Don’t be surprised when you find that the Tzaddik has left something unperfected. This is God’s doing, so that the Tzaddik leaves an area through which his son can later gain prominence.

There are times when the interruption of Torah study strengthens it.

[A Tzaddik will] accept gifts from the wicked so that they might repent.

The Tzaddikim use their merit to benefit the world, but not themselves.

It is common for one Tzaddik to do something that will make him another Tzaddik’s teacher.

Seeing the faces of the generation’s leaders is of great benefit.

A Tzaddik will be punished when he fails to pray for his generation.

A person who teaches Torah to an unsuitable student is called wicked.

The manner in which the Sages speak brings prosperity and healing. A person should therefore learn to speak as they did.

When a person teaches Torah to others, the Torah is revealed to him with minimum effort.

It is common for a Tzaddik to complain when one of his disciples draws closer to another Tzaddik in order to gain prestige.

When drawing closer to Tzaddikim requires overcoming difficulties, it is all the more beneficial for serving the Creator.

There are times when Heaven shows the Tzaddik something that is only imaginary.

Doing a favor for someone who is unaware of it is like “throwing a stone at Mercury” (a form of idol worship).

Each person should practice [the Torah] as it was taught to him by his teacher.

There are times when God will bring a number of Tzaddikim together in one place so that the irritation caused by their mutual infringement brings them to fully mature.

Anyone who does not delay answering nature’s call merits having students.

It happens that a Tzaddik’s fame spreads far and wide, yet afterwards he falls. This is because of his desire for wealth.

Anyone who holds God important will record in a book all the names of the Tzaddikim, the Mishnaic Sages and the God-fearing, in order to remember them.

“Why do the Tzaddikim accept benefits from others so that their family members can live in affluence and splendor? Wouldn’t it be better to forgo such a lifestyle and not be obliged to take from others?” This should not trouble you. For whatever pleasure and broadness the Tzaddik experiences expands his soul, thereby providing the Holy One’s Divine Presence with a tranquil place to reside. Therefore, one should never come to the home of a Tzaddik empty-handed.

When you want a Tzaddik to pray for you, go to a Tzaddik who is compassionate.

You must refer to the most prominent leader of your generation as “my master,” even if you are greater than him.

When a Tzaddik suffers some misfortune, he should ask another Tzaddik to pray on his behalf.

Even if those who travel to be with the Tzaddik do not receive any Torah lessons from him, they are rewarded for having made the journey.

Whoever does not attend to the needs of Torah scholars deserves to die.

The Tzaddik can elevate the dead to a very high level.

By journeying to be with a Torah scholar, a person rectifies any spiritual damage he caused by [failing to recite] the Birkhot HaNehenin.

When a person is in a position to protest [against the actions of the wicked] but does not, he is punished for their sins.

It is inappropriate to accept the authority of others while in the Tzaddik’s presence.

One who is apathetic at the eulogy of a Torah scholar will not live long.

The Tzaddik’s ability to exact punishment is proportional to his mazal.

When a Tzaddik dies, the void he leaves behind is consistent with the attributes by which he lived.

The disciples of a Tzaddik earn their livelihood in his merit.

When a person hears a Torah lesson from the Tzaddik, it is as if he delivered it himself.

The death of a Tzaddik is as much a tragedy as the burning of God’s Temple.

If a Torah scholar is fitting, learn from him; if not, part from his company.

One should not stare at his teacher’s nakedness in the bathhouse, or in any other similar situation.

There are times when two Tzaddikim are on equal par, yet great mysteries are revealed to only one of them. You should know that the reason the other is not shown is because his merit is needed elsewhere, to protect others.

It is better to draw close to a Tzaddik who is compassionate.

In the merit of attending to the needs of a great person, one is saved from death.

A person who issues a Halakhic ruling in the presence of his teacher deserves to die, and by right should be bitten by a snake. He is called a sinner and should be removed from a position of status. He will descend into hell, childless.

Once you’ve made certain that the source from which you draw wisdom—namely, your teacher—is blessed and fitting, don’t substitute or exchange it for another.

Each person should behave in a manner consistent with the blessing given to his tribe [by the patriarch Jacob].

The wellspring of Torah departs from the Tzaddik when there is a wicked person in his home.

In the merit of the Tzaddikim buried in their midst, also those buried outside the Holy Land will merit resurrection without suffering.

Benefitting the Tzaddik with one’s money is tantamount to performing the service of the Holy Temple.

There are some Tzaddikim who are never known by the title “rabbi.”

When the Tzaddik says something that remains unfulfilled because its time has not yet come, his words are engraved on high but lack luster. However, once the time comes for his words to be realized, they begin to shine brightly.

One who benefits a Torah scholar has to strengthen [his faith] so as not to lose his respect for that scholar.

Denying one’s student Torah is tantamount to stealing his ancestral inheritance. Even a fetus in its mother’s womb curses such a teacher, whose body will be riddled with holes, like a sieve. Conversely, by teaching his student, he is rewarded with great blessing, like Joseph, and merits teaching Torah in the World to Come.

A person who does not use his wealth to benefit a Torah scholar will never see a blessing in what he owns.

One who ridicules the words of the Sages is punished with death.

Being close to the Tzaddikim is beneficial in both this world and the next.

The Tzaddik has the power to decree heaven for one person and hell for another.

It is worthwhile expending even a great deal of time in order to spend but a single hour in the proximity of a Tzaddik.

When a person begins losing the use of his physical senses, he should worry that death, or some other misfortune, is near.

There are those who can create beautiful Torah expositions and yet not be in tune with the truth.

One Tzaddik can elevate the Torah lesson of another Tzaddik.

The insight that a Tzaddik originates in Torah, God repeats in his name.

The words of wise Tzaddikim are dearer than the words of Torah and the Prophets. You must hearken to and obey them even if these Tzaddikim do not impress you with any miracle.

One who praises the Tzaddik will have blessings placed on his head.

Everything that happens in a town depends on the Tzaddik living there.

A Tzaddik may have a student of Halakhah attend him, provided he teaches this student something new.

Whoever brings a boor under the Tzaddik’s influence will be rewarded.

One who goes out to greet his teacher will never see the netherworld.

There are times when a person’s prayers help as long as he keeps praying. Once he stops, the Holy One does as He sees fit.

Giving a gift to a Torah scholar is like bringing a first-fruit offering.

Do not try to force God’s hand.

One who loves the Tzaddik must keep him from getting a bad name.

The Tzaddik despises all the favors of wicked men.

Do not beseech or bother your Master as long as it is possible to achieve what you seek through your own efforts.

While a Tzaddik is still in this world, his portion in the Garden of Eden is being used by the Tzaddikim already there.

There are certain disciples whose very essence is dependent on the merit of the Tzaddik. When the Tzaddik dies, they also die, or are punished.

Those who were followers of the Tzaddik during his lifetime will be his followers even after his death, or after theirs.

When a person is close to one Tzaddik and then becomes a follower of a second Tzaddik, the Torah taught to him by the first Tzaddik troubles him.

There are times when a Tzaddik must die in order to suppress some harsh decree on high.

Who merits the World to Come? The one whom people honor for his wisdom.

A person who gives charity is able to turn from evil ways.

You need not chastise and chase away a student who refuses to follow the proper path. Rather, bring him closer to you. This will benefit your other pupils, and eventually he too will take heed.

A person sometimes dies before his time because of the Tzaddik’s complaints against him.

It is possible for a person to be a great Tzaddik even without being very learned.

A person who does not believe in the words of the Tzaddikim, and certainly one who ridicules them, deserves to be punished.

The Tzaddik is permitted to discourage a person who wants to get closer to him but raises questions unnecessarily.

Before publicly delivering a Torah lesson, the Tzaddik may say things that will endear his words to his listeners.

[Although decreed in heaven,] even a person’s first marriage partner can be changed through prayer.

In this world, whoever wants to get closer can do so. But in the World to Come, the only ones brought close are those who already were.

When a person rejects the Tzaddik’s attempts to draw him closer, the Tzaddik has every right to push him away.

The Tzaddik can punish his offender with death even for a slight offense, and even if that offense was accidental.

That which you hear directly from the Tzaddik is more beneficial than that which you learn from a book.

A person is better able to understand when he sees the face of the speaker.

The Tzaddik’s simple statement opens up a great light, making it easy for common people to understand exalted wisdom.

When a person behaves improperly, it is permitted to make him your servant.

The Tzaddik will sometimes elevate a person only to later lower his status. This is for that person’s own good.

Some Tzaddikim are called good, while others are not. Likewise, some evil men are called wicked, while others are not.

It is a disgrace and a humiliation for the generation when its leader has no one tending to his affairs.

Teaching others [to perform mitzvot] is preferable to practicing oneself.

Be careful not to display piety in front of a great person.

You can determine a person’s inner character from his affiliation, when you see which Tzaddik he follows.

A Tzaddik should not endanger himself by being the only one to pray on his behalf. Rather, he should ask a second Tzaddik to pray with him.

The Tzaddik’s prayer has the power to save a person from sinning.

The Tzaddik is the image of God for his generation.

In their time of trouble, the Tzaddik bears the suffering of those who support him.

A person can be a Tzaddik even if he hasn’t perfected his trust in God.

The Tzaddik is able to enjoy physical pleasure without fearing the evil inclination, because his Torah study will protect him.

A person who does not rise in the presence of his teacher is called wicked. He will not live a long life and will forget his learning.

Do not burden the Holy One when you can find help by some other means.

Sometimes, pleasing the Tzaddik just once, and only slightly, is enough to earn the World to Come.

A person who has perfect faith in God is capable of pleasing the Tzaddik.

One who is free of idolatrous thoughts will always yearn to save the Tzaddikim.

When a person wants to benefit the Tzaddik, the Holy One gives him the ability to do so.

A Torah scholar who rejects his teachers has his years shortened.

A person who assumes the position of rabbi when there is someone greater than himself has his years cut short.

When a Tzaddik must pray for something but is afraid of those who will dispute his righteousness, he should ask for the very opposite of what he wants.

When a wicked person who has done some evil comes to the Tzaddik seeking his approval, the Tzaddik may save himself by telling the wicked person that he has done well.

Preventing others from coming under the wings of the Divine Presence (i.e., serving God) causes a person’s children to fall into servitude.

There are times when the mercy one must seek for a sick person is that he die.

The Holy One first reveals a hidden teaching in the Torah to the Tzaddik and then repeats that teaching in the Tzaddik’s name.

There are times when the fasting and prayers of the Tzaddik are to no avail.

The Tzaddik may violate the boundaries set by others in order to establish his own path [in serving God].

There are times when among those who’ve been sentenced to death in heaven is someone whom the Tzaddik loves. The Tzaddik has the power to pray for him and save him by putting someone else in his place.

The Tzaddik has the power to take from one person and give to another.

The Tzaddik’s blessing is a pidyon.

Each Tzaddik has a particular devotion that another Tzaddik, even one greater than him, is unable to match.

The reason Tzaddikim travel from place to place collecting money is that the words of Torah are poor (concise) in one place and rich (extensive) in another.

Torah scholars live long when they show each other respect.

The prayers of a Tzaddik who is the son of a wicked person cannot compare to the prayers of a Tzaddik who is the son of a Tzaddik.

Testing the Tzaddik is like testing God.

All the demands for money that the gentiles make of the Jews are only on account of the disrespect that the Jews have shown the Tzaddik.

It is a great honor for the Tzaddik when those who are God’s enemies also speak against and argue with him.

Faith in the Tzaddik mitigates harsh judgment.

The Tzaddik uses God’s Torah to teach Him how to act towards us.

A prayer that a person prays while binding himself to the Tzaddikim will be answered.

The Holy One pardons the sins of the Jews because of the Tzaddikim.

A person’s derisiveness prevents him from going to the Tzaddikim

By giving charity, a person merits coming closer to the Tzaddikim.

There is no Tzaddik who is free from controversy and scrutiny.

The wicked person who is too embarrassed to repudiate the Tzaddik himself will instead berate those who follow the Tzaddik.

Seeing the face of the Tzaddik sharpens the mind.

Whoever protects the Tzaddik from suffering merits respect and will benefit from the Tzaddik’s righteousness.

By hearing a Torah lesson from a Tzaddik one receives vitality.

A wicked person who has sinned often can make amends by doing things that bring vitality to the Tzaddik.

When a wicked person humbles himself before the Tzaddik, clearly some punishment had been decreed against the Tzaddik, but now that punishment will no longer come.

When you fear the Tzaddik, you merit turning away from evil.

When a wicked person prays for mercy on behalf of a Tzaddik who is in pain, he merits standing at the gates of the righteous.

The Holy One will sometimes ignore the Tzaddik’s prayers in order to push aside the wicked, so that they will remain with their evil ways.

Those who quarrel with the Tzaddik forget the Torah.

Praising the Tzaddikim is like praising God.

Neither the sound of war nor turmoil nor bad news is heard in a city that obeys the Tzaddik.

Opposition to the Tzaddikim stems from the opposition the Tzaddikim show for each other.

God makes the Tzaddik dependent upon the masses for his livelihood so that he should have some connection to them. Thus, when God remembers the Tzaddik, He also remembers everyone else.

Mashiach’s coming is dependent on our getting closer to the Tzaddik.

The soul’s perfection depends mainly on getting closer to the Tzaddikim.

When a person’s drawing closer to the Tzaddik lacks sincerity, he will later turn into the Tzaddik’s adversary.

While in the presence of the Tzaddik, a liar’s heart wonders how he will ever be able to speak afterwards.

People who speak against the Tzaddik eventually have their words turn on them. They also fall ill.

Whoever humbles himself before the Tzaddik arouses the Tzaddik’s love for him.

Telling stories about the Tzaddikim brings a person closer to them.

The more God rests a spirit of holiness upon a Tzaddik, the more that Tzaddik receives support from the wealthy; and the more support they give him, the better the Tzaddik is able to bring the wicked back to God in repentance.

The Tzaddikim are made to suffer so that in the World to Come the wicked will have no claim against the good that God will give the righteous.

When God-fearing people join with the Tzaddik, they cause the Holy One and His Divine Presence to unite face to face; after which, there is no descent [from this elevated state].

Praising the Tzaddikim causes the wicked to suffer a great downfall.

The Tzaddik dies on account of the sins of sorcery and immoral behavior.

People guilty of immoral behavior are usually opponents of the Tzaddikim.

When the Tzaddik passes away, people are left in a state akin to impurity and their righteousness is repulsive in God’s eyes.

When people rise up against the Tzaddik, they incite Heaven’s wrath and promote an outbreak of fires.

There are times when Tzaddikim are made to wander from place to place in order to reveal the existence of some hidden Tzaddik.

There are times when the Tzaddik is made to suffer in order to lessen the suffering of the Jewish people.

The masses filling their stomachs brings about the loss of the Tzaddik.

The suffering of the Tzaddikim atones for all of Israel.

God grows angry with, and strikes fear into, a person who refuses to accept the authority of the Tzaddik.

God grants contentment to anyone who brings a gift to the Tzaddik.

By bringing a gift to the Tzaddik, a person defeats his enemies and nullifies the evil spirit that has rested upon him.

The Holy One shows favor to a person who prostrates himself on the grave of a Tzaddik, even if he does not deserve it.

God performs acts of lovingkindness for a person who relates stories about the Tzaddikim.

The Tzaddik is able to lead people because of the fear of God that he possesses.

A person must stand while receiving the Tzaddik’s blessing.

A king may raise the funds needed for his expenditures by taxing his nation.

The respect shown for the Tzaddik’s offspring awakens the Holy One’s will to bring Mashiach.

Traveling to visit the Tzaddik subdues one’s enemies.

Anyone who violates the Tzaddik’s instructions falls from esteem.

When a person uses his possessions to benefit the Tzaddik, it is as if he benefits all Jews and he will be saved from death.

Objecting to the words of the Tzaddik is tantamount to seeking advice from a sorcerer.

When a person possesses genuine wisdom, God is with him and people fear him.

One who provides all sorts of support for the Tzaddik will be close to and near this Tzaddik in the World to Come.

Aperson who provokes the Tzaddik will in the end be caught in an evil trap.

When one relates stories about the Tzaddikim, his own righteousness is remembered [by God].

A Tzaddik is able to give even something that does not yet exist.

The Tzaddik takes possession of wherever he sets his foot.

By offering advice to Tzaddikim at a time they face opposition, a person’s achievements will be established and will never be undone.

While observing the Tzaddik, a person should gaze with reverence so that he will not be punished by Heaven.

A person’s fear of Heaven makes him yearn to draw closer to the Tzaddik.

Sitting at the table of the Tzaddik eliminates war.

A fraudulent person eventually joins those who oppose and quarrel with the Tzaddik.

There are times when the Tzaddik will contract leprosy because he has recently gotten some person to repent.

Whoever says of the Tzaddik that he is wicked, and of a wicked person that he is a Tzaddik, will fall ill. Through this he also causes an eclipse of the sun, and of the moon.

Binding oneself to the Tzaddik is a great healing.

It is very difficult for a person to achieve the assistance he needs when there is a Tzaddik in his city and he does not ask the Tzaddik to pray for him.

It sometimes happens that although a person is very close to the Tzaddik, he doesn’t feel any fear of God. He should know that were he not close to the Tzaddik, he would not even deserve to be alive.

There are times when the Tzaddik is too embarrassed to ask God to relieve his suffering. What does God do? He brings similar suffering upon a wicked person so that he comes to the Tzaddik and asks the Tzaddik to pray for him. In this way, the Tzaddik, too, is relieved of his suffering.

Whoever disagrees with a Tzaddik to his face clearly has no fear of Heaven.

Sometimes, the strife a Tzaddik encounters is definite proof of his righteousness.

There are wicked people who are successful. But when they persecute the Tzaddik, the evil forces themselves take revenge against them.

The difference between a Tzaddik and a person who fears God is that the God-fearing person is not given permission to reveal God’s secrets, whereas the Tzaddik is.

Whoever speaks against the Tzaddik clearly is arrogant.

When the Holy One wants a Tzaddik to teach the proper path to people, He indicates this to the Tzaddik through his livelihood.

TheTzaddik, while praying for a person, isable to understand which sin is the cause of that person’s particular misfortune.

One who guards his sexual purity certainly cherishes the Tzaddik.

When the Tzaddik serves God but shows no concern for teaching the common people, he will fall from his spiritual level.

By financially supporting the Tzaddik, all a person’s sins are pardoned, just as when the Kohanim eat from a sacrifice and the sins of the animal’s owners are atoned.