August 29, 2008 Rabbi Berel Wein: 20/20 sightlessness Caroline B. Glick: When history is not repeated JWisdom: Blessed or Cursed: It's Really Up to You by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky August 28, 2008 Steve Lipman: A Comeback for the 'Jewish Jordan' Jeffrey Weiss: Researcher reports 'intriguing' diabetes breakthrough August 27, 2008 Rabbi Zecharya Greenwald: Removing the perfectionist's mask The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Nunn: Summer harvest linguine JWisdom:: The Missing Link in Spiritual Life by Rabbi David Aaron August 26, 2008 Yaffa Ganz: Grandma gets lessons in staying cool Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: The Dems' 'soft' jihadist JWisdom:: Today: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Plague of indifference August 25, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: A friend is bearing a silly grudge from a supposed wrong. What recourse do I have? Daniel Pipes: Barack Obama through Muslim Eyes JWisdom:: The knowledge you need to overcome your insecurities by Malka Schulman August 22, 2008 Rabbi Berel Wein: Life's essential ingredient Caroline B. Glick: Dominos anyone? JWisdom:: Actually, Do Sweat the Small Stuff! by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky August 21, 2008 Today in Biblical History by Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Popularization of Kabbalah: 20 Menachem-Av 1558 CE Jonathan Rosenblum: Lessons from the Beyond JWisdom: : The Olympian within is rooting for you -- yes, you! –- to go for the gold August 20, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Misleading Platform Platitudes The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing JWisdom: The Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith: America's Defense of the Jews --- Until WWII by Rabbi Nosson Scherman August 19, 2008 Dennis Prager: If the Almighty doesn't exist Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Obama's Islamist problem has nothing to do with his upbringing JWisdom: Think your life is messed up? by Rabbi David Aaron August 18, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Business with Friends Diana West: Roars About Russia, Bare Whispers About Islam JWisdom: Relationship agony: The real cause by Malka Schulman August 15, 2008 Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: To love the Divine Caroline B. Glick: Georgia, Israel, and the nature of man JWisdom: The Truly Righteous Don't Demand Entitlements by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky August 14, 2008 Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Confessions of broken spirit Libby Lazewnik: The Numbers Game JWisdom: Six Questions You'll Be Asked in Heaven? - Uh - Let's Just Take One for Now! by Gavriel Aryeh Sanders August 13, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Georgia should be on their minds The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Go Greek: Pair flavorful lamb kebabs with a hearty salad JWisdom: Human hybrids aren't science fiction by Rabbi David Aaron August 12, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bless us Daniel Pipes: The West's Islamist Infiltrators JWisdom: From Sadness to Gladness: The Route from Tisha b'Av to Rosh Hashana by Rabbi Mordechai Becher August 11, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: A Jewish view on fair pricing Caroline B. Glick: Ignoring failure in Gaza JWisdom: 'Communication' Is Not The Answer! by Malka Schulman August 7, 2008 Rabbi David Gutterman: A Continuing Story With a Sustaining Goal Rabbi Berel Wein: Mourning and morning JWisdom: Yes, we are still in exile by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky August 6, 2008 David Ashenfelter: Government made military engineer's life a living hell because of his faith, Defense Department report documents Jonathan Tobin: Speak the Truth; Defeat the Lies JWisdom: Jewish Spirituality: Fusion or Confusion? by Rabbi David Aaron August 5, 2008 Chris Leppek: Church/state wall beginning to crumble? Paul Greenberg: Exit Olmert (no encore, please) JWisdom: Serenity: Make the commitment by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin (Read by Gavriel Sanders) August 4, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Am I taking advantage of another's psychological quirk? Andrew Silow-Carroll: A black and a Jew walk into the White House… JWisdom: The Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith: Edward R. Morrow visits the ‘living dead’ by Rabbi Nosson Scherman August 1, 2008 Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: We have the power to alter another's destiny — use it well Caroline B. Glick: Why Olmert — finally — did it JWisdom: Life By The (Book of) Numbers by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky July 31, 2008 This Week in Biblical History by Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Ezra the Scribe returns from exile Joan Verdon: Demure is in demand: More brides seek 'modest' gowns JWisdom: You don't have to be ‘compatible’ to have a stable, happy relationship by Malka Shulman July 30, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Does Israel need 'tough love'? The Kosher Gourmet by Gail Borelli: Pickling captures the fleeting tastes of summer's fruits and vegetables JWisdom: Serenity: It's Really Up to YOU! by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin (Read by Gavriel Sanders) July 29, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Good things happen Dick Morris: How Israel's race could shift ours JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Equal but Not Jewish or Jewish but Not Human? July 28, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: How and when to lie Steven Emerson: More Perils of Interfaith Dialogue JWisdom:: A TripTik for Your Spiritual Journey by Rabbi Dovid Gross March 22, 2007 J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !) Oct. 29, 2003 Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review June 19, 2008 / 16 Sivan 5768 The saints who don't come marchin' in By Rabbi Elazar Meisels The role of the "hidden righteous" http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Dear Rabbi, I've heard that there is a Jewish tradition that there are no less than 36 righteous people upon whose merit the entire world exists. Is this really so, and is there some special significance to this? — Jed T . Thank you for your question. This tradition is actually found in the Talmud [Tractate Sukkah 45b], which writes, "Abaye said: The world must contain not less than thirty-six righteous men in each generation who merit [the sight of] the Shechinah's countenance, for it is written, 'Praised are those who yearn lo [for him]' the numerical value of 'lo' (lamed-vav in Hebrew) is thirty-six." The Talmud goes on to explain that these thirty-six individuals merit to perceive the Divine Presence with exquisite clarity, which is known in Hebrew as "Aspaklaria Meirah," a lofty level of Divine perception accessible to only the most spiritual and righteous of men. The commentary Etz Yosef [Sanhedrin 93b] understands this idea to be referring to heavenly advocates. He explains that every single day the world is judged on its merits by the Heavenly Sanhedrin [High Court], which is comprised of 71 presiding judges. Thirty-five of the judges examine our collective sin and decide against our existence. The remaining thirty-six argue in our favor and since they are the majority, Hashem accepts their opinion and the world is spared Divine wrath. Most commentators however, understand this to be referring to tzaddikim [the truly righteous] who reside on this earth, and in whose personal merit the world continues to endure. Essentially, what this means is that there exists in this world an overpowering force of negativity generated by man's sins that seeks to deny the Divine's existence in both word and deed. Barring the positive forces generated by the exceptional righteousness of these thirty-six individuals, the world would be overwhelmed by the negativity and lose its right to exist. Practically speaking, I am not aware of any significant ramifications that this tradition has on our daily life other than to spur us to attain this lofty level whose sum is greater than its parts. To the best of my knowledge, these individuals do not advertise their status, nor is it relevant to us who they are. I would assume that someone who claimed to be a member of this exclusive club, would actually be providing proof positive that he is clearly not, as humility is a defining characteristic of tzaddikim. It is because of the ambiguity surrounding their identity that they are often referred to as, "Thirty-six hidden tzaddikim." It is interesting to observe that the number thirty-six finds expression in other areas as well. For example, in the Torah's account of the first of the six days of creation, it writes of how the Divine curtailed the intense light that He created on the first day of Creation with the words, "Let there be light." However, tradition teaches us that He did not immediately reduce the illumination. Rather, He allowed it to shine for thirty-six hours and only then diminished it's luminescence. The well-known commentator Rashi notes that the Divine did not remove it permanently. Instead, He placed it in safekeeping for only the truly righteous to access. This should not be mistakenly understood to mean that the Divine underwent a change of heart, G-d forbid. Rather, the world needed this illumination. However, this level of illumination was so powerful that it could not be left for just anyone to access. Instead, the expectation was that through their single-minded devotion to Hashem, each of the thirty-six tzaddikim would access one unit of the thirty-six levels and reflect that to the world at large. There was a time in our history when even common Jews demonstrated such a high level of devotion to the Divine that they merited a glimpse of this Divine light. That was during the story of Chanukah and for that reason the total number of Chanukah candles that are kindled through the eight days of Chanukah is thirty-six. Additionally it is interesting to note that the Mishnah in Tractate Krissus enumerates all the sins for which one is visited with the most severe of all divine consequences: Karess, which means, "spiritual excision." Although difficult to describe, the result of this is that the offenders' soul is severed from the Jewish people. In total, there are thirty-six sins for which this consequence is prescribed. The commentaries point out that correspondingly, there are thirty-six tzaddikim whose righteousness offsets the disastrous effects of these sins and without which we would be totally severed from our Source. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspiring articles. Sign up for our daily update. It's free. Just click here. Comment by clicking here. Rabbi Elazar Meisels is founder of the Lidrosh Institute for Jewish Education. He serves as the Rabbi of The Michigan State University Hillel and Educational Director of The Partners In Torah Telepartners Division. © 2008, Partners in Torah