עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים וְעַל הַחֲסִידִים. וְעַל זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל. וְעַל פְּלֵיטַת סופְרֵיהֶם. וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק. וְעָלֵינוּ. יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ. וְתֵן שכָר טוב לְכָל הַבּוטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. וְשים חֶלְקֵנוּ עִמָּהֶם לְעולָם וְלא נֵבושׁ כִּי בְךָ בָטָחְנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מִשְׁעָן וּמִבְטָח לַצַּדִּיקִים – Upon the righteous, upon the pious, upon the elders of Your people the House of Israel, upon the remnant of their scholars, upon the true proselytes, and upon us, may Your mercy be aroused, Adonoy our God. Grant bountiful reward to all who trust in Your Name in truth; and place our lot among them, and may we never be put to shame, for in You we have put our trust. Blessed are You, Hashem, Support and Trust of the righteous.
Overview
Everyone thinks to pray about the sick, the child in the community, the young mother, the rosh yeshiva, and the wounded soldiers.
But there are so many people we don’t typically give a moment’s thought to, the kind of people who might fall under the radar otherwise. These people are not especially visible, yet they contribute inestimable value to Jewish communities everywhere. They deserve our prayers and perhaps recognition and support, and it helps everyone when they have the things they need to continue their essential work.
עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים – the righteous
The root of the word for righteousness, Tzaddik, is Tzedek, conventionally translated as justice – צדק / צַדִּיק; a righteous person is someone who seeks out, pursues, and upholds justice.
In this prayer, we request not just reward but compassion and mercy for them – יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ. It’s not easy to uphold justice and righteousness in public. Think of any rabbi or community leader in public view; they are constantly scrutinized and judged for everything they say and do. So we ask God to treat them with compassion and mercy, but it’s something we should offer such people as well.
You don’t have to be perfect to be righteous.
Righteousness and piety aren’t the same; piety and saintliness are more like justice and righteousness. Righteousness doesn’t mean perfection; our sages teach that apart from seven limited exceptions, there has never been such thing as a righteous person who never sinned or made a mistake – כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא.
The technical definition of a righteous person is someone whose merits outweigh their sins. It’s not a trivial status; to some extent, God is more exacting with righteous people.
However, the prophet Chabakuk uses a far more expansive definition of righteousness; a righteous person is someone who lives with faith – צַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה. That is to say, a righteous person is not defined by perfection but by the moments they choose to live with faith. This definition is broad enough to include someone who has made many mistakes but is simply trying to improve today.
As long as righteousness exists, blessing, goodness, and vitality can exist as well – וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם.
R’ Shlomo Zalman Aurbach went a step further and suggested that there could be a notion of a righteous person in a particular regard – tzadik ldavar echad- implying the inverse idea of a person wicked in one specific regard.
וְעַל הַחֲסִידִים – Saintliness
A saintly person living with piety is someone who goes beyond the obligations of the letter of the law – חסִיד. It’s not someone who does an extra mitzvah but someone who does the mitzvah in an extra manner. Beyond the Torah’s specific obligations, a saintly person attempts to do the right thing, what he understands God would want him to do.
Our sages give an example of some workers who negligently broke a barrel belonging to Rabbah Bar Bar Channah, who seized their tools as collateral to repair the damaged property. The workers went to Rav, who instructed Rabbah Bar Bar Channah to return the collateral, and he did. The workers then complained that they worked all day without pay, and Rav instructed Rabbah Bar Bar Channah to pay them despite doing a lousy job. he did this because Rav explained that it was the right thing to do, above and beyond his legal obligations – לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים וְארְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר. כִּי־יְשָׁרִים יִשְׁכְּנוּ־אָרֶץ וּתְמִימִים יִוָּתְרוּ בָהּ (Mishlei 2;21,22).
There are specific criteria for such things; it’s not a free-for-all. If a man sees a woman drowning but won’t save her because he won’t touch a woman, he is wicked, not to mention stupid. Our sages note that fools can never be saints – אין עם הארץ חֲסִיד. A saintly person is someone who has learned enough to know how to behave.
However, the risk of being too careful about one thing can lead to lost opportunities with other things for another; in their quest to do the right thing, they may inadvertently do the wrong thing.
וְעַל זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל – The wise
Like in English, the Hebrew word for sage has connotations of age. And yet, our sages teach that the word is a condensed word for someone who has acquired wisdom – ze kana chachma. This definition can mean anyone wise, from sages to scholars; the Haggada famously records how Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was a sage while still a teenager.
But at the most basic and practical level, anyone who has ever taken responsibility for the community can freely confirm that worrying about the Jewish People is difficult and stressful; it ages you. In the plainest and most literal sense, evenlay leaders who build and run communal organizations become sages – זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל.
On Shabbos, Jewish communities across the world say a prayer for the people who faithfully involve themselves in the needs of the community with faith, even when the community doesn’t recognize or appreciate them – עוסקין בצרכי צבור באמונה.
Sometimes, good people stand alone.
One of the most challenging parts of leadership is that it is lonely. Few know the struggles, late nights, calls, and meetings required by community involvement. The public sees a yeshiva or a charity, but who sees the human cost invested in the organization? The hours, the stress, the fundraising, the bureaucracy, the politics, and the people. It takes so much to build, mostly invisible and thankless work.
Moshe Rabbeinu is unanimously heralded as the greatest man of all, the faithful shepherd
who chooses Jewish People repeatedly, standing up to God on multiple occasions. Yet the people turn on him frequently, only ever a meal or two away from cursing him and wishing he’d never come along.
After losing his patience and hitting a rock instead of speaking to it, God determines that Moshe will not set foot in the Land of Israel; he will never cross the finish line of his life’s work. The punishment is severe for a crime that doesn’t seem so bad; this is an example of the exacting level of scrutiny the righteous and saintly can be held to.
Regardless, when the end came, Moshe asked God to change his mind, the one personal indulgence he asked for, the only thing he ever wanted for himself after a lifetime of public service and self-sacrifice, after putting it all on the line for his people. Apart from noting that God refuses, interesting in itself, we should notice that after all Moshe has done for the Jewish People, he stands entirely alone in his prayer, no one stands with him, and no one is fighting for him.
Leaders know too well that leadership is lonely. This blessing is a prayer for them, but they deserve our actual support as well; don’t let the righteous people in your circles stand alone.
וְעַל פְּלֵיטַת סופְרֵיהֶם – the remnant
This phrase can mean the weak scholars we have, who are pale shadows of the scholars of long ago. It can also be a reference to weak students who need extra assistance. It can also reference the people who rescue the remnant, people who work in outreach and conversion, and generally help people with their challenges and problems. More loosely, it can be refernece to the people who teach children and write books.
There is prestige in leading a yeshiva but little in teaching children how to read and translate; these roles are demanding and unglamorous, yet vital to our continuity.
וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק – the righteous converts
Righteous converts are people who are not born Jewish and choose to walk a new path and lifestyle and embrace Judaism.
People who are Jewish by choice, who choose Judaism over the culture of their birth, can be difficult for people born Jewish, for the simple reason that it makes them look bad. Keeping Shabbos is hard, keeping kosher is annoying, and Jewish education is so expensive; sure, that’s all true. But when you see someone who has worked harder and sacrificed so much more than anyone born Jewish, it makes any complaints or shortcomings look a little privileged. What excuse holds water next to someone who’s freely chosen, often at significant personal cost, the thing you’re complaining about?
Included in a convert or proselyte category is anyone missing a conventional support structure – someone in need, an immigrant, an orphan, older people, and the like. Taking care of these individuals is an obligation under the mitzvah to care for and love the stranger. This blessing is a prayer for these people to get the support they need; we must do our part, too.
Our prophets teach that the day will come when the world is ready to be enlightened, and the people of the world will look to us for guidance – כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֲשֶׁר יַחֲזִיקוּ עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִכֹּל לְשֹׁנוֹת הַגּוֹיִם וְהֶחֱזִיקוּ בִּכְנַף אִישׁ יְהוּדִי לֵאמֹר נֵלְכָה עִמָּכֶם כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ אֱלֹהִים עִמָּכֶם.
R’ Shimon Schwab notes how the Torah talks about how Yom Kippur also applies to converts, and suggets teaches that this category also includes internal converts, people who have done teshuva – וְהָיְתָה לָכֶם לְחֻקַּת עוֹלָם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ תְּעַנּוּ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם וְכל־מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ הָאֶזְרָח וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכְכֶם.
People who were not so Jewish in thought or deed once become a new person after teshuva, and we pray for them here as well – וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק.
וְעָלֵינוּ – and us too
How many people give a moment’s thought to the kinds of people in this prayer? And yet, our communities would collapse if not for them, and that’s precisely why. They are the people who contribute to the community, not the kind of people you might think you are responsible for. These people deserve our prayers.
This prayer is essentially a request for good things for great people, an extra measure of mercy and good for those you might not have thought of.
And after that list, we squeeze ourselves in, too – וְעָלֵינוּ.
Me too, just a regular person trying to do my part. Be impressed with me, too!
Our prophets teach how all of us have a claim to righteousness; we might not be Hillel or Shammai, but we can aspire and aim high. We can want to be great, it is a legitimate goal – וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר
יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ – overwhelm us with compassion and mercy
There is an orientation of compassion, a way of looking at the world and assuming the best. The Ramban suggests that whether you meet richer or poorer people, you should believe that they are worthy of your respect and have some qualities that you should look up to them for.
Taking a compassionate view of all these people, things can be so hard for them; we ask God to guard them against extra friction or judgment, from high stakes disgrace and mistakes – chillul Hashem. For all they contribute to the Jewish People, this is a small contribution back to them.
וְתֵן שכָר טוב – give a good payback
As this blessing concludes, we ask God to grant a good reward to all the great people out there. But why ask for that? Is that not how the system works?
There are many different kinds of rewards, and they exist on a spectrum. This world, the World to Come, and the hereafter, short term and long term, and then a range of consequences.
Sometimes bad people get ahead and things go well for them, one form of reward – בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּמוֹ־עֵשֶׂב וַיָּצִיצוּ כּל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן לְהִשָּׁמְדָם עֲדֵי־עַד. It is conceivable that a reward can be one good thing, just for a period of time, or just in this lifetime.
Our sages tell of the aftermath of the Golden Calf and suggest that Moshe argued that God was responsible for the consequences of giving the Jewish People so much gold on their departure from Egypt. Our sages compare it to a father who showers and freshens up his son, dresses him and gives him a good meal, then gives him a wad of cash and brings him to the entrance of a brothel; the father has set his son up for catastrophe.
Imagine a kind, sensitive person who works invisibly for years and suddenly becomes fabulously wealthy. Everywhere he goes, people chase him. They knock at his door day and night, call his house and office, wait for him in shul, and mob him at every event. It’s not hard to imagine, and it’s also not hard to imagine this kind and sensitive person becoming irritated and rude. In this example, wealth wasn’t a good reward; it spoiled and ruined the person.
Our sages teach that good deeds beget more good deeds and vice versa. We need the great people out there to have the resources, time, and energy to continue doing the good things they do, so we ask for a good and lasting reward, one that is tolerable and sustainable – וְתֵן שכָר טוב.
לְכָל הַבּוטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת – to all who believe truly
The better you know someone, the more you understand whether you can trust them. Every time they keep their word, you trust them a little more; each time the check doesn’t bounce, you trust the next one. The kind of people who feel like they trust God are people who have spent time trying to understand God and trying to live with a genuine feeling of relationship with God – הַבּוטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת.
People who live with that kind of trust get a good and lasting reward, but the good reward looks different to everyone. To some people, it’s wealth; to others, it’s wisdom or the World to Come. This should be kept private, but to some people, it can be a painful challenge that builds you up.
Imagine a scenario where someone has finished their work and asks the boss for more work, for the best case or deal to work on, the toughest sales pitch. It’s hard work, but the right challenge can stretch and push a person to greatness.
For the people who live with genuine trust in God, this can be a request for the things that help build them further.
וְשים חֶלְקֵנוּ עִמָּהֶם לְעולָם –
In a powerful affirmation of our spirituality, we ask for our place to be among the exceptional people.
The impact of leadership, the refinement of saints, the wisdom of scholars, the determination of educators, and the bravery and conviction of converts.
Let me be like them.
לֹא נֵבוֹשׁ כִּי בְךָ בָטָחְנוּ
God is not a bank that can fold or a president who will leave office.
We will never be embarrassed.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה מִשְׁעָן וּמִבְטָח לַצַּדִּיקִים
This blessing closes by affirming that we can lean on and rely on God.
Leaning and relying are different; when you lean on something not there, you fall. In this prayer, we pray to lean on God and feel like something is there in the moments we need that – מִשְׁעָן.
Relying on God is something everyone talks about but is exceptionally difficult to practice and the realm of the greats – וּמִבְטָח לַצַּדִּיקִים. As a baby learn that mother doesn’t need to be in the room every second, we recognize a healthy development milestone; trust is greater than leaning, and is a spiritual milestone. In the moments that don’t feel like there’s much to lean on, we can only trust that things will work out – וּמִבְטָח.
The Chazon Ish teaches that trust doesn’t mean expecting that God will do what you want and that the universe will conform to your desires; it means trusting that every aspect of life takes its course and unfolds as God intends, even when it runs counter to our wishes.