only Zushya could contain his dveikus (fervour) and remain in the room as the Maggid revealed fiery new teachings. The other students would faint or run out of the room in ecstasy. The two brothers would travel together in mystical exile of repentance to atone on behalf of the whole Jewish people and the exile of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). Famous Hasidic tales are told of their encounters. On one occasion, Rabbi Elimelech and Reb Zushya were staying at an inn. Each night, gentile peasants would enter their room and jestingly beat the one who lay nearest the fireside, Reb Zushya. One night, Rabbi Elimelech offered to change places with his brother so that he could take the beatings instead. Suggesting that Reb Zushya had suffered enough of this "Divine admonishment", the agreement was made and Rabbi Elimelech lay next to the fire instead. That night, the common gentiles again entered to begin their jest. This time, however, one of them said that the one by the fire had taken his fair share of the treatment, and now it would be better to jest with the other one! Again Reb Zushya took the beatings. Afterwards, Zusha told Elimelech, who was troubled by the suffering his brother was going through (and potentially envious since Rabbi Elimelech had a bit of spritiual masochism)not to be too sad for him, for he had learned two valuable truths from the beatings: We can't avoid the beatings coming our way by switching places with our brothers, because whatever is decided in Heaven transpires! But also: the beating never goes on for long, the abusers always grow weary, and eventually, morning will come to relieve all our sufferings." Hasidic Leadership After the death of the Maggid of Mezeritch, the Hasidic movement avoided one centralised leader, as had characterised it under the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid. Instead the great leadership of students of the Maggid dispersed across Eastern Europe, from Poland to Russia, taking with them their different interpretations of Hasidism. Nonetheless, in this third generation, Rabbi Elimelech was considered by most of the Maggid's students and followers as his successor. He began the dissemination of Hasidism in Poland, which subsequently increased to a much greater extent under his foremost disciple, the Chozeh of Lublin. Many of Rebbe Elimelech's students (talmidim) went on to be Rebbes in their own right. The most famous are the