TZADDIK - Secrets of the Hebrew letters

Tehilim Perek 119: Letter Tzaddik Hello everybody, I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. Today’s we’ll discuss the letter TZADDIK. The letter Tzaddik represents Tzidkus, righteousness, Tzaddikim, and Tzida, trapping something. The Tzaddik is the ability to capture something and rule over it in a positive way. This can take the form of trapping animals and properly training them. Esav was “tzayid b’peav, he was able entrap someone with his words.” The root of the word Tzaddik refers to the righteous person who in a sense is able to trap the Yetzer Hara in order to rule over it. Tzaddi represents trapping and the Kuf at the end of it represents the Yezter Hara. This will hopefully be explained in the class pertaining to the letter Kuf. The first time that the letter Tzaddik appears in the beginning of a word in the Torah is during the creation of man. It says “b’Tzalmeinu, in Our image,” because the perfection of man lies in being alike to his Creator as much as possible. We can thus understand that the Tzaddik points towards shelaimus ha’adom, the perfection of man: to become a Tzaddik! Nowhere in the Torah are we commanded to kill our Yezter Hara, but we must use it for its intended purpose by ruling over it to serve Hashem. In the Shema we are told, “v’ahavta es Hashem Elohecha b’chol levav’cha, You should love Hashem with all your hearts.” Chazal explain that the plural use of “hearts” is to teach “b’shney yitzarecha, both the Yetzer Hatov v’Yetzer Hara, our good and evil inclinations.” There are two forms of this letter. A Tzaddik Kafufa, a regular bent Tzaddik, and a Tzaddik Peshuta AKA Tzaddik Sofit. Currently the Tzaddik is filled with humility, but when Mashiach comes the Tzaddik will become Peshuta, straightened out and stand upright, and all will see his true worth. The letter Tzaddik is formed with a Nun Kafufa, bent Nun, and a Yud. In a previous class we discussed that the Nun represents Ne’emanus, faithfulness, and aNava, humility. Those born naturally humble who didn’t really work on themselves for that trait are not called Tzaddikim. Only a person who works hard in avodos Hashem, serving Hashem and learning Torah is called a Tzaddik. Therefore the letter is also formed with a Yud, which represents attaching yourself to Hashem. Only after you attach yourself to God can you be called a Tzaddik. It also should be pointed out that the bent Nun in the formation of the Tzaddik is very bent over. A true Tzaddik is extremely humble in front of Hashem as it says regarding Moshe that he was “aNav mikol adom, humbler than all men.” Numerically, the Tzaddik is 90. Its lower counterpart letter is TES, which is 9. Tes represents the force of good that comes back to you. The connection here is obvious: the Tzaddik will receive good in the world to come. As the passuk in Yeshaya 3:10 says, “Imru l’Tzaddik ki Tov say to the Tzaddik he’s good.” Tzaddikim and goodness go hand in hand. A smart person contemplates this world and recognizes that all good will be received in the next world, represented by the relationship between the Tzaddik and its partner letter Tes. May we merit attaching ourselves to true Tzaddikim and ultimately become such ourselves through the power of the letter Tzaddik. Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.