Tzadik (Hebrew: צַדִּיק ṣaddīq pronounced as /he/, "righteous [one]"; also zadik or sadiq; pl. tzadikim pronounced as /he/ ṣadīqīm) is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q (tsedek), which means "justice" or "righteousness".[1] When applied to a righteous woman, the term is inflected as tzadeket/tzidkaniot.
Tzadik is also the root of the word tzedakah ('charity', literally 'righteousness'). The term tzadik "righteous", and its associated meanings, developed in rabbinic thought from its Talmudic contrast with hasid ("pious" honorific), to its exploration in ethical literature, and its esoteric spiritualisation in Kabbalah.
Since the late 17th century, in Hasidic Judaism, the institution of the mystical tzadik as a divine channel assumed central importance, combining popularization of (hands-on) Jewish mysticism with social movement for the first time.[2] Adapting former Kabbalistic theosophical terminology, Hasidic philosophy internalised mystical experience, emphasising devekut attachment to its Rebbe leadership, who embody and channel the Divine flow of blessing to the world.[3]
Ṣedeq in Canaanite religion may have been an epithet of a god of the Jebusites.[4] The Hebrew word appears in the biblical names Melchizedek, Adonizedek, and Zadok, the high priest of David.
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".[5]
According to Shneur Zalman of Liadi's Tanya, a work of Hasidic Judaism, the true title of tzadik denotes a spiritual description of the soul. Its true meaning can only be applied to one who has completely sublimated their natural "animal" or "vital" soul inclinations into holiness, so that they experience only love and awe of God, without material temptations. Hence, a tzadik serves as a vehicle (מרכבה merkavah)[6] to God and has no ego or self-consciousness. Note that a person cannot attain such a level, rather it is granted from on High (or born with, etc.).[7] This select level elevates the "Intermediate" person (beinoni) into one who never sins in thought, speech or action. Unlike the Tzadik, they only experience divine devekut (communion) during devoted moments of worship or study, while in mundane life they can be tempted by natural inclinations, but always choose to stay connected to holiness. In the Tanya[8] the difference between the former Talmudic-Maimonidean and latter Kabbalistic-Hasidic conceptions is raised. Since the "Torah has 70 facets" of interpretation, perhaps both conceptions are metaphysically true:
The Talmud says that at least 36 Tzadikim Nistarim (anonymous tzadikim) are living among us in all times;[9] they are anonymous, and it is for their sake alone that the world is not destroyed.[10] The Talmud and the Kabbalah offer various ideas about the nature and role of these 36 tzadikim. In Jewish folklore they are called lamedvovniks, from the gematria numerical value for 36. In Hasidic Judaism, with its social institution of the Tzadik in the central role of the community, the 36 may not necessarily be unknown, therefore. However, a Hasidic aphorism describes a known Rebbe Tzadik as being among the 36, as their true greatness could be concealed beyond the perception of their devoted followers.
See main article: Messiah in Judaism. Hasidim adhere to the belief that there is a person born each generation with the potential to become Messiah, if the Jewish people warrant his coming. This candidate is known as the Tzadik Ha-Dor, meaning Tzaddik of the Generation.
See also: Baal Shem and Practical Kabbalah. While 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."[11]
In some contexts, people refer specifically to the pious miracle worker as a tzadik. In Hasidism, the doctrine of "Practical Tzadikism", developed by Elimelech of Lizhensk, involved the Tzadik performing miracles to channel the Ayin-Yesh Divine blessing. In its most extreme version, Hasidic "wonder-workers", predominant in 19th century Poland, emphasised this conception, sometimes criticised by other Hasidic leaders as superficial. To Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, and his reaction against Popular Tzadikism, the greatest miracle was to examine oneself without self-delusion.
Based on the teachings of Isaac Luria, the Baal Shem Tov and the Chaim ibn Attar, 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.
According to Kabbalah, a tzadik, because they have completely nullified themselves and their desires to what God wants, their Godly soul (which like every Godly soul is part of God) is revealed within them more than other people who have not completely nullified themselves to God.This concept is based upon many Jewish sources. Here are some:
The veneration of tzadikim and the veneration of prophets and other figures from the Torah, Bible, and Quran overlapped significantly, as did the veneration of figures from one religion by other local religions. Certain theological concepts overlapped as well. In the Medieval Muslim worldview, places like Egypt, al-Shām (especially Syria), and Karbala were holy or blessed land, though not necessarily as much as Mecca, Medinah, and Jerusalem. Jews never regarded other cities as sacred as Jerusalem, but lands like Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were also seen holy. A more specific location often became holy when someone saw a prophet or saint in a vision and was told to build a shrine. The prophet or saint made the place holy, but their granting of holiness was limited. The holiness was perpetuated via ritual behaviors such as prayer, supplication, votive offerings, sprinkling perfume and water, laying on the shrines and tombs, living in them, circumambulation, touching, and taking soil and rocks away that were thought to heal through baraka. These actions marked the sites associated with saints and prophets as separate from their surroundings. Sites that were destroyed and never rebuilt were seen as having lost favor with God, the prophets, and the saints. Sites also became holy due to their place in scripture, eschatological tradition, legends, local performance of ritual, the import/export of sacred objects and substances, and the production and display of talismans. Saint and prophet shrines were more common in cities, but plenty have been recorded in rural areas.
Saints and prophets in the view of Medieval Jews and Muslims possessed baraka (which can be translated as "blessing"), an innate force which was also conferred into objects they'd used or places they'd been, both of which are very important to saint veneration. Jews also use the word qadosh ("holiness") in the same context. In both religions, God is the ultimate source of holiness, and holiness comes from being or having been in service of God.
Holy places, particularly the shrines and tombs associated with saints and prophets, were associated with supernatural sensory phenomena, particularly in the pre-modern era. This includes unnatural lights descending to holy sites or emanating from them, visions, unexplained pleasant smells, and clouds ascending from shrines or hovering over them. Both Jews and Muslims also said that a shrine of a prophet or saint would evoke a feeling of awe or holiness.
In Egypt, Jewish saint veneration is not often a topic of research and is not prominently practiced today, though a number of Egyptian saints are said to be Jews who converted to Islam. There are three Jewish mausoleums in Egypt currently associated with the practice: Maimondes' tomb in Musky, Cairo; Sidi al-Amshati's tomb in El-Mahalla El-Kubra in Gharbia, which has not hosted any celebrations for some time; and Hatsera's mausoleum near Damanhur in Beheria. The Synagogue of Moses at Dammuh was also well regarded as a holy pilgrimage site, and in the Medieval era, many shrines to Elijah existed. Such shrines commemorated the various places Elijah had taken refuge from King Ahab in.
Hatsera was a Moroccan rabbi who died in Egypt while on pilgrimage, and was subsequently buried in Egypt. His tomb has been taken care of by Muslim Egyptians for many years, though it and it's pilgrimage has become a contentious legal and political issue. The tomb sits on a hill, and all hilltop tombs in Egypt are believed to protect surrounding villages from floods. Many locals mistakenly believe he was Muslim, or do not know what religion he was. A few even believe he was a Christian from the Pre-Islamic era. The local Muslim villagers often visit his tomb for healing, protection from the evil eye, or before Friday prayers. 89 other Jewish graves surround Hatsera's tomb.
In the anniversary of Hatsera's death, pilgrims come on a hillūla journey, mostly from Morocco and France. A market pops up, and pilgrims gather in the tomb to pray, ask for blessings, and place items on the grave in hopes they'll be blessed. After the prayers, a meal is held. A rabbi and one of Hatsera's descendants are typically in attendance.
Many Egyptians do not distinguish between saints of different religions, and simply rank them. First are the family of Mohammed, then the Companions, the martyrs, holy men, and lastly, local saints who are not well known outside their villages.
In Iraq, Muslims and Jews served alongside each other as keeps of shrines associated with saints and prophets.
Among the tombs and shrines frequented by Jews in Iraq are the shrine of Ezekiel and the tomb of Ezra (in the 11th century said to be surround by the graves of seven tzadikim).
In Lebanon, Karak Nuh hosts a tomb thought to be that of Noah, an identification dating back to the Medieval era.
In Morocco, emphasis has been put on saint veneration's similarities between Jewish and Muslim communities to different political ends. While these practices are indeed similar, and saints may be shared between communities, certain elements are uniquely Jewish. Saints and their icons are often likened to Torah scrolls and are physically treated in similar ways- the tomb of a saint is like a Torah's ark, and the frames of icons are made with similar materials to Torah mantles. Pilgrimages also borrow elements from Torah services.[22] Annual Jewish pilgrimages to tzadik's tombs were called hillūla, meaning celebration.
Both Jews and Muslims held communal meals in the tomb sanctuary. Both attributed saints with the power to heal, do miracles, control nature, perform spiritual and ritual healing via trance, and control jinn. Tzadikim were also attributed to swnd messages in dreams, spirit forms, and while transformed into animals. Some of these traits are also similar to Christian saints, which likely influenced Iberian Judaism and was brought to Morocco by the explusion of Jews from Spain.
The differences between the traditions include the fact that Muslim marabouts were recognized while alive, and were commonly related to, or were students or followers of, other holy figures. Tzadikim typically did not come from such holy lineages and were recognized after their deaths. Marabouts also often joined or were said to join anti-colonial resistance groups, while tzadikim did not.
Tzadikim in Morocco are typically Torah scholars, miracle workers, and divine mediators. Stories and poems written about them are done in the same style and tradition as other Rabbinic literature. They were usually Rabbis, which is not uncommon in the Jewish tzadik tradition. Many saints in both Judaism and Islam were localized and only worshipped in specific areas. Others gained widespread recognition. Jews believed their saints to be superior to Muslim saints, and sometimes viewed the Muslim worship and serving of the tzadikim as evidence of this.[23]
The similarities of Moroccan Jewish and Muslim practices, including saint veneration, were used by colonial European powers to claim Morocco was unified and consisted of a distinct nation, but that Moroccans were not sufficiently united to resist imperialism. Today, these similarities are used to emphasize and display tolerance of religious minorities. In the colonial era, these overlaps and similarities led to positive economic relations in regard to saint veneration. The infrastructure introduced during colonialism increased the number of pilgrims for everyone, which increased their economies and the logistics for organizing them. The festive nature of Jewish pilgrimages in Morocco also increased during this time. Muslims often did the upkeep and protection of tombs, as the sultan would appoint them to protect the cemeteries of dhimmis. Today the government of Morocco continues to upkeep tombs and help organize and facilitate pilgrimages.
In Palestine, the sites associated with tzadikim and other holy figures have become politically contentious. These sites were once frequented by all religions in the area, with varying personal beliefs about who was buried there, but following the creation and expansion of the Israeli state, Palestinians, whether they are Muslim or otherwise, have often been banned from these sites. As such these sites are often at the center of violence. They have been used to justify Israeli settlements in the West Bank, hundreds of Israeli military personnel being deployed as escorts, military installations, and even the destruction of towns.[24] In one instance, an Israeli killed Palestinians in the Cave of the Patriarchs and has in turn been venerated by some.[25]
In Damascus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians would visit the same tomb of a medieval Muslim saint, a sharing of holiness that was once common throughout Muslim majority countries.
Both the Medieval Jews and Muslims of Damascus believed the city would be the site of the coming of the Messiah at the end of time. Many sites in the city were given specific future roles in this, as well as being associated with various holy figures such as Abraham and Noah.
Some of the holy sites frequented by Jews in Syria throughout history include the Synagogue of Elijah in Damascus (which contained a shrine dedicated to Elijah as well), another shrine dedicated to Elijah in Jawbar, east of Damascus, the propurted Tomb of Ezra in Taduf near Aleppo, the shrine of Abraham in Kefar Avaraham (aka Barza) near Damascus, and several other shrines dedicated to Elijah throughout Syria. Abraham has been associated with Damascus as far back as Josephus's writings, who recorded the belief that he had ruled Damascus as a king during some of his life.
"..For all that is in Heaven and on Earth.."[26]In the system of 10 Sephirot Divine emanations in Kabbalah, each of the 7 emotional expressions is related to an archetypal figure in the Hebrew Bible. The first emanated realm to emerge from God's potential Will in Creation is Atziluth, the World of "Emanation". As it is still nullified to Divinity, so not yet considered a self-aware existence, it is the realm where the 10 Sephirot attributes of God are revealed in their essence. In lower spiritual worlds the sephirot also shine, but only in successively lower degrees, concealed through successive contractions and veilings of the Divine vitality. Seven biblical tzadikim, righteous figures are considered as embodiments of the emotional sephirot of Atzilut: Abraham-Kindness, Isaac-Restraint, Jacob-Mercy, Moses-Endurance, Aaron-Glory, Joseph-Foundation, David-Kingship. While all seven figures are considered supreme Tzadikim, in particular contexts, either Joseph as Yesod, and Moses as inclusive soul of the community, are identified especially as archetypes for the Tzadik in general.
"-For all כל (Yesod) joins the Heaven and the Earth"[27]
"The Tzadik is the foundation (Yesod) of the World"[28]
In the sephirot, Chesed-Abraham, Gevurah-Isaac and Tiferet-Jacob are higher spiritual powers than Yesod-Joseph, which channels the higher powers to their fulfilment in Malchut action. However, traditionally in Judaism, Joseph is referred to with the quality of "Tzadik-Righteous". While the Patriarchs lived righteously as shepherds, Joseph remained holy in Egypt, surrounded by impurity, tested by Potiphar's wife, captive in prison, and then active as viceroy to Pharaoh. As the Heavenly sephirah of Yesod-"Foundation" channels spirituality to our physical realm, so in Kabbalah and the further development in Hasidic thought, its function also parallels the human role of the Tzadik in this world:
"..To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him.."[30]
"Cleaving to a Torah scholar is as cleaving to the Divine Shechinah"[31]
The leaders of Israel over the masses stem from the intellect of Adam's soul[32]
"In every generation there is a leader like Moses"
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explained how only a true leader can awaken the most genuine Jewish faith: this leader is the Tzadik.
See also: Ayin and Yesh.