These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, faultless in his generation… (Genesis 6:9) A person is called a Tzaddik – in the mystery of “A Tzaddik is the foundation of the world” (Proverbs 10:25) – when he takes great pleasure in serving G‑d, for “From my flesh, I will behold G‑d” (Job 19:26).¹ Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Va’eschanan, p. 179b

footnotes: ¹ Chasidic writings often cite this verse to support the idea that a human beings physical, emotional and mental constituents parallel and reflect the workings of the supernal Sefiros through which G‑d directs the world. Through considering our physicality, we can understand how the divine superstructure of creation functions. The Sefirah of Yesod, (literally “Foundation”) corresponds on the human dimension to the phallus. And just as this organ is the focus of physical pleasure, so a Tzaddik, who is the “foundation” of the world, takes intense spiritual pleasure in serving G‑d. This pleasure is itself a rarified and uplifted expression of sexual pleasure. The Baal Shem Tov develops this idea in the next piece, below.