T269 PNC - From the Tzaddik's Dwelling, the Generation's Deeds Are Recognized

From the dwelling of the tzaddik, the deeds of the generation are recognized. The state of the generation can be read from where the tzaddik chooses to sit and how he is positioned. The tzaddik's location is itself a diagnostic: where he dwells reveals the spiritual landscape of the dor.

And the siman for this matter (in Rebbe Nachman's own language): "And she sat under the palm tree" (Judges 4:5) — Devorah the prophetess, who judged Israel under a palm. The Talmud (Megillah 14a) asks: why specifically a palm? Because a palm has only one heart — and so does Israel. The tzaddik sits under "one-hearted" Israel, and from his seat the unity (or fragmentation) of the heart of the dor is revealed. (End of his holy language.)