Abaye said: The world has no fewer than thirty-six righteous men who receive the face of the Divine Presence in every generation, as it is said: "Happy are all who wait for Him [lo]" (Isaiah 30:18) -- "lo" [spelled lamed-vav] in gematria is thirty-six. [The numerical value of the word for "for Him" equals thirty-six.] Is that so? But Rava said: The row that is before the Holy One, blessed be He, is eighteen thousand parasangs, as it is said: "All around, eighteen thousand" (Ezekiel 48:35)? This is not difficult: This case refers to those who gaze through a clear glass, and that case refers to those who gaze through a glass that is not clear.
The Thirty-six Just Men
Sanhedrin 97b
אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא פָּחֵית עָלְמָא מִתְּלָתִין וְשִׁיתָּא צַדִּיקֵי דִּמְקַבְּלִי אַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה בְּכֹל דָּרָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״אַשְׁרֵי כׇּל חוֹכֵי לוֹ״ – ״לוֹ״ בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא תְּלָתִין וְשִׁיתָּא הָווּ. אִינִי? וְהָאָמַר רָבָא: דָּרָא דְּקַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תַּמְנֵי סְרֵי אַלְפֵי פַּרְסָה הָוֵאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״סָבִיב שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר אָלֶף״! לָא קַשְׁיָא: הָא דְּמִסְתַּכְּלִי בְּאִיסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְּאִירָה, הָא דְּמִסְתַּכְּלִי בְּאִיסְפַּקְלַרְיָא שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה.
Themes
Original Sources
- B. Sanhedrin 97b
- B. Sukkah 45b
- Genesis Rabbah 35:2
- B. Hullin 45a
- Zohar Exodus, 2:151a.