Tzadikim Nistarim

TheTzadikim Nistarim(Hebrew:צַדִיקִים נִסתָּרים,"hiddenrighteous ones") orLamed Vav Tzadikim(Hebrew:ל "ו צַדִיקִים,x"36 righteous ones" ), often abbreviated toLamed Vav(niks),^[a]refers to36 righteous people,a notion rooted within themysticaldimensions ofJudaism.The singular form isTzadik Nistar(Hebrew:צַדִיק נִסתָר).

Origins

The existence of 36 righteous people is first mentioned in the Talmud:

There are no fewer than 36 righteous people in the world who greet theShekhinahin each generation.

Another Talmudic passage mentions the righteous people, most of them unknown, who sustain the world. However, it gives a number other than 36:

"Ahomerofbarley,and a letech of barley "(Hosea 3:2) - [this refers to] 45 righteous who cause the world to be sustained... 30 in theland of Israeland 15 here [inBabylonia].Abayesaid: And most of them can be found in the synagogue, under the upper room [i.e. among the unhonored masses].

These two sources were combined into the idea that the world is sustained by 36 righteous people. The combination may have derived from the fact that to "greet the Shekhinah" was originally associated with Temple service, and Temple service was considered to sustain the world(Pirkei Avot1:2).

The idea of 36 righteous became fully fleshed out in later generations:

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, the world would come to an end. The two Hebrew letters for 36 are thelamed,which is 30, and thevav,which is 6. Therefore, these 36 are referred to as theLamed-Vav Tzadikim.

The idea is particularly prominent inHasidic Judaism.Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov,for example, wrote that "in every generation, there are great righteous people who could perform wondrous acts, but the generation is not deserving of that, so the stature of the righteous people is hidden and they are not known to the public; sometimes they are woodchoppers or water-drawers."

Revealed and hidden righteous

TheBaal Shem Tovwrote that "just as there are 36 hidden righteous, there are 36 revealed righteous."

Commenting onDaniel 12:3( "...those who lead the masses to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever" ), themidrashexplains that "just as the stars are sometimes revealed and sometimes hidden, so, too with righteous people. And just as there are innumerable clusters of stars, so, too, there are innumerable clusters of righteous people," which indicates that there are significantly more than 36 in the world.

Their purpose

MysticalHasidic Judaismas well as other segments ofJudaismbelieve that there exist thirty-six righteous people whose role in life is to justify the purpose of humanity in the eyes of God. Jewish tradition holds that their identities are unknown to each other and that, if one of them comes to a realization of their true purpose, they would never admit it:

TheLamed-Vav Tzaddikimare also called theNistarim( "concealed ones" ). In our folk tales, they emerge from their self-imposed concealment and, by the mystic powers, which they possess, they succeed in averting the threatened disasters of a people persecuted by the enemies that surround them. They return to their anonymity as soon as their task is accomplished, 'concealing' themselves once again in a Jewish community wherein they are relatively unknown. Thelamed-vavniks,scattered as they are throughout theDiaspora,have no acquaintance with one another. On very rare occasions, one of them is 'discovered' by accident, in which case the secret of their identity must not be disclosed. The lamed-vavniks do not themselves know that they are one of the 36. In fact, tradition has it that should a person claim to be one of the 36, that is proof positive that they are certainly not one. Since the 36 are each exemplars ofanavah,( "humility" ), having such a virtue would preclude against one’s self-proclamation of being among the special righteous. The 36 are simply too humble to believe that they are one of the 36.

Lamedvovniks

Lamedvovnik(Yiddish:למד־װאָװניק), is theYiddishterm for one of the 36 humble righteous ones orTzadikimmentioned inkabbalahor Jewish mysticism. According to this teaching, at any given time there are at least 36 holy persons in the world who areTzadikim.These holy people are hidden; i.e., nobody knows who they are. According to some versions of the story, they themselves may not know who they are. For the sake of these 36 hidden saints, God preserves the world even if the rest of humanity has degenerated to the level of total barbarism. This is similar to the story ofSodom and Gomorrahin theHebrew Bible,where God toldAbrahamthat he would spare the city of Sodom if there was a quorum of at least 10 righteous men. Since nobody knows who theLamedvovniksare, not even themselves, every Jew should actas ifhe or she might be one of them; i.e., lead a holy and humble life and pray for the sake of fellow human beings. It is also said that one of these 36 could potentially be theJewish Messiahif the world is ready for them to reveal themselves. Otherwise, they live and die as an ordinary person. Whether the person knows they are the potential Messiah is debated.

The termlamedvovnikis derived from the Hebrew lettersLamed(L) andVav(V), whose numerical value (seeGematria) adds up to 36. The "nik" at the end is aRussianor Yiddish suffix indicating "a person who..." (As in "Beatnik";in English, this would be something like calling them" The Thirty-Sixers".) The number 36 is twice 18. Ingematria(a form ofnumerologyused in Judaism), the number 18 stands for "life", because the Hebrew letters that spellchai,meaning "living", add up to 18. Because 36 = 2×18, it represents "two lives".

In some Hasidic stories, disciples consider theirRebbesand other religious figures to be among theLamedvovniks.It is also possible for aLamedvovnikto reveal themselves as such, although that rarely happens—aLamedvovnik's status as an exemplar of humility would preclude it. More often, it is the disciples who speculate.

These beliefs are articulated in the works ofMax Brod,and some (likeJorge Luis Borges)believe the concept to have originated in theBook of Genesis18:26:

And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

In popular culture

• In the 1880 playThe Two Kuni-LemlsbyAvrom Goldfaden,Pinkhsel surmises that Kuni-Leml, the man betrothed to his daughter Carolina, is a "lamed-vovnik" because of the mysterious changes to his behavior and ability. In fact, it is Max, Carolina's love interest, who keeps reentering the house disguised as Kuni-Leml.
• A play byHans RehfischcalledNickel and the 36 Righteousis a comedy in 3 acts (1925).
• Jorge Luis Borgeshas an entry for the "Lamed Wufniks" in hisBook of Imaginary Beings(1957–1969).
• In the 1959 novelThe Last of the JustbyAndre Schwarz-Bart,one Just Man of the Lamed-Vov is designated in each generation of the family of Levy. Their legacy is traced over eight centuries. The original French title wasLe Dernier des Justes.
• In the 1984 novelThe JourneyerbyGary Jennings,Marco Polois periodically saved from death by the 36. The rescuer's identity is never made explicit, and he may be more than one of the Righteous Men.
• In the 1991 issue "Three Septembers and a January", fromNeil Gaiman's comicThe Sandman,Deathremarks to the soul ofJoshua Norton:"they say that the world rests on the backs of 36 living saints – 36 unselfish men and women. Because of them the world continues to exist. They are the secret kings and queens of this world" with the implication that he was one of the Tzadikim.
• In the 1998 documentaryThe Cruise,it is suggested that the films subject, Tim "Speed" Levitch, a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses, is a Lamed Vovnick.
• In the 1999 novelLords of Light: A NovelbyDeepak Chopra,the Lamed Vav are depicted, one of them who betrayed God posing as the new Messiah.
• In the 1999 novelKeeping FaithbyJodi Picoult,the main character, Faith White, is believed to be one of the Lamed Vovnik by Rabbi Solomon.
• In the 2001 filmInvinciblebyWerner Herzog,a fictionalized account of the life of Jewish strongmanZishe Breitbart(aka Siegmund Breitbart), a Berlin Rabbi tells Zishe (played byJouko Ahola) that he may be one of the 36 just men who feel the suffering of the world.
• The 2003 movieTime of the WolfbyMichael Hanekemakes reference to the 36, a secondary character hinted as being one of them.
• In the 2005 novelThe History of LovebyNicole Krauss,Alma's brother Bird believes himself to be a Lamed Vovnik, one of the 36 special people in the world.
• The 2006 mystery thriller novelThe Righteous MenbySam Bournedeals with the murder of the righteous ones, one by one, and solving the murders.
• In the 2007 novelThe Yiddish Policemen's UnionbyMichael Chabon,the protagonist, Detective Landsman's case involves the murder victim who may have been theTzadikHa-dor.
• The 2007 novelThe Book of Namesby Jill Gregory andKaren Tintoriis a thriller based on the actual principles of the Kabbalah, which teaches that the world's existence requires that it be occupied by 36 Lamed vovniks.
• In the 2008 TV filmGod on Trial,a rabbi in Auschwitz is proclaimed by a fellow prisoners as one of the 36.
• In the 2009Coen Brothersfilm,A Serious Man,theeulogyspoken by therabbiat a funeral refers to the deceased, Sy Abelman, as perhaps having been a "Lamed Vavnik".
• In the 2009 novelLet the Great World SpinbyColum McCann,the narrator of the Book One mentions hearing of the myth of "thirty-six hidden saints" while in college and compares the actions of his Christian brother Corrigan to one of the saints.
• In the 2012 television seriesTouch,season 1, episode 9, "Music of the Spheres", Jacob "Jake" Bohm, a mute boy who mysteriously feels the suffering of those along his path and aims to positively adjust their fates, is revealed as possibly one of the "Lamed Vav Tzadikim" by aHasidicman. In the second season ofTouch,Jake and other people who have special gifts are referred to as members of the 36; throughout the episodes they are exploited for their capabilities and are hunted down by one who believes they hold too much power. The final episode features consideration of the Kabbalah and the mystical roots of the legend of the 36.
• In the 2013 novelEyes Wide OpenbyTed Dekker,the 36 are a group of children called Project Showdown. Orphans were raised by Christian monks to follow the path of light, in an attempt to rebirth the Earth into a new age.
• In the 2016 television seriesTransparent,season 3, episode 5, "Oh Holy Night", Rabbi Raquel Fine, while holding a lit candle, addresses the attendees of a Hinei with a discussion of the who the 36 people who sustain the world's righteousness may be. "Who are these 36? We don't know. Even the 36 don't know. So what is the lesson? The lesson is to treat each other...as if we might be one. Or who knows? You might be standing next to one now."
• In the 2017 television seriesKevin (Probably) Saves the World,the title character is chosen to be a righteous soul who has to find and initiate the other 35.

Notes

• ^aInHebrew numerals,30 islamed(Hebrew:ל), and 6 isvav(Hebrew:ו). The number 36 is writtenHebrew:ל״ו.

External links

• Why Thirty-Six?Archived2004-09-10 at theWayback Machine