Tzaddik — The Righteous Person
The tzaddik (righteous person) is the Jewish ideal of the fully developed human being — one whose character, practice, and relationship with God are so thoroughly integrated that right action flows naturally in all circumstances.
Tzaddik (righteous person — from tzedek, righteousness/justice) is the highest human ideal in the Jewish ethical tradition. Proverbs 10:25 declares: 'The tzaddik is the foundation of the world' (yesod olam) — a teaching developed in the Kabbalah and Hasidism into the doctrine that there are 36 hidden tzaddikim (Lamed-Vavniks) in every generation whose righteousness sustains the world. The Talmud distinguishes between the tzaddik (who has subdued his evil inclination) and the beinoni (the in-between person — who struggles with his inclination). The Tanya (Habad Hasidism's foundational text) argues that most people are beinonim — and that the beinoni level is fully achievable by all, while the level of tzaddik requires divine gift. The characteristics of the tzaddik include: delight in doing right (rather than forcing compliance), natural generosity and kindness, peace of mind in all circumstances, and the capacity to elevate all they encounter.
The tzaddik is the foundation of the world.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow's description of 'self-actualizing' people — those who have moved beyond deficiency motivation to authentic creative expression of their deepest values — approximates the Hasidic description of the tzaddik: one whose every action flows naturally from their integrated character rather than from duty or compulsion.
Tanakh