(pl. tsaddikim; "righteous," "just," and "charitable"). An individual outstanding in piety and faith; later, a Ḥasidic rabbi.
In the Bible, a tsaddik is contrasted with a rasha (wicked man), as in Genesis 18:25, when Abraham tries to dissuade God from destroying the righteous of Sodom and Gomorrah together with the wicked. Although God Himself is described as a tsaddik in the Bible (e.g., Deut. 32:4; Jer. 12:1; Ps. 11:7), the term usually denotes one who imitates God by embodying the ideal type of religious morality. The prophet Habakkuk says, "The righteous man is rewarded with life for his fidelity" (2:4), while Isaiah envisions the Jewish people as righteous at the End of Days and thereby fit to reclaim their ancient homeland for all time (60:21).
The rabbis employed the term for one whose prayers are so fervent and sincere as to have the power to avert Divinely decreed disasters (MK 16b). The Talmud notes that the world rests upon the righteousness of 36 tsaddikim without whom it would collapse (see Lamed Vav Tsaddikim). Several figures from Scripture are deemed by the rabbis to have been tsaddikim and are so entitled whenever mentioned: Noah, Joseph, Samuel, Mordecai, and Esther (tsaddikah).
The kabbalists imbued the tsaddik with Divine power (including clairvoyance) and ascribed to him the role of intercessor between God and the Jewish people. Following this tradition, Ḥasidim crowned their charismatic dynastic leaders with this title, regarding them as the channel through which the Divine was communicated to the common people and ascribing supernatural powers to them. They were regularly visited by their followers, who sought saintly advice and segullot (formulae for success or recovery from illness) and would in return make donations to charity or contribute to the tsaddik's personal income. Some lived in opulence; other restricted themselves to a simple life, characterized by charitable acts. In general, the title was hereditary. In modern Ḥasidic communities, the title has been generally replaced by the Yiddish Rebbe ("Rabbi"), with the exception of those living in Israel, who refer to their leaders as Admor, a Hebrew acrostic for "our lord, our teacher, and our rabbi."
