על הצדיקים ועל החסידים

על הצדיקים ועל החסידים
UPON THE RIGHTEOUS AND UPON THE DEVOTED

“When the disloyal come to an end, then the horn of the righteous is elevated” (Megillah 17b).

After the prayer for the downfall of the wicked, we now turn to Hashem with the following prayer for the prosperity of the righteous. “ה’ אוהב צדיקים”, “Hashem loves the righteous” (Tehillim 146:8), and so too we must be most concerned and must constantly pray for their success as well.

צדיקים denotes those that do according to the line of duty, whereas חסידים refer to the devoted who go לפנים משורת הדין, in especial dedication to Hashem.