Help me identify this folk/religious tradition/concept

August 4, 2008 5:22 PM

Help me identify: possibly Judaic (maybe Yiddish) folk tradition of a very small group of individuals for whom God allows the world exist. The point being there's no way of knowing if any individual is one of those chosen few, thus necessitating kindness and decency to all.

Tell me I'm not insane- I could've sworn I read about this on Ask a year or two ago, but my searching just isn't finding it. After an aggravating hour or so of Google/Mefi digging, I'm coming here. It's a completely interesting and intriguing premise that resonates with me for some reason, so identifying would be awesome. I've probably bastardized the concept slightly, and the group to which it belongs, but any help would rule.

posted by potch to Religion & Philosophy (14 answers total)

Best answer: "The Talmud[2] says that at least 36 Tzadikim Nistarim -- anonymous tzadikim -- are living among us at all times; they are anonymous, and it is for their sake alone that the world is not destroyed. The Talmud and the Kabbalah offer various ideas about the nature and role of these 36 tzadikim."
posted by Jahaza at 5:27 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You've pretty much got it right. They're the Tzadikim Nistarim, aka the Lamdedvavniks in the Yiddish. It's a Hasidic mystical concept; basically, it's 36 righteous people whose goodness keeps the world from getting nuked, no matter how bad the rest of us get - think Abraham's "But what if there are ten good men?" pleading in Sodom and Gomorrah, but for the whole world.
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:31 PM on August 4, 2008

(Side note for readers: Mine and Jahaza's links are to related, but different, wikipedia entries.)
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:32 PM on August 4, 2008

I've heard them described as "Lamed Wufnik" as well.
posted by LionIndex at 5:34 PM on August 4, 2008

previously on the blue
posted by yeoz at 5:34 PM on August 4, 2008

also, double post
posted by yeoz at 5:35 PM on August 4, 2008

Response by poster: Awesome x 10- Thanks! Yeah, I know it was asked here before, but I just couldn't find it for the life of me. So, danke.
posted by potch at 5:45 PM on August 4, 2008

I love this idea . . . it's so purely Jewish and wonderful.

That said, I have read so many books in which the kindness, generosity and civility of a stranger is described by the narrator as proof that "surely this is one of God's few righteous men" that I suspect, if these authors are telling the truth, that the actual number must be more than thirty-six!
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 5:46 PM on August 4, 2008

Thanks for posting this. I remember reading an amazing thriller last year on this topic - someone in the world was attempting to find and kill these 36 people within a certain time frame to destroy the world. Can't remember the name of the author, though it was his first novel.

And now I know more about his inspiration. Love metafilter.
posted by anitanita at 6:56 PM on August 4, 2008

And all 36 have awesome superpowers!
posted by SPrintF at 7:06 PM on August 4, 2008

We were also taught that even the 36 don't necessarily know who they are, so it might be you!
posted by jasper411 at 8:53 PM on August 4, 2008

We were also taught that even the 36 don't necessarily know who they are, so it might be you!

But only if you're Jewish, apparently.

Nevertheless, like most things arising out of esoteric Judaism, this is incredibly interesting. Great question.
posted by paradoxflow at 3:19 AM on August 5, 2008

The story echoes the Biblical story of Abraham begging God to save Sodom if there are even X number of good men there. Genesis 18:23
posted by callmejay at 6:11 AM on August 5, 2008

A similar concept also finds its way into legal arguments against capital punishment (n Guilty men). Don't care that it's a double or explored before, thanks for reminding me of this beautiful and affirming philosophy.
posted by nax at 6:57 AM on August 5, 2008