Q&A: Attachment to the Righteous
Attachment to the Righteous
Question
How do you understand the concept of “attachment to the righteous,” which is explained in many Hasidic books as a foundation for rising in the service of God, and likewise by great figures who were not Hasidic, such as: ~Rabbeinu Jonathan Eybeschutz — "If so, all the prayers revolve around the prayer of the righteous and attach themselves to their prayer, and he [the righteous person] is one for whom no barrier separates him from God; through his prayer, the prayer of others also rises… and through their prayer, the prayer of others also rises" (Yearot Devash, Part I, end of Sermon 9) ~Rabbi Chida — "When there is one righteous person in the generation, the Divine Presence is with him, and through him it receives the praise, prayers, and service of the worthy people of Israel, by means of that righteous person, the standard-bearer" (Midbar Kedemot, letter tzadi, 6) ~Rabbi Moshe Cordovero — "And their prayer and service are by means of that worthy one, the standard-bearer… and all the prayers of Israel ascend through this ladder" (Elimah, Ein Kol Tamar 5, chapter 14) (See also: Benayahu Ben Yehoyada on Berakhot 5a; Hatam Sofer on the Torah, parashat Shemot; Sha'ar HaGilgulim, introduction 38; Kiryana D'Igrata, Part I, no. 281 in the new edition)
Answer
If you’re asking me for explanations of these inventions, especially when it comes to Hasidism, it seems you’re new here.
Discussion on Answer
That would be if the righteous person prays for me (and even about that, consistent with my general view, I don’t really believe). But attachment to him is something else.
When you think about it, it’s not necessary, but it is possible, and even logical. Like the Rabbi understands that a righteous person’s prayer has a better chance of being accepted [as explained in your book], the same would apply here: an ordinary person who is not righteous is himself not worthy that his prayer be accepted, but the righteous person, since he is not asking only for himself [the prayer is in the plural], his prayer lifts up the requests of the other people. [This doesn’t contradict the fact that a person has to work very hard to become righteous and not live by the mantra that there are righteous people and we’ll rely on them.]