The Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.
It is not my place to judge her. She is a soul now that is being judged by Hashem so I can leave the judging to Him.
But on social media there were people who were calling her a "Tzadik".
Was she a "Tzadik"?
No woman in the history of the world has EVER been a "Tzadik". "Tzadekes", yes, but not Tzadik. OK, some people are grammatically challenged. I am not "Mr. Grammar" myself.
Was she a "Tzadekes"? Traditionally, people are considered "Tzadikim" when they followed the rules. She followed the rules but not the rules delineated by Jewish tradition. She herself would have admitted that. She didn't claim to keep any mitzvos. So how does she become a "Tzadik" when she didn't keep the laws??
She performed marriages between man and man. That is not such a Jewishly pious act. She was an outspoken proponent of abortion based on one criterion - a woman wants one. Hmmmm, doesn't sound so holy to me.
So say "she was a trailblazer". "She was brilliant". "She was brave". Say a lot of nice things. But please allow the religious term of Tzadik to maintain its traditional meaning. I see that even religious Jew are jumping on the bandwagon. This is dangerous. It corrupts Torah and truth.
We believe that ultimately she will have a tikkun. She will also be rewarded for her good deeds. But let us not engage in excessive sentimentality and call a devoutly secular woman a "Tzadik".
Or even "Tzadekes".
