Eliais
New Member
Where can I find a modern day Tzaddikim? Eliais...
Tzaddikim
- Thread starter Eliais
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Hi Eliais, and welcome to the comparative-religion.com forum!
As for your question - it's a little above myself, but I would imagine that any reliable answer will likely be on the lines of: "You do not find a modern-day Tzaddikim - a modern-day Tzaddikim finds you."
If you accept their existence then I also somehow doubt that anyone will ever address themselves as, or claim to be openly, a Tzaddikim - excepting the delusional or fraudulent.
Let's face it, if anything else were the case, the Tzaddikim would have been long rounded up into Aushtwitz.
As for your question - it's a little above myself, but I would imagine that any reliable answer will likely be on the lines of: "You do not find a modern-day Tzaddikim - a modern-day Tzaddikim finds you."
If you accept their existence then I also somehow doubt that anyone will ever address themselves as, or claim to be openly, a Tzaddikim - excepting the delusional or fraudulent.
Let's face it, if anything else were the case, the Tzaddikim would have been long rounded up into Aushtwitz.
bananabrain
awkward squadnik
firstly "tzaddikim" is a plural. one tzadik, many tzaddikim. might i ask what you mean by a modern-day one? because i know personally at least a couple of people i'd call "tzaddikim" - unless you mean one of the 'hidden 36', in which case nobody knows who they are. that's the thing about being hidden. obviously there are a lot of people who are generally considered to be tzaddikim, like the various chasidic rebbes or rav kadourie, but whether they are in that particular group nobody is going to be able to tell anyone for sure - it's not like you get a badge.
b'shalom
bananabrain
b'shalom
bananabrain
Apologies for that - glad to be corrected. 
I'm curious - what would make a person eligible to be even have the title suggested on them? Is is an issue of personality, of specific interpretations of the Law, or a combinations of other factors?
I presume that the 36 Tzaddikim are supposed to watch over humanity and guide it - or is their role very culture specific?
I'm curious - what would make a person eligible to be even have the title suggested on them? Is is an issue of personality, of specific interpretations of the Law, or a combinations of other factors?
I presume that the 36 Tzaddikim are supposed to watch over humanity and guide it - or is their role very culture specific?
Eliais
New Member
Well then,may one of the 36 find me.. Is it possiable that one may know? And if not, is there any Bibical referance that says one does or does not know that he is one?
bananabrain
awkward squadnik
hmm
the original source is Talmudic i believe - "Abaye said: There are no less than 36 righteous people who greet the Divine Presence on a daily basis." (BT Succah 45b) - this is thought to refer to the 36 so-called tzaddikim who exist in every generation. similarly, it is linked to the numeric value of the word "ayecha" ("where are you?") from the garden of eden story in bereishit as well as loads of other stuff. most authorities agree that these righteous people are from all cultures, not just jews. and obviously you don't need to know you're a tzadik to behave like one. sometimes it might even be a hindrance to know it, i dare say. either way a tzadik is defined for these purposes as a person who is *completely* righteous, behaves in the best possible manner a human can behave and acts to uplift the whole of humanity. now, according to some, this might qualify someone like gandhi, or mother teresa, or whoever. the point is that it's a mystical idea and not your everyday stuff. from my PoV it's much more important to get on and live your life the best way you can rather than running around the world chasing after stuff like this.
b'shalom
bananabrain
the original source is Talmudic i believe - "Abaye said: There are no less than 36 righteous people who greet the Divine Presence on a daily basis." (BT Succah 45b) - this is thought to refer to the 36 so-called tzaddikim who exist in every generation. similarly, it is linked to the numeric value of the word "ayecha" ("where are you?") from the garden of eden story in bereishit as well as loads of other stuff. most authorities agree that these righteous people are from all cultures, not just jews. and obviously you don't need to know you're a tzadik to behave like one. sometimes it might even be a hindrance to know it, i dare say. either way a tzadik is defined for these purposes as a person who is *completely* righteous, behaves in the best possible manner a human can behave and acts to uplift the whole of humanity. now, according to some, this might qualify someone like gandhi, or mother teresa, or whoever. the point is that it's a mystical idea and not your everyday stuff. from my PoV it's much more important to get on and live your life the best way you can rather than running around the world chasing after stuff like this.
there's no halachic process that i am aware of that can certify someone as one of the 36, as opposed to that for a prophet or the Moshiach. i think it's a matter of "we'll know them when we see them" - and the 'we' does not include the man in the pub, if you see what i mean.
their role is to be what they are. they are examples of what humanity can be, not guides. judaism is all about taking *responsibility* for one's behaviour and actions, not sitting around waiting for a message from the Divine or a saintly intermediary. i don't even consider them as "watching over humanity" or even as aware of their 'brief' - they just do what they do and we can be aware that they exist and try to emulate them in how we believe they would behave - but trying to run around the place identifying them or asking for their blessing or something would be a complete misinterpretation of their function - not to mention an egotistical waste of time somewhat akin to meeting a pop star and asking for their autograph.
b'shalom
bananabrain