Tzadikim

Kabbalah teaches us that when a righteous person, a Tzadik, passes away, his soul ascends to heaven but a small part of his low level of the soul stays in the burial site. This place is called ‘Tziyoon’, which means ‘a mark’. The burial place of a Tzadik is a spiritual mark which channels to the upper levels. Because of that, we can use the Tzadik and his merits as a chariot for our prayers.

Rabbi Chaim Vital, the main student of the Holy Ari, writes in the book “Gate of reincarnation”, “Shaar HaGilgulim”. "It is good to visit the graves of Tzadikim and pray there”. Prayers at the Tziyoon (marked place) of a Tzadik is received better in Heaven; because the merit of the Tzadik helps elevate our prayers.

Rabbi Avraham Azulai in his book Chessed L’Avraham tells us that looking on holy things, adds power to our souls.

The best days to visit Tzadikim, is on the 15th and the 29th day of the Hebrew month. This is the time that the soul of the Tzadik is in full presence at the site. We don’t go during the month of Nisan except to Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes, and other great tzadikim that their Tsiyoon is not inside a cemetery.

Before arriving to the Tsiyoon of the Tzadik, we should learn as much as we can about him. When we arrive to the location, we take a few moments to read the tombstone. Then surround the stone seven times and each time we recite one line of the Ana B’Koach. With this process we create elevation that helps us connect to the Tzadik.

After that, we recite Psalms 29 that mentions seven ‘voices’. It creates another level of elevation, and now we are ready to make connection to the Tzadik.

Then we place our left hand on the stone, and if possible put our head on the hand and make our prayers. It’s better to use a piece of cloth when touching the stone, especially for women. They need extra restriction because they may not be 100% pure.

Lighting candles next to the Tzadik should be only in a place dedicated for it. Placing candles directly on the stone leaves messy wax and burning marks. It’s a show of disrespect to the Tzadik.

When we are not by the Tsiyoon of the Tzadik we light a candle for his soul, while saying his name and declaring that the candle is for the elevation of his soul.

We should study from the words of the Tzadik next to the candle to please his soul and prepare our vessel for the prayer that we wish to make.

The Western Wall

This is the most important Tsiyoon because it is the place of the Shechina. The west is the aspect of the Sefira of Yessod that connects Malchut to Zeir Anpin. If a person visits righteous sites in Israel then it is better to start with a visit and prayers at the Western Wall.

It is also the link to the Third Holy Temple and like the Luz bone, it cannot be destroyed until the Final Redemption and the revelation of the Third Holy Temple.

The Cave of Machpelah

Adam and the Patriarchs are buried in the Cave of Machpelah. It is a link to the Garden of Eden and it makes it the second most important place to visit in the Land of Israel.

A Tzadik is a person that became a great channel of Light and helped many people during his reincarnations. The Zohar teaches us that when a Tzadik decrees, God fulfill his words. All fulfillments come from God, and the Tzadik is just a channel.

We should not pray or ask the Tzadik directly to perform miracles for us. It is idol worshipping and forbidden. Unfortunately many people make this mistake and since the individual prayers are silent no one corrects them. The proper way, is to pray to God and ask him to answer your prayers by the merits of the Tzadik that you came to visit.

If you are present at the Tsiyoon and study from the words of the Tzadik, then you can also ask him to be a messenger of good will and present your prayers to God.

Each Tzadik is known for his special contributions to the world. We ask the Tzadik to carry our prayers in what he was known to be righteous. If it is healing powers, soul mate, sustenance, holy spirit and all kind of miracles.

The Tzadikim Nistarim (Hebrew: צדיקים נסתרים, "hidden righteous ones") or Lamed Vav Tzadikim (Hebrew:לו צדיקים - "the 36 righteous ones"), often abbreviated to Lamed Vav(niks),[a] refers to 36 righteous people, a notion rooted within the more mystical dimensions of Judaism. The singular form is Tzadik Nistar (Hebrew: צדיק נסתר).

The source is the Talmud itself, which explains it as follows:

As a mystical concept, the number 36 is even more intriguing. It is said that at all times there are 36 special people in the world, and that were it not for them, all of them, if even one of them was missing; then the world would come to an end. The two Hebrew letters for 36 are the lamed, which is 30, and the vav, which is 6. Therefore, these 36 are referred to as the Lamed-Vav Tzadikim. This widely-held belief, this most unusual Jewish concept is based on a Talmudic statement to the effect that in every generation, 36 righteous "greet the Shechinah," the Divine Presence (Tractate Sanhedrin 97b; Tractate Sukkah 45b).[1]

It’s important to know about the Tzadik you visit. If you read the stone, and with a pure heart commit to give Tzedaka and other positive actions for the merit of the Tzadik, then the Tzadik would feel you and help you with your prayers.

There are some Tzadikim that we do not know their particular Hilula (Death Anniversary). You can connect to them in special energy days such us: Erev Rosh Chodesh, Rosh Chodesh, and the Day of the Full Moon (the 15th day of each Hebrew Month), which are good days to connect to these Tzadikim.

MALES FROM THE TORAH

שת בן אדם - Shet Ben Adam. He is the third son of Adam and Chava (Eve). He was 105 years old when he had his first born son Enosh. He lived an additional 807 years and had both sons and daughters. Seth lived 912 years. The Midrash says that Seth was the first human being who lived on the Terrestrial Plain.

שם בן נח - Shem Ben Noach. This is the first born son of Noach the Tzadik. He survived the Flood by serving on the Ark with his father and Brothers.

FEMALES FROM THE TORAH

מחלה בת צלפחד - Machlah Bat Zelophechad - The eldest daughter of Zelophechad (the man who tested Working on Shabbat). They received his inheritance of land even though he had died prior to entering the Land. See Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 33.

נעה בת צלפחד - Noah Bat Zelophechad - One of five daughters of Zelophechad (the man who tested Working on Shabbat). They received his inheritance of land even though he had died prior to entering the Land. See Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 33.

חגלה בת צלפחד - Choglah Bat Zelophechad - One of five daughters of Zelophechad (the man who tested Working on Shabbat). They received his inheritance of land even though he had died prior to entering the Land. See Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 33.

מלכה בת צלפחד - Milchah Bat Zelophechad - One of five daughters of Zelophechad (the man who tested Working on Shabbat). They received his inheritance of land even though he had died prior to entering the Land. See Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 33.

תרצה בת צלפחד - Tirtzah Bat Zelophechad - One of five daughters of Zelophechad (the man who tested Working on Shabbat). They received his inheritance of land even though he had died prior to entering the Land. See Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 33.

Reb Yechiel Askenazi, he is a Son in Law of Baal Shem Tov. He was married to Adel Bat Baal Shem Tov. There is a story told about him detailing that he was taken (by boat) to a faraway city to spend Rosh HaShana alone. The Baal Shem Tov said that by accepting this process in his life he raised the sparks of 300 people who were located in that city. If he had not gone, it would have meant the kidnapping of 300 Jewish people that would have had to have been taken to that city by force in order to raise these sparks.

Shlomo Cohen Rabinovitch, one of the most famous Tzadikim of the pre-war Poland; lived in a tenement house at 22 Targowa Street in Sosnowiec. He was the founder of a Keter Tora Yeshiva and a chain of 36 outstanding schools in whole Poland. No one has been aware of his existence for thirty years. Until today. A group of tourists from Israel has helped Poles to find traces of Rabinovitch. Somebody has noticed them, standing in front of the building, taking photographs and talking lively. Piotr DudaÅ‚a, an activist and a lover of the ZagÅ‚Ä™bie region, had decided to search for information.

The residents have asked the city authorities to attach a commemorative plaque to a wall of the building. Rabinovitch will join the most prominent Jews from Sosnowiec, such as Władysław Szpilman or Jakub Zin, an artist. The discovery will surely make the city an important place promoting Jewish culture.

Bruria Bat Rabbi Hananiah Ben Teradion. Rabbi Hananiah is listed as one of the 10 Martyrs whose death is read on Tisha B'Av. She was married to the Tanna Rabbi Meir. She is one of several women who are quoted as a sage in the Talmud.

Bruriah was very involved in the halachic discussions of her time, and even challenged her father on a matter of ritual purity (Tosefta Keilim Bava Kamma 4:9). Her comments there are praised by Rabbi Judah Ben Bava. In another instance, Rabbi Joshua praised her intervention in a debate between Rabbi Tarfon and the sages, saying "Bruriah has spoken correctly" (Tosefta Keilim Bava Metzia 1:3).

She was also renowned for her sharp wit and often caustic jibes. The Talmud (Tractate Eruvin 53b) relates that she once chastised Rabbi Jose, when he asked her "Which way to Lod?" claiming that he could have said the same thing in two words, "Where's Lod?" instead of four, and thereby keep to the Talmudic injunction not to speak to women unnecessarily.

In the Midrash on Psalms 118 it states that Bruriah taught her husband Rabbi Meir, to pray for the repentance of the wicked, rather than for their destruction. According to the story, she once found Rabbi Meir praying that an annoying neighbor should die. Appalled by this, she responded to him by explaining the verse "Let the sinners be consumed from the earth, and the wicked shall be no more" (Psalms 104:35), that the verse actually states: "Let sin be consumed from the earth," adding that "the wicked shall be no more" because they have repented. Another interpretation of the passage, one that fits with the Masoretic vocalization, suggests that Bruriah explained that the verse does not refer to "those who sin" (as a participle), but habitual "sinners" (as an agent noun).

She is also described as having enormous inner strength. The Midrash on the Book of Proverbs tells, that her two sons died suddenly on the Sabbath, but she hid the fact from her husband until she could tell him in a way that would comfort him. In response, Rabbi Meir quoted the verse, "A woman of valor, who can find?" (Proverbs 31:10).

In the Talmudic commentaries (e.g. Rashi on Tractate Avodah Zarah, 18b), a story explains how she died. According to the story, she mocked a Talmudic assertion that women are not to be considered as witnesses in rabbinical court (Beth Din), due to the possibility of being easily swayed or influenced. In order to prove her wrong, Rabbi Meir sent one of his students to seduce her. After some time, he succeeded, even though it did not get all the way to intercourse. (The point here was to prove to her that even a woman of her wisdom and virtue could be swayed or seduced.) Bruriah committed suicide (by strangling, according to Rashi) out of shame. Other sources have it that she fell ill emotionally due to shame, and a group of Rabbis prayed for her death and peace. Rabbi Meir, who never expected things to spiral out of control in this way, imposed exile on himself and left Palestine for Babylonia. This story may be made up and never happened. It is thought that the story is made up to keep women from studying.

But Rabenu Nissim Ben Yakov of Kairouan brings a different explanation that is closer to the text. According to him, Rabbi Meir and Bruriah had to flee to Babylonia after the Romans executed her father, sold her mother to slavery and her sister to a brothel (to be rescued by Rabbi Meir) and were looking for her.[1] Other Rabbinic sources also take issue with Rashi's commentary, and indeed, there exists a tradition among Orthodox Rabbis to name their daughters Bruriah, as an assertion of her righteousness.

The Wife and Two Sons of Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Perlow of Stolin-Karlin ben Rabbi Yisrael (1891-1942). Born to Rav Yisrael “the Yenuka” of Stolin, Reb Avraham Elimelech married in 1912. He succeeded his father as Rebbe in 1922; most of his father’s Chasidim followed him as he settled in Karlin; while his brother, Rav Dovid of Zlatipol led a flock to Stolin. In 1929, Rav Avraham Elimelech founded a yeshiva in Luninetz. He, his Rebetzin, and his two sons were murdered by local Ukrainian peasants. These deaths are considered Kiddush HaShem. His actual Hilula is not known. This day (the 14th of Cheshvan has been chosen as his Yom Hazikaron. A collection of his chidushei Torah have been recorded as “Kuntres Pri Elimelech” and printed in Yalkut Divrei Aharon and in Birchas Aharon.

Tzedakah

In proverbs 21:21 we read, “Whoever pursues righteousness (Tzedaka) and kindness (Chessed) will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

The sages have many teachings about the power of Tzedakah. When we give selflessly, we transform our vessels from a selfish type to a sharing type. Our soul gets a spark of Light with each sharing act. The act of Tzedakah opens the vessel for a new flow of light that can manifest in our lives in any form that we need. We may give money, but in return, we get what our vessel needs the most.

In Deuteronomy 15:8 we read “but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”

Psalms 81:11 “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

When we open our vessels we let the light in.

Tzedaka connects us to Yessod that link all the Sefirot of the Tree of Life to Malchut, which is the realm of life in the material world.

Adam and the patriarchs are buried in the Cave of Machpelah. It is a link to the Garden of Eden and it makes it the second most important place to visit in the Land of Israel.

This is the most important Tsiyoon because it is the place of the Shechina. The west is the aspect of the Sefira of Yessod that connects Malchut to Zeir Anpin. If a person visits righteous sites in Israel, then it is better to start with a visit and prayers at the Western Wall.

It is also the link to the Third Holy Temple and like the Luz bone, it cannot be destroyed until the Final Redemption and the revelation of the Third Holy Temple.