The Tzaddik Factor
Before the Bible can be properly grasped there are some hidden matters that need to be understood. We are prone to projecting our knowledge of ourselves and the people we know in our lives upon the major people mentioned in the Bible. That is a mistake. Men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses as well as women like Sarah, Rivka, Rachael and Leah were in no way “people just like us” who just happened to live thousands of years ago. They, rather, were Tzaddikim - perfectly righteous, Holy individuals in all their deeds, speech and thoughts even if and when the Bible makes seemingly derogatory comments about them.
The Hebrew word Tzaddikim is the plural for Tzaddik. But what is a Tzaddik? Can anyone become one? Is there something uniquely special about a Tzaddik? Let us learn.
We have all seen or heard of people who are 100% motivated, -morning, noon and night- to get rich. Similarly for those who pursue fame, power, lust gratification and other worldly pleasures. All of these share a common thread - they are serving solely themselves. With the same ferocity (if not obsession) that one can waste one’s life as a slave to pursuing these worldly matters…the free will we posses can also be directed and harnessed to solely serving God. One’s life can be 100% dedicated to God in every thought, speech and deed. Such an individual would never hop down to the local pizza shop for a yummy treat. In fact a Tzaddik has no desire for… nor any sense of gratification from… anything physical whatsoever! The Tzaddik eats solely to give the body fuel. He is above tastiness and succulent cuisine. The pleasure that most of us find in food is found, rather, in Godly matters for the Tzaddik.
Becoming a Tzaddik entails a life journey that very few travel. It can be compared to climbing a spiritual mountain of self discipline and dedication to God to such an extent that the “I” of God takes 100% precedence over the “I” of self in every thought, speech and deed of the Tzaddik. With the same overwhelming and consuming ferocity that man pursues wealth and similar matters of self aggrandizement…one can similarly harness one’s will to seek and acquire knowledge of God and achieve thereby a 100% personal perfection of service to Him.
It is known from the teachings of Chassidus that each Jew has an Animal Soul and a Divine Soul. The Animal Soul is that inner tendency we possess to seek worldly pleasures and even to partake of what God forbids, Heaven forefend.
The Divine Soul is that inner tendency to want to do solely what God instructs in the Torah. As humans our daily lives are a constant battleground for these two tendencies. This battle between these two diametrically opposed purposes, I.e. serving self or serving God… goes from the lowest levels in our lives to the highest and most subtle levels in our lives. Here are some examples of how this works. Keep in mind that every level from lowest to highest has the existence of free choice as its operative circumstance.
Low Levels
It is forbidden to murder by God. For most of us this is not even a realistic free choice test. We would never even entertain the thought of yet alone speak about seriously and certainly not act upon committing a murder. But for some people… indifferent to God’s Will… murder is a viable, free choice option in their life’s situation.
For a Torah observant Jew violating the Sabbath is similarly also not a test. Yet there are some Jews indifferent to God’s Commandment to keep the Sabbath.
Mid Levels
Most of us fall into this middle category. We see a needy soul with a tin cup and we struggle inside whether to give a coin or two as we pass by. If we give we fulfill the Godly Will of giving charity to the needy. If we restrain we demonstrate our indifference to the needs of others and self centeredness.
High Levels
Imagine a Jew who is extremely meticulous in fulfilling every Bible Commandment in the most proper and beautiful way possible. He would never watch TV as that would be time wasted that could have been better spent studying Torah and searching his soul as to how he could serve God even better. For such a Jew his free choice struggle between both Souls exists on the level of whether he will sleep (being a pleasurable experience) 4 or 6 hours that night. Time wasted by sleeping is time robbed from serving God through Torah study at his high level.
The Tzaddik Level
Even at this exalted level there are lower Tzaddikim and higher Tzaddikim. Their service to God would astound most of us beyond belief. Every thought, spoken word and even gesture that they think, say and do has a contemplated and God serving purpose.
In every Jewish generation there is the single and highest Tzaddik. His years of perfecting himself in service to God results in a dramatic inner Spiritual change. His Animal Soul has become vanquished and transformed into a second Divine Soul. This results in that Tzaddik being given a unique Light and Knowing.
This Divinely bestowed Light allows that Tzaddik to have consciousness of matters literally anywhere in the universe. That Tzaddik while physically based, let us say, in New York City would know of matters (down to the minutest and even most hidden details) in South Africa, Hawai and Siberia etc. as well as on Pluto, Jupiter and even distant galaxies! Far fetched you suspect? We shall see.
The Divinely bestowed Knowing is (from our perspective) what we call Biblical Prophecy. But amazingly even more is granted to the Tzaddik as reward for his 100% unblemished dedication to God.
Having no “I” of self the Tzaddik is a channel for Divine Flow into this world. All the Jewish Patriarchs and Moses were the paramount Tzaddikim of their day. But Moses is the one who’s life reveals astounding facts about Tzaddikim.
It states in the Talmud that a Tzaddik decrees and Heaven fulfills. That should not be misunderstood as that God takes orders from any Tzaddik…Heaven forefend! But rather that God’s Purpose, Will and Wisdom is one with the Tzaddik’s purpose (because the Tzaddik is way above and beyond even the possibility of there being any self serving personal agenda.)
Ponder this…in each of the ten Plagues that befell Egypt:- Moses was directly or indirectly involved!
Moses asked Pharaoh when he would like such and such a plague terminated and Pharaoh answers “Tomorrow.” Moses goes to pray to God and God fulfills Moses’ request to stop that plague tomorrow!
One entirely perfected (and way above Saintly) Jew fells the geopolitical superpower of his day, the Egyptian Empire! That is the hidden secret of Divine Empowerment of the paramount Tzaddik of the generation as we can now readily see from the Exodus narrative.
It is known from Judaism’s Kaballah that there is an extension of the Soul of Moses in every subsequent Jewish generation. Tzaddikim have affected the destiny of Gentile empires since day one. Joseph’s gift of Prophecy to grasp the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams allowed Joseph to inform Pharaoh that a period of plenty followed by a period of famine was to occur to Egypt. Also conveyed was that the pending years of famine would consume the plenty unless plans were enacted to store grain. When Pharaoh was grateful to Joseph for his accurate advice and counsel Pharaoh appointed Joseph Viceroy over Egypt. The merit of Joseph and his father, Jacob, literally saved Egypt from the Divine Decree of the pending famine. That famine was destined to last for 42 years not 7 years! Joseph’s prayers tempered God’s Decree against Egypt and the 43 year decree of famine was reduced to a survivable 7 year famine.
But when Egypt’s subsequent Pharaoh turned against the Jews in Goshen Moses was Divinely Empowered to fell Egypt for its wickedness. What is our lesson here? The Tzaddik is intimately involved with God in determining the fate of the world’s nations since day one.
Furthermore the Divine Empowerment of the Tzaddik is not limited to just the fate of nations. Read this regarding Joshua:-
Joshua 10
12 ¶ Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon;
and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aj'alon
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed
until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies…
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Who stopped the sun? Was it God alone? Or was it God hearkening to the words of the Tzaddik, Joshua?
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14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man [to stop the sun]: for the LORD fought for Israel.
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It is well known in the Chabad Lubavitch community that the first Rebbe of Chabad (called the Alter [old] Rebbe) was instrumental in the defeat of Napoleon.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=1155
Judaism’s King Messiah is unique amongst all prior Tzaddikim. He inherit’s the merit of all of them. Their collective merits and Empowerments become his.
For this reason we find stated as Torah Law by Maimonides:-
He (Judaism’s King Messiah) will rule from sea to sea.
His rulership as the ultimate Tzaddik will not be anywhere even remotely comparable to any prior Jewish ruler. Even Kings David and Solomon did not rule the entire world.
Judaism’s King Messiah will rule the globe with the willing agreement of the vast, vast majority of those left standing after “the day of the Lord“ wreaks Judgment upon the evil doers… when humanity will be rid of those who’s existence cannot be elevated to Holiness.
Some…a very few...will yet still resist. Their rain will be terminated until they agree to serve the only God in existence, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Rabbi Moshe Yess
