Obligates a Jew to pray to G-d. Asking a tzaddik to pray for someone is not a substitution for that person’s individual prayers but an addition to them. The potency of a tzaddik’s prayers over that of an ordinary person has its source in the Talmud (Bava Basra 116a) where it states: “If someone in your family is not well, you should go to the tzaddik of your city and ask him to pray for you.”
These exact words are brought down as a halachah (law) in the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) — that a person should go to a tzaddik to daven (pray) for him. From these sources we see that the reason we ask a tzaddik to pray for us in times of need is not just that the tzaddik’s prayers are more powerful than ours, it’s that the Torah instructs us to do so.
In the Book of Numbers (11:2), a fire breaks out among the congregation in the desert and the people cry out to Moses to save them. Rashi asks, “Why did they cry to Moses?” and explains with an analogy of a king who becomes angry with his son. The son goes to someone whom his father loves very much and says, “Could you please ask my father to have mercy on me?”
Elsewhere in Numbers (21:32), Rashi explains that the Jewish people felt confident that G-d would help them in battle because of Moses’ prayers that they succeed.
Why the prayers of Moses? Weren’t their own prayers good enough? And if a tzaddik prays for someone, does that exempt that person from saying his or her own prayers every day?
As stated above, a person must certainly pray to G-d. Asking a tzaddik to pray for someone is not a substitution for that person’s individual prayers. But a tzaddik can strengthen the power of that person’s prayers by interceding on his behalf. The reason for this is simple. Because a tzaddik is so precious and close to G-d, and because his entire life is involved in fulfilling G-d’s purpose for creating the world, he can receive G-d’s blessing and G-d’s answer much more quickly than would an ordinary person.
When an ordinary person prays for his own needs, the Heavenly Court makes an investigation into his worthiness. It evaluates the sincerity of his prayers, how he studies Torah, how kind he is to others. Those factors will often determine to what extent his prayers will be answered. But a tzaddik lives a spiritual life and a perfect life. Therefore when he prays for an individual, his closeness to G-d will help speed the fulfillment of those requests.
In the Torah section entitled “Yisro,” we are told of the thousands of Jews in the desert who were standing on line waiting to talk to Moses about various material and spiritual matters. Why were they waiting? The Ramban, one of the Torah’s major commentators, explains that one of the reasons was to ask Moses to pray for their sick.
There are many stories in the Talmud of people going to a tzaddik and asking him to pray for them. In one such story, the people of a certain community were fasting and praying that the drought in their land should end, but when they saw that the rain was not forthcoming, they went to the great tzaddik Choni HaMagel and asked him to pray for them. Choni HaMagel went outside and made a circle in the dirt and prayed, “G-d, I will not leave this circle until You bring rain to Your children!” Almost immediately, the rain began.
The great tzaddik Reb Chanina Ben Dosa is also the subject of many stories in the Talmud. Even tzaddikim whose prayers were not answered went to this tzaddik to ask him to pray for them, and they were helped. By evaluating the fluidity of his prayer, he would be able to tell them in advance whether or not his prayer for them was accepted. If it went smoothly, he would know it had.
In the previously mentioned story about the Prophet Elisha, the woman’s child, now a young boy, fell ill while out in a field and passed away after being carried home to his mother. The mother laid the child on a bed in the house and ran to find Elisha, insisting that he bring the child back to life. He came to the house and, through his prayers, was able to bring the child from death back to life.
Asking for a Tzaddik’s Assistance At His or Her Gravesite
Going to the graves of tzaddikim and beseeching them to pray for us also has its source in the Torah. The Torah tells us that the tzedekes Rachel, our Matriarch, was not buried together with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah in Hevron, but was buried alone, by the side of the road, in Beis Lechem. In the Book of Genesis, the section entitled “Vayechi” (48:7), Rashi explains that the reason for this is that when the “Jewish people would later be expelled from Jerusalem and sent into exile, Rachel would plead for mercy for her children as they passed by her grave.”
Today, thousands of people visit Rachel’s Tomb annually, entreating her to pray on their behalf that their deepest requests be answered and that G-d should take us out of exile (galus).
In the Book of Numbers, the section entitled “Shelach,” (13:1ff.), the Torah relates the story of the “Twelve Spies” whom Moses sent to spy out the Land of Israel before officially entering as a nation. Although ten of the spies committed a grievous sin by publicly doubting G-d’s ability to conquer the nations there, the other two, Caleb and Joshua, remained steadfast in their trust in G-d. Rashi describes how Caleb traveled to the Cave of Machpelah in Hevron where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried and prostrated himself on the Patriarchs’ graves, asking that he should not be persuaded by his mutinous companions to join in their slanderous report. (Rashi also describes that Moses had already prayed on Joshua’s behalf that he, too, should not become one of the rebellious spies.)
Similarly, during the destruction of the First Temple and the beginning of the Babylonian exile, the Prophet Jeremiah ran to Hevron to the graves of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pleading that they intercede on the Jews’ behalf and beg G-d to have mercy on them.
Asking for Heavenly assistance at the grave of a tzaddik is a clearly stated law in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law). In the section entitled “The Month of Elul,” it states:
“It is customary to go to the cemetery after the morning service on the day preceding Rosh HaShanah and pray at the graves of tzaddikim (that G-d should give them a good and sweet year). We give charity to the poor and recite many supplications to arouse the holy tzaddikim who are buried there to intercede on our behalf on the Day of Judgment. Furthermore, since tzaddikim are buried there, the place is holy and pure, and prayers recited there are received more favorably because they were recited on holy ground.”
Finally, the Zohar, considered to be the fundamental text on the Kabbalah, states: “The world exists only because of the tzaddikim who have passed away ... they pray to G-d and G-d has mercy on the world because of them.”
It stands to reason that if it is appropriate for a tzaddik to intercede on one’s behalf when he is no longer in this world, then surely when a tzaddik is alive and in a physical body, it is appropriate for him to do this as well.
What a Tzaddik Accomplishes With His Blessings and Prayers
When a tzaddik gives a blessing or prays for someone, what is accomplished spiritually that enables his blessings and prayers to have such a powerful effect?
The same is true in our case. When we pray to G-d to alleviate the difficulties we are having — whether in the areas of health, livelihood, or children, or any other problem we might have — we ask for relief only on a surface level because that’s the only level to which we can relate. Even on a practical level, a person can only try to ameliorate his condition by doing something tangible like going to a doctor or getting a better job. He can also make an effort to improve his spiritual conduct, like giving charity, for example. But aside from all the things a person can do on this level (including praying that these methods will help and improving his conduct in general), there is very little else a person can do in the spiritual realm that directly affects the source of his situation.
A tzaddik, on the other hand, can go to the spiritual source of a problem and correct it from there through prayer or blessing. Interestingly, when a blessing is pronounced, it is not just the tzaddik expressing his wish that the blessing be fulfilled, it actually draws down the flow of energy from G-d to bring about a change in the situation. According to Kabbalah and chassidic teachings, the definition of the word “baruch” (blessed) really means “drawing down,” because in pronouncing the blessing, one draws down G-d’s energy. In so doing, the tzaddik is then able to direct G-d’s blessing to the removal of blockages or the correction of untoward circumstances.
Through his prayers, a tzaddik can also direct the flow of G-d’s energy to that attribute of G-d that can best heal or bring success to a situation. For example, if chessed (revealed kindness) is called for (e.g., for income or children), the tzaddik’s actual words of davening will evoke blessings from G-d’s attribute of Chessed. If gevurah (severity, withholding) is called for (e.g., to subdue enemies), his words will evoke blessings from G-d’s attribute of Gevurah.
Finally, like a doctor who can stitch a wound, remove a blockage, or prescribe the right medication, the tzaddik not only knows how to ask G-d for healing, but is like a spiritual surgeon who can actually fix the spiritual mechanism above and correct that which needs repair.
For the average person, for the most part, all this is an impossibility. But a tzaddik, who sees the spiritual dimension of everything, can reach the root of the problem or need and cleanse or heal from there. This is what he accomplishes with his prayers and blessings.
Transmitting Blessings...
Regarding the transmission of blessings by a tzaddik, there are many ways this can be achieved. The most obvious is that a tzaddik gives a verbal blessing, saying to the person, “I bless you that this and this should take place....”
...through action
There is another possibility: that the tzaddik gives the blessing through a certain action, and this becomes the channel through which the blessing is transmitted. One example from the Talmud describes a case where a tzaddik transmitted his blessing to an individual through a handshake.
In the beginning of Tractate Berachos (5b), there is a story about a tzaddik who paid a visit to a sick colleague. Seeing that he was in tremendous pain, the tzaddik asked him, “Is your affliction dear to you?” The colleague said, “Even so, [i.e., even if my sickness will purify me,] I would rather not have this suffering.” “In that case,” the tzaddik replied, “give me your hand.” He took his hand and the colleague stood up, the disease gone.
The blessing and healing from the tzaddik didn’t come only through words but from the touch of his hand, which was the tool and vehicle through which the blessing was transmitted. In many chassidic circles, when chassidim come to the Rebbe, they shake the Rebbe’s hand — one of the ways the Rebbe can bless his chassidim.
In the Book of Genesis, the section entitled “Vayechi” (48:8-20), Jacob wants to bless his grandsons Ephraim and Menashe before he passes away. In transmitting the blessings, instead of putting his right hand on the head of the boy sitting to his right, and his left hand on the head of the boy sitting to his left, Jacob crosses his arms so that his right hand rests on the head of the boy to his left and left hand on the boy to his right. The spiritual import of this arrangement is so significant, that Joseph, the boys’ father, worries that the individual blessings may be transmitted to the wrong child. Regardless, the Torah is telling us that putting one’s hands on a child’s head is a major conduit for the transmission of a blessing.
(Many people bless their children every Friday night while placing both their hands on the child’s head. Certainly this is traditionally done erev Yom Kippur.)
Another example of conveying spiritual power and blessing through the hands occurs towards the end of Moses’ leadership when G-d commands him to “lay his hand upon Joshua,” in order to transmit the power of leadership to him. The Torah repeats this at the end of the Torah when we are again informed that Joshua was filled with “the spirit of wisdom” because Moses had laid his hands upon him.
Kohanim, too, convey blessing through their hands. While they are saying the Priestly Blessing, the kohanim stretch out their arms and arrange their fingers in a particular configuration so that the spirit of blessing will be conveyed through their fingers.
...through a look
We also find that the blessing of a tzaddik can be conveyed through a look. One of the sources for this is in the Torah itself. In the Book of Deuteronomy (32.49), the portion entitled “Vayeilech,” G-d tells Moses that he will not have the privilege of going into the Land of Israel. He should, however, go to the top of a mountain and gaze at the entire land.
On the surface, it seems that viewing the land is a small concession for not being allowed to enter. But Seforno, one of the major Torah commentators, explains that Moses’ gaze had a significance well beyond the obvious. Through his gaze, Moses was actually able to transmit blessing to the entire Land of Israel. From this we learn that the gaze of a tzaddik alone can convey blessing.
A similar story is found in the Talmud. Two of the greatest Torah scholars of their time, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar, hid in a cave for twelve years to escape a death decree from the Roman Emperor. In the cave, Rabbi Shimon and his son spent every possible moment studying Torah and plumbing the depths of mystical texts.
After living twelve consecutive years in a wholly spiritual environment, their emergence from the cave was quite a harsh adjustment for them. Instead of rejoicing in their freedom, they were horrified that people could be so involved in materialism. As they surveyed the people plowing fields in the land below the cave, whatever met their gaze was destroyed. A Heavenly Voice ordered them to return to the cave where they remained for another year.
When they emerged the second time, Rabbi Elazar had still not learned to appreciate the importance of engaging in physical work and destroyed everything on which his eyes rested. When his father saw what his son had done, his gaze restored and healed everything that Reb Elazar had destroyed.
These examples illustrate that a look, or even a glance, from a tzaddik has tremendous spiritual power. That is why a chassid makes an effort to be seen by the Rebbe and to have those he cares about seen by the Rebbe as well, knowing that both spiritual and physical blessings are transmitted through the Rebbe’s look.
...through food
Blessings can also come through food or drink, and wine has always been a vehicle through which a tzaddik conveys blessings. This too has its origin in the Torah, and Shulchan Aruch designates the actual instances in which wine can receive blessing. One of those times is in the “Grace After a Meal,” when one says the blessing over a cup of wine known as “kos shel berachah” (the cup of blessing).
In our day and age, the Lubavitcher Rebbe would say the Grace After a Meal over a cup of wine at the end of every yom tov (holiday), and then stand for hours distributing wine from his cup to every one of the thousands of people present. Once the wine has been blessed, those who drink from it receive a blessing because the tzaddik’s blessing has been imbued into the wine. There are also many situations when a tzaddik, a Rebbe, transmits his blessing by pouring wine (even without having made a blessing over it) and giving l’chaim to the chassid.
There is a well-known story about the miraculous blessing in the kos shel berachah of the Alter Rebbe. It is customary that chassidim spend the month of Tishrei with their Rebbe, and in 1786, chassidim streamed into Liozna from towns all over Russia and the Ukraine to spend Tishrei with the Alter Rebbe. That month was extremely cold — cold enough that by Sukkos time it was snowing so heavily that snow had to be cleared from the roofs of all the sukkahs before the meals could begin.
That year, many of the chassidim who came to spend the holidays with the Alter Rebbe became very ill from the cold and some even suffered from frostbite. Reb Pinchas Reizes came to the Alter Rebbe and asked for a blessing that these chassidim be healed. Instead, the Alter Rebbe said that all the chassidim who were sick should be taken to the shul to participate in the dancing (hakafos) on Simchas Torah.
