Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Biderman (Hebrew: אלימלך בידרמן; born 12 November 1967), also known as Reb Meilech, is a Hasidic Jewish mashpia (spiritual influencer) and lecturer. He is not officially a Rebbe but has thousands of students and hundreds of followers.
Biography
Biderman was born in Bnei Brak, Israel, to Rabbi Alter Elazar Menachem Biderman, the Bnei Brak Rebbe of Lelov. He was named after Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Perlow, the Rebbe of Karlin. He studied at the Ponevezh Yeshiva and later married the daughter of Rabbi Nosson Dovid Rosenbaum, the Rebbe of Zutska. He resides in Bnei Brak.
Career and Influence
In the early 2000s, Biderman began holding zitz (gatherings) at his home on Shabbat nights, attracting young Hasidic men, primarily from the Slabodka Yeshiva. He also began delivering a weekly lesson on Friday nights to young men from the Mir Yeshiva at the home of his wife's grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Goldman, the Rebbe of Zvhil, in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood.
By the late 2000s, he had gained widespread recognition and was invited to give sermons in synagogues and yeshivas, particularly in preparation for Jewish holidays. His lessons were broadcast abroad via audio and video on the Kol Halashon system. A circle of students and admirers formed around him, mostly young married men. He regularly visited his students in cities including Elad, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, Beitar Illit, and Ashdod, and held an annual Shabbat Hitachdut (Shabbat of Unity) for his students in Meron.
His lessons and sermons focus extensively on matters of faith and trust in God (bitachon), incorporating stories of the righteous and modern-day accounts of divine providence.
Public Events
On Lag BaOmer 2022, approximately 20,000 people attended his bonfire lighting in Beit Shemesh. On Lag BaOmer 2023, according to police estimates, approximately 40,000 people attended his lighting in Complex 89 in Meron. On Lag BaOmer 2024, following the cancellation of the celebration at the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron due to the Gaza war, his lighting in Beit Shemesh was the largest such event worldwide, with approximately 45,000 participants.
Publications and Organizations
Biderman founded an organization called Be'er HaSimcha, which assists widows and orphans. His students publish a weekly newsletter titled Torah Wellsprings, a collection of his talks distributed in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, French, and other languages. A free edition is also distributed via email.
