Rabbi Moshe Biderman of Lelov was born in 5537 (1777) to his father Rabbi Dovid of Lelov, a disciple of the Seer of Lublin. He was a student of Rabbi Yeshayah of Przedbórz, and in his second marriage, he wed Rivkah Rachel, the daughter of the Holy Yid of Peshischa. The tzaddikim of his generation greatly revered him and spoke of him in extraordinary terms. The Ruzhiner, for example, said that in all his days, he had never seen a man with a broken heart like Rabbi Moshe. From 5603 (1843) until 5610 (1850), he served as the rabbi in the town of Przedbórz, but all his days he aspired to make aliyah to the Land of Israel and expressed his intent to hasten the redemption. At the end of 5610 (1850), he finally decided to make aliyah, bade farewell to the great chasidic leaders in Poland, and arrived in the Land in the month of Cheshvan 5611 (1850) together with a large part of his family. After a few days, he fell ill and shortly thereafter passed away, only seventy-four days after arriving in the Land, on the 13th of Tevet. He was buried on the Mount of Olives, near the tomb of the prophet Zechariah.
On the eve of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan 5611 (1850), Rabbi Moshe of Lelov’s ship anchored off the coast of Acco. With joy and gladness, Rabbi Moshele descended onto the holy soil of the Land of Israel, with his entourage and family following. He turned to those around him and said in a meaningful tone: “A day for a year, a day for a year!” No one knew the meaning of these words. No one imagined that the Rebbe would live only seventy-four more days in the Land, corresponding to the number of years of his life, and that this was what he meant when he declared while still abroad: “Days will speak!”
From Acco, the Rebbe and his entourage traveled to the holy city of Tzfat, where he was received with royal honor. Many people came to behold the radiance of his countenance, and chasidim and community leaders implored him to settle in their city. In those days, Tzfat was a city full of scholars and writers. Even Rabbi Shmuel Heller, the distinguished rabbi of Tzfat, offered him his own rabbinical seat but the Rebbe refused to even hear of it: He replied, “For God has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation,” and so do I! He preferred to dwell in Jerusalem, near the Western Wall, with his desire to bring the Mashiach.
As Shabbat ended, the Rebbe bid farewell to all the people of Tzfat and their dignitaries, and after a brief visit to Tiberias, the caravan continued to Jerusalem. All the pleas of the family members who asked the Rebbe to rest and recover a bit from the journey's toil, to wait a few more days, were to no avail. He urged
