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{{Short description|Title in Judaism given to people considered righteous}}
{{About|the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] for "righteous one"|the Hebrew letter "Tzadik"|Tsade|the Arabic name|Sadiq|other uses|Tzadik (disambiguation)}}
{{italic title}}
{{Jewish philosophy}}
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[[File:027.Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream.jpg|thumb|[[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] interprets Pharaoh's Dream ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 41:15–41). Of the [[Hebrew Bible|biblical]] figures in Judaism, Joseph is customarily called ''the Tzadik''.]]
'''Tzadik''' ({{lang-he|צַדִּיק}} ''ṣaddīq'' {{IPA-he|tsaˈdik|}}, "righteous [one]"; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' {{IPA-he|tsadiˈkim|}} {{Script/Hebrew|צדיקים}} ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in [[Judaism]] given to people considered [[righteous]], such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ''ṣadiq'', is ''[[Tsade|ṣ]]-[[dalet|d]]-[[Qoph|q]]'' ({{Script/Hebrew|[[:wikt:צדק|צדק]]}} ''tsedek''), which means "justice" or "[[righteousness]]".<ref>[https://ahdictionary.com/word/semitic.html#ṣbr dictionary item]</ref> When applied to a righteous woman, the term is inflected as ''
''Tzadik'' is also the [[root (linguistics)|root]] of the word ''[[tzedakah]]'' ('charity', literally 'righteousness'). The term ''tzadik'' "righteous", and its associated meanings, developed in [[Rabbinic literature|rabbinic thought]] from its [[Talmud]]ic contrast with [[Hasid (term)|''hasid'']] ("pious" honorific), to its exploration in [[Musar literature|ethical literature]], and its [[Western esotericism|esoteric]] spiritualisation in [[Kabbalah]].
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* [[Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler]]: "And this thing is so much certain to one that thinks in depth about it, until it is impossible to understand how someone can argue on it, and so was already mentioned in the words of many of the great scholars like the [[Moshe Chaim Luzzatto|Ramchal]] and others, that the image of Tzadikim is [[HaShem|Hashem]] may He be blessed, Himself, and they are the same."<ref>''Marbitzei Torah U'Mussar'', sec. 3, p. 10</ref>
* In 1951, the seventh Rebbe of [[Chabad]], [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], made a similar statement<ref>[[Likutei Sichos]], Vol 2, pp. 510-511.</ref> regarding the practice by Hasidic Jews to have a rabbi act as an intermediary with God on their behalf. He explained, "The Rebbe is completely connected with his Hasidim, not like two separate things that connect; rather, they become completely one. And the Rebbe is not an intermediary which separates, but one that connects. Therefore by a Hassid, he with the Rebbe with God are all one ... Hence, it is not possible to ask any questions about [how it is possible to turn to the Rebbe as] an intermediary [for the purpose of asking him to pray to Hashem on one’s behalf], since this is ''Atzmus uMehus'' [God's Essence] itself as it put itself in a body. This is similar to the statement of the ''Zohar'',<ref>2:38a.</ref> 'Whose is the face of the Master [God]? This is the Rashbi.'."
==In Majority Muslim Countries==
The veneration of tzadikim and the veneration of prophets and other figures from the Torah, Bible, and Quran overlapped significantly, as did the veneration of figures from one religion by other local religions. Certain theological concepts overlapped as well. In the Medieval Muslim worldview, places like Egypt, al-Shām (especially Syria), and Karbala were holy or blessed land, though not necessarily as much as Mecca, Medinah, and Jerusalem. Jews never regarded other cities as sacred as Jerusalem, but lands like Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were also seen holy. A more specific location often became holy when someone saw a prophet or saint in a vision and was told to build a shrine. The prophet or saint made the place holy, but their granting of holiness was limited. The holiness was perpetuated via ritual behaviors such as prayer, supplication, votive offerings, sprinkling perfume and water, laying on the shrines and tombs, living in them, circumambulation, touching, and taking soil and rocks away that were thought to heal through ''baraka''. These actions marked the sites associated with saints and prophets as separate from their surroundings. Sites that were destroyed and never rebuilt were seen as having lost favor with God, the prophets, and the saints. Sites also became holy due to their place in scripture, eschatological tradition, legends, local performance of ritual, the import/export of sacred objects and substances, and the production and display of talismans. Saint and prophet shrines were more common in cities, but plenty have been recorded in rural areas.<ref name=":3" />
Saints and prophets in the view of Medieval Jews and Muslims possessed baraka (which can be translated as "blessing"), an innate force which was also conferred into objects they'd used or places they'd been, both of which are very important to saint veneration. Jews also use the word qadosh ("holiness") in the same context. In both religions, God is the ultimate source of holiness, and holiness comes from being or having been in service of God.<ref name=":3" />
Holy places, particularly the shrines and tombs associated with saints and prophets, were associated with supernatural sensory phenomena, particularly in the pre-modern era. This includes unnatural lights descending to holy sites or emanating from them, visions, unexplained pleasant smells, and clouds ascending from shrines or hovering over them. Both Jews and Muslims also said that a shrine of a prophet or saint would evoke a feeling of awe or holiness.<ref name=":3" />
===Egypt===
In Egypt, Jewish saint veneration is not often a topic of research and is not prominently practiced today, though a number of Egyptian saints are said to be Jews who converted to Islam. There are three Jewish mausoleums in Egypt currently associated with the practice: [[Maimonides|Maimondes]]' tomb in Musky, Cairo; Sidi al-Amshati's tomb in El-Mahalla El-Kubra in [[Gharbia Governorate|Gharbia]], which has not hosted any celebrations for some time; and [[Abu Hasira|Hatsera]]'s mausoleum near Damanhur in Beheria.<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Youssef |first=Suzan |title=Jewish Pilgrimages in Egypt |date=2013-11-27 |work=Jewish Pilgrimages in Egypt |pages=1005–1016 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400849130-082/html?lang=en |access-date=2024-04-19 |publisher=Princeton University Press |language=en |doi=10.1515/9781400849130-082/html?lang=en |isbn=978-1-4008-4913-0}}</ref> The Synagogue of Moses at Dammuh was also well regarded as a holy pilgrimage site, and in the Medieval era, many shrines to Elijah existed. Such shrines commemorated the various places Elijah had taken refuge from King Ahab in.<ref name=":3" />
Hatsera was a Moroccan rabbi who died in Egypt while on pilgrimage, and was subsequently buried in Egypt. His tomb has been taken care of by Muslim Egyptians for many years, though it and it's pilgrimage has become a contentious legal and political issue. The tomb sits on a hill, and all hilltop tombs in Egypt are believed to protect surrounding villages from floods. Many locals mistakenly believe he was Muslim, or do not know what religion he was. A few even believe he was a Christian from the Pre-Islamic era. The local Muslim villagers often visit his tomb for healing, protection from the evil eye, or before Friday prayers. 89 other Jewish graves surround Hatsera's tomb.<ref name=":2" />
In the anniversary of Hatsera's death, pilgrims come on a ''hillūla'' journey, mostly from Morocco and France. A market pops up, and pilgrims gather in the tomb to pray, ask for blessings, and place items on the grave in hopes they'll be blessed. After the prayers, a meal is held. A rabbi and one of Hatsera's descendants are typically in attendance.<ref name=":2" />
Many Egyptians do not distinguish between saints of different religions, and simply rank them. First are the family of Mohammed, then the Companions, the martyrs, holy men, and lastly, local saints who are not well known outside their villages.<ref name=":2" />
===Iraq===
In Iraq, Muslims and Jews served alongside each other as keeps of shrines associated with saints and prophets.<ref name=":3" />
Among the tombs and shrines frequented by Jews in Iraq are the shrine of Ezekiel and the tomb of Ezra (in the 11th century said to be surround by the graves of seven tzadikim).<ref name=":3" />
===Lebanon===
In Lebanon, [[Karak Nuh]] hosts a tomb thought to be that of Noah, an identification dating back to the Medieval era.<ref name=":3" />
===Morocco===
In Morocco, emphasis has been put on saint veneration's similarities between Jewish and Muslim communities to different political ends. While these practices are indeed similar, and saints may be shared between communities, certain elements are uniquely Jewish. Saints and their icons are often likened to Torah scrolls and are physically treated in similar ways- the tomb of a saint is like a Torah's ark, and the frames of icons are made with similar materials to Torah mantles. Pilgrimages also borrow elements from Torah services.<ref name=":0">Beyond Exoticism and Syncretism: Situating Moroccan Pilgrimage in Jewish Studies by Oren Kosansky </ref> Annual Jewish pilgrimages to tzadik's tombs were called ''hillūla'', meaning celebration.<ref name=":1" />
Both Jews and Muslims held communal meals in the tomb sanctuary. Both attributed saints with the power to heal, do miracles, control nature, perform spiritual and ritual healing via trance, and control jinn. Tzadikim were also attributed to swnd messages in dreams, spirit forms, and while transformed into animals. Some of these traits are also similar to Christian saints, which likely influenced Iberian Judaism and was brought to Morocco by the explusion of Jews from Spain.<ref name=":1" />
The differences between the traditions include the fact that Muslim marabouts were recognized while alive, and were commonly related to, or were students or followers of, other holy figures. Tzadikim typically did not come from such holy lineages and were recognized after their deaths. Marabouts also often joined or were said to join anti-colonial resistance groups, while tzadikim did not.<ref name=":1" />
Tzadikim in Morocco are typically Torah scholars, miracle workers, and divine mediators. Stories and poems written about them are done in the same style and tradition as other Rabbinic literature.<ref name=":0" /> They were usually Rabbis, which is not uncommon in the Jewish tzadik tradition. Many saints in both Judaism and Islam were localized and only worshipped in specific areas. Others gained widespread recognition. Jews believed their saints to be superior to Muslim saints, and sometimes viewed the Muslim worship and serving of the tzadikim as evidence of this.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ojeda-Mata |first=Maite |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338780168_Jewish_saints_and_sanctuaries_in_colonial_Morocco |title=Saints and Sanctity in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |pages=199-215}}</ref>
The similarities of Moroccan Jewish and Muslim practices, including saint veneration, were used by colonial European powers to claim Morocco was unified and consisted of a distinct nation, but that Moroccans were not sufficiently united to resist imperialism. Today, these similarities are used to emphasize and display tolerance of religious minorities.<ref name=":0" /> In the colonial era, these overlaps and similarities led to positive economic relations in regard to saint veneration. The infrastructure introduced during colonialism increased the number of pilgrims for everyone, which increased their economies and the logistics for organizing them. The festive nature of Jewish pilgrimages in Morocco also increased during this time. Muslims often did the upkeep and protection of tombs, as the sultan would appoint them to protect the cemeteries of dhimmis. Today the government of Morocco continues to upkeep tombs and help organize and facilitate pilgrimages.<ref name=":1" />
===Palestine===
In Palestine, the sites associated with tzadikim and other holy figures have become politically contentious. These sites were once frequented by all religions in the area, with varying personal beliefs about who was buried there, but following the creation and expansion of the Israeli state, Palestinians, whether they are Muslim or otherwise, have often been banned from these sites. As such these sites are often at the center of violence. They have been used to justify Israeli settlements in the West Bank, hundreds of Israeli military personnel being deployed as escorts, military installations, and even the destruction of towns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Do Palestinians Burn Jewish Holy Sites? The Fraught History of Joseph’s Tomb |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1235758 |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Institute for Palestine Studies |language=en}}</ref> In one instance, an Israeli killed Palestinians in the Cave of the Patriarchs and has in turn been venerated by some.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Meri |first=Josef W. |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/11505 |title=The Cult of Saints among Muslims and Jews in Medieval Syria |date=2002-11-14 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-169796-8 |language=en}}</ref>
===Syria===
In Damascus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians would visit the same tomb of a medieval Muslim saint, a sharing of holiness that was once common throughout Muslim majority countries.<ref name=":3" />
Both the Medieval Jews and Muslims of Damascus believed the city would be the site of the coming of the Messiah at the end of time. Many sites in the city were given specific future roles in this, as well as being associated with various holy figures such as Abraham and Noah.<ref name=":3" />
Some of the holy sites frequented by Jews in Syria throughout history include the Synagogue of Elijah in Damascus (which contained a shrine dedicated to Elijah as well), another shrine dedicated to Elijah in Jawbar, east of Damascus, the propurted Tomb of Ezra in Taduf near Aleppo, the shrine of Abraham in Kefar Avaraham (aka Barza) near Damascus, and several other shrines dedicated to Elijah throughout Syria. Abraham has been associated with Damascus as far back as Josephus's writings, who recorded the belief that he had ruled Damascus as a king during some of his life.<ref name=":3" />
==Terminology in Kabbalah==
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* [[Gadol]]
* [[Gaon (Hebrew)|Gaon]]
* [[Sydyk]]
==References==
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