Shemoneh Esrei 34: Davening For The Majority Part I
על הצדיקים ועל החסידים, ועל זקני עמך בית ישראל, ועל פליטת סופריהם, ועל גרי הצדק ועלינו...
On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people the Family of Israel, on the remnant of their scholars, on the righteous converts and on ourselves…
Why do we follow the brachah of ולמלשינים (V’la’malshinim) with this brachah about tzadikim? The Gemara in M’gilah (17b) – based upon T’hilim 75:11– explains that after the rule [Radak] of the wicked is cut down, the rule of the righteous will rise. Therefore, the previous brachah (ולמלשינים) was placed in between the brachah that speaks about the return of our shoftim (Kings David and Shlomo) and this brachah that speaks about the righteous.
There are differences of opinion as to whether the order of the five listed levels (tzadikim, chasidim, etc.) are ascending or descending in level of greatness. We will follow an ascending order, based on Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer (Shemoneh Esrei, ArtScroll), who quotes the Siddur Beis Yaakov by Rav Yaakov Emden as saying that most commentaries explain the list to be in ascending order.
In this brachah, we daven specifically for the welfare of the most elevated of our nation. “Tzadikim” are those who follow all of the dinim scrupulously. “Chasidim” are those who go beyond the letter of the law and who, out of an intense love for Hashem, desire to do anything and everything that will bring “nachas ruach” to Hashem.
“Ziknei amcha beis Yisrael” represents those who, in addition to being tzadikim and chasidim [HaRav Avigdor Miller] have accepted upon themselves the responsibility of leadership in klal Yisrael. These responsibilities can even include a regular sh’liach tzibur, gabbai, and dayan. Their acceptance of responsibility for the klal is what places them above the first two categories, which represent solely private individuals [Ri ben Yakar, rebbe of the Ramban].
“Pleitas (beis) sofreihem” represents the g’dolei Torah who lead each generation. They are “remnants” in the sense that they are few in number in comparison to the time of the first Beis HaMikdash [HaRav Avigdor Miller]. The Ri ben Yakar says that this phrase also includes those who have fled successfully from nisyonos of aveirah as well as baalei t’shuvah who transgressed but returned to Hashem. Some include m’lamdim who teach Torah to young children [Eitz Yosef].
“Geirei ha’tzedek” refers to righteous (sincere) converts, for whom we are repeatedly commanded to show an abundance of love. When “Avraham ben Avraham” (Count Valentin Potocki) converted and was immediately threatened with being burned at the stake (which, indeed, he eventually was), he expressed to his mentor, the Vilna Gaon, that only one thing troubled him: Since he had just converted, he had no family, and therefore no relatives would mourn for him. The Gaon told him that “G-d Himself is the Father of all righteous converts, and so the Almighty Himself would mourn for him” [Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer].