TSADDIQ. The Hasidic tsaddiq (righteous one), also called rebbe (teacher) or admor (acronym for "master, teacher, and guide"), is the spiritual leader of a Jewish community, to whom members look for guidance in both spiritual and mundane matters. Throughout history, with a few exceptions, the overwhelming majority of Hasidic tsaddiqim (plural for tsaddiq) have been male. The tsaddiq is the officially designated intercessor to God (shaliah tsibur) whose prayers on behalf of the community or the individual, while not absolving them of their religious responsibility to address only God in prayer, are considered to be more efficacious than their own, due to his perceived close intimacy with—and influence on—divine providence. He prays with his community and often presides over sacred meals with them, where his followers observe his holy comportment and participate in his charisma, expressed in both communal song and verbal teaching. The source of...