QUESTION:
Rebbi Nachman of Bresslev wrote that one must gain a connection to the ”true tzaddik” of the generation. Who is the tzaddik of this generation? If we do not know who the tzaddik of the generation, how are we able to gain a connection to him?
ANSWER:
The further the generations are from the source, the more distant we are from our beginning point, and there is less spiritual light, with increasing spiritual darkness. This is especially the case in our generation, of which it is said, “And darkness will cover the earth.” The idea of this darkness is that the trait of malchus [“leadership”, which refers to the leaders of the Jewish people] seems to be only a single small point, with all other spiritual light (the rest of the nine spiritual Sefiros/emanations) becoming concealed.
That is why the trait of “yesod” (the “foundation”, which refers to personal holiness) is also very concealed and hidden today. For this reason, there has been an especial resurgence today of the sins of the generation of the Flood, the “damaging of the Holy Covenant” (sins involving personal holiness)…. Since there is laxity today in the trait of “yesod”, the “foundation” (personal holiness) in the area of actions which damage one’s “yesod”, this external damage to the trait of yesod has also placed the perfected level of yesod into a state of concealment. That is why it is almost totally impossible today to find the “tzaddik yesod olam”, the tzaddik who upholds the world. This is why it is very difficult to know who the tzaddik yesod olam today is. We are a soul living inside a body on This World [thus our physical body and existence on This World conceals our soul’s view]. It is most difficult to recognize such a lofty soul residing in a body that lives with us on This World. This is why there is much confusion among those who seek to know who the tzaddik yesod olam is: due to the fact that we live with a soul and a body, which are each telling us different things.
Practically speaking, Chazal state that the original light which Hashem created was hidden away for the tzaddikim in the future, and it became hidden in the Torah. Therefore, when we are in a situation where the “tzaddik has gone lost”, the “light” [of the tzaddik] returns to its root, in the Torah. So one should seek to find the “light of the tzaddik” by studying the wisdom of the Torah. In terms of the Sefiros, the sefiros of Keser [“crown”, the highest spiritual point] and Malchus [leadership] correspond to each other, and so do the sefiros of Chochmah [wisdom, Torah] and Yesod (foundation, personal holiness) correspond to each other. That is why a person can find the spiritual light of “yesod” (personal holiness) in chochmah (the Torah’s wisdom). This is the depth behind the view of several of the sages throughout the generations who did not seek to rectify the yesod in the active sense – rather, they attached themselves only to chochmah [to studying the Torah’s wisdom]. Understand this well.
Additionally [the way to become attached with the tzaddik of the generation] is through having emunah (faith in G-d) during trying times. It is written, “And your faith, at nights”. Through believing in something, one becomes attached to it. When we are in a time period of “daytime”, we can know who the tzaddik of the generation is, but in a time such as ours, which is likened to the “night”, our task is to believe in the existence of the tzaddik and become attached to him through the light of emunah, as opposed to “knowing” the tzaddik. The spiritual light of emunah (believing) is greater than the spiritual light of knowledge. Therefore, connecting to the tzaddik through emunah [in the existence of the tzaddik] is a greater level of connection to the tzaddik, for it is at the root.
Additionally, Chazal state [concerning our final generations], “We have no one to rely on except for our Father in Heaven.” In the name of Rav Chaim of Volozhin, this is explained to be a part of the curse of the final generations. That is the simple understanding. But there is also an inner avodah contained in this. It is a message from the Sages that in the final generations, we need to nurse forth spiritual vitality from a higher source than human beings. We need to nurse forth our vitality directly from the Creator, Himself. On a deeper level, the entire 6,000 year era we are in corresponds to “knowledge”, chochmah (wisdom), which also corresponds with yesod, and which corresponds with tzaddik yesod olam. In the current era, chochmah corresponds with yesod. But in the very end, it will be revealed that “The purpose of knowledge is to know that we do not know”, and this refers to the correspondence of keser with malchus. This concept, in the side of evil, is manifest whenever there is a damage to yesod. In the side of holiness, it is when one rises from the level of yesod to malchus.
That is why the trait of “yesod” (the “foundation”, which refers to personal holiness) is also very concealed and hidden today. For this reason, there has been an especial resurgence today of the sins of the generation of the Flood, the “damaging of the Holy Covenant” (sins involving personal holiness)…. Since there is laxity today in the trait of “yesod”, the “foundation” (personal holiness) in the area of actions which damage one’s “yesod”, this external damage to the trait of yesod has also placed the perfected level of yesod into a state of concealment. That is why it is almost totally impossible today to find the “tzaddik yesod olam”, the tzaddik who upholds the world. This is why it is very difficult to know who the tzaddik yesod olam today is. We are a soul living inside a body on This World [thus our physical body and existence on This World conceals our soul’s view]. It is most difficult to recognize such a lofty soul residing in a body that lives with us on This World. This is why there is much confusion among those who seek to know who the tzaddik yesod olam is: due to the fact that we live with a soul and a body, which are each telling us different things.
Practically speaking, Chazal state that the original light which Hashem created was hidden away for the tzaddikim in the future, and it became hidden in the Torah. Therefore, when we are in a situation where the “tzaddik has gone lost”, the “light” [of the tzaddik] returns to its root, in the Torah. So one should seek to find the “light of the tzaddik” by studying the wisdom of the Torah. In terms of the Sefiros, the sefiros of Keser [“crown”, the highest spiritual point] and Malchus [leadership] correspond to each other, and so do the sefiros of Chochmah [wisdom, Torah] and Yesod (foundation, personal holiness) correspond to each other. That is why a person can find the spiritual light of “yesod” (personal holiness) in chochmah (the Torah’s wisdom). This is the depth behind the view of several of the sages throughout the generations who did not seek to rectify the yesod in the active sense – rather, they attached themselves only to chochmah [to studying the Torah’s wisdom]. Understand this well.
Additionally [the way to become attached with the tzaddik of the generation] is through having emunah (faith in G-d) during trying times. It is written, “And your faith, at nights”. Through believing in something, one becomes attached to it. When we are in a time period of “daytime”, we can know who the tzaddik of the generation is, but in a time such as ours, which is likened to the “night”, our task is to believe in the existence of the tzaddik and become attached to him through the light of emunah, as opposed to “knowing” the tzaddik. The spiritual light of emunah (believing) is greater than the spiritual light of knowledge. Therefore, connecting to the tzaddik through emunah [in the existence of the tzaddik] is a greater level of connection to the tzaddik, for it is at the root.
Additionally, Chazal state [concerning our final generations], “We have no one to rely on except for our Father in Heaven.” In the name of Rav Chaim of Volozhin, this is explained to be a part of the curse of the final generations. That is the simple understanding. But there is also an inner avodah contained in this. It is a message from the Sages that in the final generations, we need to nurse forth spiritual vitality from a higher source than human beings. We need to nurse forth our vitality directly from the Creator, Himself. On a deeper level, the entire 6,000 year era we are in corresponds to “knowledge”, chochmah (wisdom), which also corresponds with yesod, and which corresponds with tzaddik yesod olam. In the current era, chochmah corresponds with yesod. But in the very end, it will be revealed that “The purpose of knowledge is to know that we do not know”, and this refers to the correspondence of keser with malchus. This concept, in the side of evil, is manifest whenever there is a damage to yesod. In the side of holiness, it is when one rises from the level of yesod to malchus.
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