THE PATH
OF THE TZADDIK
A Tzadik must constantly be involved in repentance and returning to Hashem.
A Tzadik must walk in unity in the higher worlds.
A Tzadik must walk in unity in the higher worlds.
The
Tzadik nullifies harsh decrees and Judgments by elevating them back to their source thereby sweetening them.
“The journey is
metaphorically comparable to Jacob's
Ladder in the Torah,
and the Path of the Righteous
as taught in the New
Testament.”
The 18thletter of the Hebrew alphabet written ? or ?; also spelled: Tzadi, tzodek, sade,
sadhe, tsade. It is the Hebrew word for “righteous one”, and a title given to Hassidic spiritual leader; also
spelled:
tzaddiq, tzaddik, tsaddik,
tzadik tsadik, zaddik, zadik; plural: tsaddikim, tzadikkim, tzaddiqim, zaddikim
Tzaddik
is a title which is generally given to those who are considered to be righteous such as a spiritual master or rebbe The root
of the word tzadik, is tzedek, which means justice or righteousness. This
term thus refers to one who acts righteously. In Arabic the word/name “saddiq", has a similar meaning. The title of
Voltaire's satirical novel Zadig also stems from this root.
A Tzaddik is one who
embodies the religious ideals of Judaism. In the Bible, a tzaddiq is a just or righteous man (Genesis 6:9), who, if a ruler,
rules justly or righteously (II Samuel 23:3) and who takes joy in justice (Proverbs 21:15). The Talmud (compendium of Jewish
law, lore, and commentary) asserts that the continued existence of the world is due to the merits of 36 individuals. The Talmud
says that at least 36 Tzaddikim
Nistarem or lamedvovnik
-- anonymous tzadikim -- are living among us at all times; they are anonymous,
and it is for their sake alone that the world is not destroyed. The Talmud and the Kabbalah offer various ideas about the
nature and role of these 36 tzadikim.
“Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand
or to the left.” (Deuteronomy 5:32). The left side is often associated with obedience to the Torah's commands, and the
right with the desire to do things for God. Torah-understanding is a spiritual and intellectual tight-rope balancing act.
But, walk the rope the Tzaddik must if he is to gain the entrance to the Throne. The Torah represents creation and the Terrestrial
world – God and his Throne represent creation or Celestial world.
The
Tzaddik seeks to remain in “balance” on this path, not straying to far to the left of the right. The Tzaddik travels
a main thoroughfare that passes between two paths. He may go in the middle, provided that he does not stray in either direction.
The
left side is often associated with obedience to the Torah's commands, and the right with the desire to do things for God.
An example of a person who is "out of balance" to the left side, might be someone who studies the commands of the Torah but
is complacent about transforming what they learn to their life. Someone out of balance to the right side may be "fanatical"
for God in their own mind, but not according to what God wants as shown in his Torah.
Out
of Balance to the RIGHT
Someone
out of Balance to the right side may be “fanatical” for God in their own mind, but not according to what God wants
as shown in His Torah.
Out
of Balance to the LEFT
An
example of a person who is “out of balance” to the left side, might be someone who studies the commands of the
Torah but is complacent about transforming what they learn to their life.
A concrete example of balance is
seen in the Torah schools of Rabbi Hillel and Shammai. Traditionally, those of Hillel are associated with teaching more
from the "lenient" (merciful) right side, and Shammai with the "strict" left side. As long as the argument between these
groups was "for the sake of Hashem," this was a healthy situation (as "iron sharpens iron").
Characteristics
of a tzadik: In classic Jewish thought, there are various definitions
of a tzadik. According to Maimonides (based on Tractate Yevamot of
the Babylonian Talmud, 49b-50a): "One whose merit surpasses his iniquity is a tzadik." According to the Tanya (based on passages in Tanach and the Talmud), the true title of
tzadik can only be applied to one who not only never sins, but
also has eradicated any inclination to do so.
Only the Tzaddik is
able to remove all his thoughts from earthly things and concentrate on God. Because of his union with God, he is the connecting
link between God and creation, and thus the channel of blessing and mercy. The love men have for the Tzaddik provides a path
to God. The duty of the ordinary mortal is therefore to love the Tzaddik and be subservient to him.
BECOMING A TZADDIK
According
to the first definition above, that a tzadik is "one whose merit surpasses his iniquity," every person can reach this level.
According to the definition of the Tanya that a Tzadik has no evil inclination, only a select few predestined to attain this
level can attain it.
According
to Kabbalah, a tzadik, because he has completely nullified himself and his desires to what God wants, his Godly soul (which
like every Godly soul is part of God) is revealed within him more than other people who have not completely nullified themselves
to God. However, all of the sources below do not believe in the Tzadik being like God, as this belief is incompatible with
Judaism.
One
goal of the Path of the Tzaddik is to attain the Kingdom and Throne of Heaven – this point is only accessible to those
of great spiritual merit. When someone on the path of the Tzaddik keeps themselves “in balance,” and properly
applies God's Torah to all aspects of their life (physical, emotional, and mental) they will come to attain the beginning
point of the Kingdom and Throne of Heaven.
LATER INTERPRETATIONS
Tzaddik's
are in many ways considered Miracle workers. While the tzadik status, according to its above definitions, is not necessarily related to the ability to perform or call upon miracles,
the term tzadik is often used loosely by the Talmud to indicate those who
have achieved especially outstanding piety and holiness. In this context, the tzadik's prayers are considered especially potent, as the Talmud states: "A tzadik decrees and the Holy One Blessed be He fulfills." This is line with the talmudic
dictum: Rabban Gamliel the son of Rabbi Judah haNasi used to say: "Make His Will your own will, that He make your will as
His Will.”
Based on the teachings
of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr ha-Chaim, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi taught in the name of the Zohar
that "He who breathed life into man, breathed from Himself." Therefore one's soul comes from the essence of God. This verse
is believed to explain the relationship between God and a tzadik.
This concept is based
upon many Jewish sources. Here are some:
The Zohar: "Et pnei
Ha'adon YHWH - do Rashbi" (Lit.,"The Countenance of the Lord YHWH- this is [ a reference to] Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.")
The Jerusalem Talmud
"All the standing that the prophet Elijahdid before his teacher Achiya Hashiloni, were as if standing before the Shekhinah."
And this is explained in Yesod HaAvoda in the name of the Radbaz, "This was because Achiya had his mind and thoughts connected
and cleaved to the greatness of the holy one, and Elijah when he stood before his teacher connected his thoughts with the
thoughts of his teacher with the love from his heart, and therefore it was as if he stood in front of the Shekhinah"
Bahya ben Asher comments
on the verse "And Moses took the tent and pitched it for himself outside the camp, distancing [it] from the camp, and he called
it the tent of meeting, and it would be that anyone seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside
the camp."saying that "From here we see that Moseswas called with the Tetragrammaton, and we also find thatJacobis called
with El...And we also find by the name of a Tzadik that he is called with the Tetragrammaton...And we also find that by King
Messiah that he is called with the Tetragrammaton as it is stated and this is his name that he shall be called, The Lord is
our righteousness...And the reason by all of them is because one who cleaves to something, is called by the thing which he
is cleaving to."
Yoel Sirkis "The
purpose of The Blessed One was always that one should be involved in Torahin order to bond our souls in the essence and spirituality
and holiness of the source of the giver of the Torah...And if one is involved in Torah study with this intention, one becomes
a Markavah and Heichal for the Shekhinahmay he be blessed, so that the Shekhinah is literally within them, because they are
a Heichal to God and within them literally the Shekhinah establishes its dwelling place."
Chaim Volozhin "If
someone sanctifies himself properly through the performance of all the Mitzvot...Then he himself is the Beit HaMikdash itself...Because
this is the truth regarding Tzadikim through the deeds which are desirable by the blessed one they are the Mikdash mamash"
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
"The holy one who cleaves constantly to God and his soul fires up with true intellectual understanding with great love of
his creator and fear...Behold a person like this, he himself, is considered to be like the TabernacleBeit HaMikdash and the
Mizbeiach...And also it is said regarding Tzadikim they are the Markavah, because the Shekhinahdwells in them just like it
dwelled in the Beit HaMikdash."
Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler[10]"And
this thing is so much certain to one that thinks in depth about it, until it is impossible to understand how someone can argue
on it, and so was already mentioned in the words of many of the great scholars like the Ramchaland others, that the image
of Tzadikim is Hashemmay he be blessed, himself, and they are the same"
In 1951the seventh
Rebbeof Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson said a similar statement[11]regarding the practice by Hasidimto have a Rebbe
act as an intermediary with God on their behalf. He explained, "The Rebbe is completely connected with his Hasidim, not like
two separate things that connect, rather they become completely one. And the Rebbe is not an intermediary which separates
rather he is one that connects. Therefore by a Hassid, he with the Rebbe with God are all one...Therefore one can not ask
a question about an intermediary since this is the essence of God Himself, as He has clothed Himself in a human body"
_____________________________________________________________
In some contexts,
people refer specifically to the pious miracle-worker as a tzadik. According to the Baal Shem Tov (founder of Chasidism), it is said, this ability
is attainable for every Jew. It is told that he stated that every Jew has the power to cross a river atop a handkerchief,
through connecting with their soul (which is divine in origin).
Jewish
myth and legend...in eastern Europe at the end of the 18th century engendered a host of legends (circulated mainly through
chapbooks) concerning the lives, wise sayings, and miracles of tzaddiqim, or masters, such as Israel ben Eliezer, “the
Besht” (1700–60), and Dov Baer of Meseritz (died 1772). These tales, however, are anecdotes.
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries, Rymanów gained fame as a center of Chasidism. The first tsaddik of Rymanów, Menachem Mendel, said that tsaddikim
are "God's chariot". The Rymanów center became famous all over Podkarpacie, thanks in large part to the charisma of their
tsaddikim: Menachem Mendel, Cwi Hersz Cohen and Józef Friedman, known for his breadth of knowledge, as well as for his kindness
and helpfulness, also towards Catholics. The last tsaddik of Rymanów was rabbi Izaak Friedmann, the great-grandson of Jisroel
of Ruzyn, founder of the Sadogóra dynasty. After his death in 1929, the function of the tsaddik was combined with that of
rabbi, a position held at that time by Asher Horowitz, who was married to the daughter of rabbi Józef Friedman. All Rymanów's
tsaddikim were buried in the town's kirkut.
Of the early Hasidic
leaders, and after Baer's death he settled in Lizhensk, which subsequently became an important Hasidic centre. Elimelech emphasized
the importance of the leader (zaddik, meaning “righteous one”), who, he believed, is mediator between God and
the people and possesses authority not only in the spiritual sphere but in all areas of life.
Hasidism distorted by
Shabbetaianism: it puts the inspired leader—an indispensable guide and unquestioned authority endowed with supernatural
powers, the “just” (tzaddiq), the “miracle-working rabbi” (Wunder-rebbe)—at the centre of the
group's organization and religious life.
Elimelech
of Lizhensk 's affirmed belief Concerning Tzaddikism
Elimelech
of Lizhensk affirmed belief in Tzaddikism as a fundamental doctrine of Hasidism. In his book No'am Elimelekh he conveys the idea of the Tzadik ("righteous one") as the mediator between
God and the common people, and suggests that through him God sends to the faithful three earthly blessings: life, a livelihood,
and children, on the condition, however, that the Hasidim support the Tzaddik by pecuniary contributions ("pidyonos"), in
order to enable the holy man to become completely absorbed in the contemplation of God.
People
love to have a tzaddik among them, even though they may not really understand
the depth of the tzaddik’s practice and special needs. Listen,Divine One, you who maintain the G-dfield among
us: go and do your practice wherever you like. No one will stop you. (Genesis 23:6.) But it takes extraordinary humility and devotion to find a way
to establish a permanent union of Heaven and Earth in this world.
It
is tzaddikim establish Love here in the world of deceits. In order to
fulfill the role of a tzaddik, Avraham needed access to the gate of the dual realms (the
Cave of Machpelah). By way of the Cave of Machpelah, the tzaddik, as advocate of Love, can ascend to the upper realm, in order to “sweeten Judgment in its source above.”
The tzaddik accomplishes this by leaving the body below like a corpse
entombed in a cave, while the soul travels through the higher worlds, empowered by complete longing for the Shekhinah. After the ascent, the tzaddik’s soul returns to the body, bearing a new infusion of Divine Love. As a result of such intimate
knowledge of spiritual reality, a tzaddik sees through the deceits and feels compassion for all who
are lost in illusions.
This
teaching practically led to the contribution by the people of their last pennies toward the support of their tzaddik ("rebbe"),
and the tzaddik untiringly "poured forth blessings on the earth, healed the sick, cured women of sterility," etc. The vocation
of tzaddik was made hereditary. There was a multiplication of Hasidic dynasties contesting for supremacy.
(All
Stories are taken from sources quoted and do NOT appear in Noam Elimelech)
Uplifting
the Fallen Sparks & The Hidden Light in the Torah
Parshas
Bereshis: (4th piece)
“And Hashem said let there be Light,” We have to ask ourselves what was added by the fact that Hashem said
let there be light, what innovation does this introduce? Also we should strive to understand the meaning of the teaching of
our sages in the Midrash that, “At first Hashem thought to create the world through the attribute of strict justice.
However He saw that the world would not be able to continue existing in such a way so He contributed the attribute of mercy.”1 The earlier commentators have already explained that Heaven forbid the idea
that Hashem alters His deeds. The One true G-d whose simple unity is indivisible does not think one way in the beginning,
and later change his mind. Perish the thought!
We
shall attempt to explain all this by way of the verse “The spirit of Hashem was hovering above the waters.” The
holy writings (Usually this refers to the Kabalistic commentaries such as the Zohar, Arizal and others) explain that the letters
that spell the Hebrew word “hovering” MeRaCHeFeT, also spells RaPaCH MeT – 288 died. (The gematria numerology
of the 3 letters Rapach , Resh= 200, Peh =80, Chet=8 is a total of 288) This alludes to the 288 sparks of holiness that fell
to a lower spiritual state and were scattered during the shattering of the vessels.Our divine service is to rectify and elevate
these sparks.
The
shattering of the vessels is a Kabalistic teaching. During creation the sefirot (divine attributes) which are compared to
vessels were unable to contain the great awesome light of the Infinite and therefore shattered. The sparks of holiness from
that light were exiled and dispersed among all mundane physical matter. This created a state of imperfection and can only
be rectified by Tikun, effectively refining this material world and elevating the sparks back to their original source. Performing
the will of the Almighty through His holy Torah, and its commandments or Mitzvot which are actions performed in this physical
world elevates the sparks and rectifies the shattered vessels.
Now we will explain the meaning of “Elokim said – and Elokim saw the light and it was good.”
This is also puzzling, since we cannot say that Hashem only saw the light was good after its creation and not before, Heaven
forbid we should think such things about the Creator. Rather the root of the matter is that the speech of the Divine is ideal
and complete in all ways without any imperfections at all. There is nothing to rectify in His speech since all is perfect
and finely tuned.
We
see therefore that if Hashem had immediately said “Let there be light,” as soon as the 288 sparks had fallen,
all the light would have returned to its former state like before the shattering of the vessels. However this would defeat
the purpose of the creation since Hashem actively desires the service of the righteous Tzadikim. He wishes that they should be the ones to uplift and elevate the fallen sparks. If Hashem would
have spoken as we explained all would be rectified and there would be nothing for the Tzadikim to elevate. However if Hashem
did nothing at all, then the Tzadikim would also not be able to perform the Divine will as the sages teach “If not for
Hashem’s help we could never overcome the evil inclination.” Talmud tractate Succa 52a.
In
other words. The Divine Service is to elevate the fallen sparks. These are obscured and hidden in the physical reality of
this world. In order to find these sparks of light in the darkness of this world the Tzadik needs Hashem’s help and
guidance. This comes in the form of Torah which is a shining light from above. The Light of the Torah is like a beacon in
the darkness to show the Tzadik what to do. The performance of the Mitzvos are the actual deeds and actions that will elevate
these sparks back up to their source. The Yetzer Harah – the evil inclination tries to impede the Tzadik on his path
and that is why he requires Hashem’s help.
Hashem in his abundant mercy and lofty wisdom saw and gazed at the light, meaning the sparks thereby
helping the Tzadik so that he may be able to elevate them.
This then is the way we explain the verses “Elokim said” and “Elokim saw the light
and it was good.” If Hashem would have said let there be light and immediately there would have been light, meaning
that all the light would have returned to its former state before the shattering of the vessels as we explained above. If
Hashem would have spoken all would be rectified and there would be nothing for the Tzadikim to elevate. Hashem specifically
desires the service of the Tzadikim. * Therefore “He saw that the light was good” Hashem saw and gazed at the
light, in order to aid and assist the Tzadik so that he may be able to elevate the sparks as previously explained. This is
what the verse means when it says “was good” as the sages taught this refers to the Tzadik who is called good. This also explains the teachings of our sages that “Hashem hid this light
for the righteous in the future.”2 Meaning
that Hashem hid the light for these Tzadikim who would come in the future to elevate it.
“And Hashem called the light- day” this refers to the simple literal meaning of the text.
“and the darkness” this refers to all that remains to be rectified by the Tzadik but has not yet been set right.
All things that remain in disrepair are called darkness “and He called it night.” * G-d willing when the Messiah
shall arrive when all shall be repaired and rectified completely there will also be total unity. This is the meaning of the
next statement “And it was evening lit. Erev.” When the righteous Messiah will sprout and come forth the night
will become erev, meaning the darkness shall be sweetened as erev also means pleasing and sweet. This also alludes to the
holy Shechina, the divine presence that is to the west the Ma’arav, which has the same linguistic root as erev. By evening
time, the time of sweetening; the light will shine all will be restored and set right there will be complete unity as previously
existed before the shattering of the vessels. “and there was morning one day,” Everything will come together in unity and oneness then night will also be transformed
into day.
Now we can understand “At first Hashem thought to create the world through the attribute of strict justice.” The time before the spiritual
fall is called the realm of thought. There is no need for mercy in an abstract realm of thought therefore the attribute of
strict justice was absolute. * “However He saw
that the world would not be able to continue existing in such a way” meaning He saw the light and saw the need to help
the Tzadikim elevate the sparks back to their lofty place as discussed above. “So He contributed the attribute of mercy,”
to aid the righteous with his mercy to help overcome evil. Understand this well.
