chassidim sensed that something unusual had happened, and the elder chassidim asked the Rebbe to explain.

The Rebbe answered that he had seen how most people can no longer concentrate on their tefillos, weighed down by the burden of earning a living and lacking the time and understanding. He had thought to write a new, short version of the tefillos that anyone could grasp. The Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, who composed the original tefillos, had come to ask him not to change a single word. After he took counsel with them, they advised him to compose a tefillah to be said before davening, to help anyone who lacks the proper concentration. That is the Yehi Ratzon prayer printed in many siddurim in the name of Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk.