The Role of the Tzaddik
A thought on Parashas Ekev
Many years ago I was invited to an event commemorating the yahrzeit of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. During the event, a few prominent Breslover leaders spoke about the beauty of Breslov etc... One of them said something, which really turned me off from Breslov and Chassidus for some time. He was explaining that one has to daven to the tzaddik and the tzaddik will then beseech on our behalf to Hashem. This bothered me quite a bit, as I was raised with the understanding that Judaism is monotheistic and there is nothing in the way between us and Hashem. To turn the tzaddik into God, so much so that we are praying to him, did not sit right with me.
Perhaps, I misunderstood the message.
In Parashas Ekev, Moshe Rabbeinu tells us of his efforts to defend the Jewish people.
Moshe tells us that it is imperative to remember Hashem, and that we must remember that all that we have is from Hashem. If we were to forget Hashem, we would perish like all the other nations that have come and gone.
Moshe elaborates that he went up Har Sinai to receive the luchos and stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, not eating bread nor drinking water. Yet, upon seeing the golden calf, he flung the luchos down and smashed them to pieces.
Moshe explains that at this moment, Hashem wanted to destroy the Jewish people and make a new people from the descendants of Moshe. Moshe proceeded to beseech Hashem for mercy, not eating bread nor drinking water again for another forty days and forty nights.
Moshe then relates how Hashem accepted his tefillos and gave him instructions regarding the second luchos.
We see clearly that the intercession of Moshe Rabbeinu on behalf of the Jewish people, saved us from certain extinction.
Reading the parashah, I began to reconsider those doubts I had many years ago about the role of the tzaddik.
A bit later in the parashah, Moshe teaches us:
אֶת ה’ אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ תִּירָ֖א אֹת֣וֹ תַעֲבֹ֑ד וּב֣וֹ תִדְבָּ֔ק וּבִשְׁמ֖וֹ תִּשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃
You must revere Hashem: only your God shall you worship, to [God] shall you hold fast, and by God’s name shall you swear.
This idea of clinging to Hashem is repeated at the end of the parashah, Moshe tells us :
כִּי֩ אִם־שָׁמֹ֨ר תִּשְׁמְר֜וּן אֶת־כׇּל־הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֗את אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם לַעֲשֹׂתָ֑הּ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם לָלֶ֥כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָ֖יו וּלְדׇבְקָה־בֽוֹ׃
If, then, you faithfully keep all this Instruction that I command you, loving your God, walking in all God’s ways, and holding fast to [God], Hashem will dislodge before you all these nations: you will dispossess nations greater and more numerous than you. Every spot on which your foot treads shall be yours; your territory shall extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River—the Euphrates—to the Mediterranean Sea.
Interestingly, the Rambam1 explains that this mitzvah of clinging to Hashem is manifested by being close to Talmidei Chachamim. The Ramban2 though explains that this is a mitzvah which only applies to special individuals who are on a level of complete dedication to Hashem.
Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in his monumental sefer, Meshech Chochma3, takes a third approach that this mitzvah is actually incumbent upon every Jew and it entails the mitzvah to have bitachon in Hashem.
When I think about a tzaddik defending the Jewish people, I think of the “Seneigor of Klal Yisroel” Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. There are many stories of the Berditchever beseeching Hashem to have mercy on His people, including his famous Kaddish and Din Torah with Hashem.
This is a common theme in the Kedushas Levi, in Bamidbar4 Moshe said to Hashem,
יִפְקֹ֣ד ה' אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָרוּחֹ֖ת לְכׇל־בָּשָׂ֑ר אִ֖ישׁ עַל־הָעֵדָֽה׃
Let Hashem Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community
The Kedushas Levi explains that Moshe said to Hashem, just like You are the Creator of all that breathes and You find their merits, so too there should always be a leader for the Jewish people who will find the merits of the People.
As we see by Noach, the leader needs to be aware of his position. The Kedushas Levi explains that Noach did not see himself as a tzaddik, therefore he thought that if he will be saved by the Teivah, everyone else will also, and so he did not pray for his generation.
This idea is expressed also by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov5. He explains that every single person needs to find the good elements within themselves and only then can they be Shaliach Tzibbur. To understand that they are taking all the nekudot tovot that they have gathered by judging themselves favorably and raising them up a level in the eyes of Hashem.
Lest, we think that this is purely a chassidic idea, let us take a look at a few more sources.
The Gemara6 teaches:
Rav Yehuda bar Sheila said that Rabbi Asi said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There are six matters a person enjoys the profits of in this world, and nevertheless the principal exists for him for the World-to-Come, and they are: Hospitality toward guests, and visiting the sick, and consideration during prayer, and rising early to the study hall, and one who raises his sons to engage in Torah study, and one who judges another favorably, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Rashi explains that judging another favorably is included in bringing peace between friends. When one understands that the wrongdoings of another may have been a mistake or had the best of intentions, he has peace with them. This mitzvah of judging another favorably is included in the mitzvah of V’ahavta LeReyacha Kamocha7.
We find similarly in Sefer Shoftim, that Hashem told Gideon to save the Jewish people from the Midianites in the merit of his defending the people8.
The Ridbaz9 writes that Hashem does not want to hear prosecuting statements about His people, rather He only wants to hear their merits. He also wants the tzaddik to daven for the generation, like Avraham Avinu did.
We see clearly that the role of the tzaddik from Noach to Avraham, Moshe to Gideon and all through the generations is to believe in themselves and the power of our people. They should elevate us in the eyes of Hashem and thereby act as a defender for the people.
With this explanation, perhaps we can understand that the Rambam, Ramban and Meshech Chochma are all saying the same thing. Of course, we have a mitzvah to only trust in Hashem and to daven to Hashem, as the Meshech Chochma explained. Yet, as the Ramban taught, the tzaddik has a more unique role to look out for the needs of the people, as he is more connected to Hashem. He should use that relationship for the benefit of all the people.
And for the rest of us, it is an imperative to follow in the ways of the tzaddikim as they teach us the Mesorah and Derech Hashem, as explained by the Rambam.
Rav Kook famously exclaimed10 that the schools of thought of both the Chassidim and the Misnagdim are rooted in the thought of the Maharal. The Maharal in the introduction to his sefer Netzach Yisrael, writes: I call this Netzach Yisrael as Hashem gave Klal Yisrael the blessing of eternity, and no matter how difficult the galus is, we will never perish.
When we view the tzaddik favorably as a conduit between us and Hashem, we can then live up to the mission of the eternal people with true everlasting peace amongst us, as well as between us and our Creator.
Dedicated in honor of my wife, Chedva, in honor of our 11th anniversary and in gratitude for her constant encouragement with my writings and everything else…
Sefer Hamitzvos, Mitzvos Aseh 6
Hasagos on Sefer Hamitzvos, Mitzvah 7
Devarim 10;20
27,16
Likutei Moharan 282
Shabbos 127a
S’mak, see Rabbeinu Peretz on S’mak
Rashi - Shoftim 6;13-14
Shu’t Ridbaz Volume 6, Siman 2
Quoted by Rav Avraham Ovadia in Ha’Ari She’B’Chachmei Prague pg 11 in the name of Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap. See also Rav Dovid Cohen - HaNazir in Kol HaNevuah pg 178