Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 140

140 – In the Hand of Every Man He Seals

“In the hand of every man He seals, so that all men may know His work.” (Job 37:7)

It is impossible to fully grasp the nature of the tzaddik himself, for he is beyond human intellect and comprehension. However, through his close followers—those connected to him—one can come to recognize the greatness of the tzaddik.

For his followers are men of action, God-fearing and upright, and they are more accessible to our understanding, for the distance between them and us is not as great as the distance between us and the tzaddik himself. Therefore, one who sincerely seeks truth can perceive the tzaddik's stature through his disciples.

This is analogous to a seal: the engraving on the seal itself cannot be read, for the letters are reversed. But when the seal is pressed into wax or clay, its imprint becomes legible—the letters and shapes are now recognizable. Similarly, through the imprint of the tzaddik upon his students, his greatness is made known.

This is the meaning of the verse: “In the hand of every man He seals”—the tzaddik is called “every man,” as in the verse: “For this is all of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). “To know all men by His work”—through his students, men of action, one can know the essence of his work and greatness.

Furthermore, the tzaddik himself is like a seal, as it is written: “His offspring are sealed with the sign of the holy bris” (covenant), and the tzaddik is defined as one who guards the bris (Zohar I, Noach 59b).