Do Tzaddikim have the power to manifest their words or blessings in this world? What is the nature of this notion and how does it apply to our lives?

If a bad decree has been decided on High, how can the blessing of a Tzaddik annul the decree?

Many stories proving this point have been told. They have transpired amid the Jewish People from the time of the Gemara till our day.

When a Jew is confronting a problem that can create havoc in his life, such as a hard financial situation or a relative's health issue, his first reaction is to pray to Hashem by reciting Tehillim to achieve deliverance.

His next step is to address a Rabbi, one of the giants of our generation, i.e., a Rav whose influence in leading the Jewish People is known, in the hope of receiving a blessing in his favor.

And why do we believe in blessings? Because they work!

Millions of stories on the subject have transpired over centuries and up to our current day. A Jew consults a Rabbi regarding his problem. The Rabbi blesses him and says: "Go home and you'll see that everything will be fine". And effectively, his situation improves.

How is this achieved? How does the Tzaddik manage to act upon a person's life, while the latter feels helpless?

Rabbi Eliyahu Schlesinger, Rabbi of the Gilo neighborhood in Jerusalem, confirms this phenomenon: there is a notion that the Tzaddik decrees and Hashem obeys.

The explanation is as follows: sometimes Hashem makes a decree in Heaven which cannot be altered except via the merit and prayer of a Tzaddik. There are many examples and the Gemara states the case of a man whose relative is sick. "He ought to go to the tzaddik or sage to request a blessing. We recognize that the blessing of a Tzaddik can affect heavenly decrees and this notion is widely known in the world of Torah”.

Rabbi Krameh, a famous lecturer, further explains that this notion is based on a verse from the Torah: "And you will go to the Cohen of your generation". That means one should address the Tzaddik of each generation.

However, an important element to consider is that sometimes blessings seem to have no beneficial effect. Despite the influence of the Tzaddik, to our great sorrow, Hashem sometimes fails to intervene. Why? Because in a bad situation, a void is created between spirituality and the material world. Which party wins? The material party. Why? Because the material dimension pays cash for cash in this world, while spirituality's payment is in the form of a post-dated check in the world to come.

When spirituality takes over, we witness open miracles time and again. Although the divine presence is not clearly manifest in our world, we may witness miraculous reverses of destiny. Hashem acts in this fashion so that free will is not removed from this world. When a person is unable to elevate himself/herself spiritually, the blessing of the Tzaddik helps him/her overcome this drawback. And given that for the most part, the material aspects of life dominate our lives, they thus have a certain power over men. Heaven shows us how the blessing of a Tzaddik can operate to shed light on the existence of Good and how every one of us can choose to follow the Tzaddik’s direction…