Tzidkas HaTzaddik

012 Do I Need to Fix Myself Before I Move Forward? R Tzaddok on Teshuva

What comes first in teshuva: fixing the past, or moving toward the future? Many people never begin because they feel they first need to repair everything broken inside them. But Rav Tzadok opens a different path. In this shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik, os beis, we explore the two stages of teshuva: teshuva lehaba, turning toward Hashem through Torah, clarity, and new direction, and tikkun leshe’avar, returning afterward to repair the past through kaparah. Using the Torah’s model of mikvah, herev shemesh, truma, and kodshim, this piece shows that a person can begin again even before everything is fixed. The first step is not pretending the past does not matter. It is entering the reality of Torah so deeply that a new identity begins to emerge. From there, the past can be repaired, not from paralysis or shame, but from the strength of a person already moving forward.

011 Darkness by Design: Understanding the Cycles of Growth and Gilui

What if your darkness wasn’t a detour — but the design? In this shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik 11, we uncover Rav Tzadok’s foundational principle: choshech (darkness) doesn’t just come before or (light) — it makes the light possible. From the opening lines of creation to the inner cycles of your own avodah, the Torah reveals a pattern: absence before presence, void before revelation, klipah before pri. Rav Tzadok reframes how we encounter difficulty, delay, or silence — not as breakdowns, but as the exact conditions that allow something higher to emerge. We explore: * Why the Torah begins with night * How your own setbacks might be the first step of giluy * And why Torah and Kodshim are the rare places where light comes first A shiur about beginnings, but even more — about how to begin again.

010 Connecting through Learning Torah as a Fulfillment of Divine Command

This powerful shiur clarifies the essence of Torah study—not as intellectual pursuit, but as divine connection. We explore how true limud haTorah must be in the context of tzivui (command) of Hashem. Torah isn’t just a body of knowledge, but the means through which Hashem’s ratzon (will) expresses itself the world. We examine the dual role of Torah sheb’ksav as divine command and Torah sheba’al peh as the fleshing out of that will in the world of action and relationship. If one studies Torah without remaining conscious of its origin in Hashem’s instruction, Rav Tzadok warns that one risks turning it into mere academic exercise—leaving Hashem behind on the page. This shiur challenges us to ensure that our learning is always animated by the awareness that we are responding to Hashem’s voice—learning in order to live it. With insights from Likutei Torah we reframe Torah study as avodah and covenant.

009 Tzidkas HaTzaddik: The Avodah of Showing Up

We explore Rav Tzadok’s striking assertion that failure to engage in mitzvos at the right time—when one is capable—is not neutral but an actual aveira. We delve into the deep connection between identity, purpose, and obligation, reframing chiyuv not as religious pressure but as existential design. Rav Tzadok draws on the statement of Chazal relating to one who does notwear tefillin—not merely as passive neglect, but as a redefinition of one’s values. At the heart of this shiur is a powerful insight: not showing up when called is not merely a missed opportunity—it’s a distortion of who you are meant to be.

008 Tzidkas HaTzaddik: The Right Preparation for the Right Avodah: Timing, Clarity, and Personal Readiness

What does it mean to prepare ourselves to accept Hashem’s kingship—and why is that preparation different by day and by night? In this penetrating shiur we explore Rav Tzadok’s teaching that kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim must be preceded by appriate hachanah. We learn that nighttime is not just a technical zman—it represents a stage of confusion and emotional obscurity, demanding a longer 'runway'for authentic avodah and how this applies to the avodah of emuna. By contrast, the clarity of day shortens the process but may conceal the inner work of hisbatlus. We also uncover why tefillas arvis was originally a reshus, how emunah balaylah differs fundamentally from emunah bayom, and how the halacha reflects on the timing of Shema and Shemoneh Esrei. We reflect on the powerful message: not all avodah is created equal. Further sometimes, moving forward means accepting that we can’t always go back.... and that is an aspect of avodah too!