sha’arei tzaddik

Sha’arei Tzaddik is a collection of letters written in Hebrew and Yiddish by Reb Gedaliah Kenig over the course of numerous decades. Reb Gedaliah connected himself to many people who lived outside of Israel through hundreds of hand-written letters. Until the wee hours of the night, he would answer requests for advice and guidance, as well as probing questions on the nature of life. He would send back long, eloquent letters in Hebrew and Yiddish, filled with hope and encouragement from Rebbe Nachman, at times quoting extensive sections from the entire spectrum of the holy literature, including Tanach, Talmud, halacha, Zohar, and commentaries. Occasionally weeks, and even months, would pass before the questioner would receive a response. After resigning themselves to the thought that Reb Gedaliah was obviously too busy to answer them, then seemingly out of nowhere, a massive letter would show up in their mailbox, responding to every detail of their original letter, and more. And this would happen to those who had never met Reb Gedaliah in person. All of his letters today fill a ten-volume set, entitled Sha’arei Tzaddik, recently published for the first time by his sons.

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