צָדַק (b. h.; reduplic. of זק; cmp. זָכָה) [to be clear, pure, sincere,] to be right, true, just; to be cleared. Y. Snh. IV, 22ᵇ top יכול אם צ׳ בדינך יִצְדַּק בדיני you may think, if he (the guilty) is cleared in thy court, he will also be cleared in my (God’s) court.
    Pi. - צִדֵּק 1) (cmp. (cmp. זכה) to act in favor of a person; to be liberal. B. Bath. 88ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XXV, 15) צַדֵּק משלך ותן לו be liberal with what is thine own and give it to him, i.e. add overweight and overmeasure (גֵּירוּמִים); Ḥull. 134ᵃ (ref. to the poor man’s share). Num. R. s. 2 (ref. to ואתן צדק Job XXVI, 3) צי׳ עמהם שלא וכ׳ the Lord dealt kindly with them in not changing their arrangements. —2) to justify, declare or consider a person right; to defend. Gen. R. s. 49 (ref. to Ps. XLV, 8) אהבת לצַדֵּק את בריותי וכ׳ thou (Abraham) lovest to defend my creatures, and hatest to condemn them. Y. Snh. IV, beg. 22ᵃ צַדְּקֵיהוּ consider him to be right (a true witness), opp. חקריהו cross-examine him; Deut. R. s. 5.—Esp. צ׳ את הדין to justify God’s judgment, to submit to divine dispensation as just, to punishment as deserved. Sifra Sh’mini, introd. כיון ששמע אהרן כך צ׳ … ושתק when Aaron heard this, he submitted to divine judgment and kept his peace (Lev. X, 3). Ib. אברהם צי׳ עליו וכ׳ Abraham resigned himself to God’s will, for we read (Gen. XVIII, 27), ‘I am dust and ashes’. Ib. צִידְּקוּ עליהם וכ׳ they resigned themselves &c. Y. Sot. VIII, 22ᶜ bot. צ̇ד̇ק̇יהו שצ̇יר̇ק̇ עליו וכ׳. Shallum was surnamed Zedekiah (justifier of God), because he justified God’s judgment upon him. Ab. Zar. 18ᵃ בשעה שיצאו … צידקו עליהם וכ׳ all three of them, when they were taken out for execution, resigned themselves &c. (reciting an appropriate Bible verse); a. fr.—Part. pass. מְצוּדָּק; pl. מְצוּדָּקִים. Mekh. Mishp., s. 20 (ref. to Ex. XXIII, 8) שונא דברים המצ׳ וכ׳ he will hate the justified words (the exhortations to justice) spoken at Sinai; Yalk. Ex. 353 (not דברי).
    Hif. - הִצְדִּיק 1) to justify, clear, declare to be right; to make virtuous. Snh. 10ᵃ (ref. to Deut. XXV, 1) עדים שהרשיעו את הצדיק ואתו … והִצְדִּיקוּ וכ׳ when witnesses denounced an innocent man, and other witnesses came and justified him that was right, and thus exposed those (first witnesses) as wicked men; Macc. 2ᵇ. Gen. R. s. 21 (ref. to Ps. XVI, 5) לכשיקיץ … אני מַצְדִּיקוֹ מאותה גזרה when he that is created in thine (Adam’s) image shall awake (when the Messiah comes) …, then I shall clear him from this decree (of expulsion from Eden). Lev. R. s. 4, beg. (ref. to Koh. III, 16) מקום שהִצְדַּקְתִּים וכ׳ there where I made them virtuous and called them divine beings …, there they acted wickedly &c. Gen. R. s. 43 (ref. to Gen. XIV, 18) המקום הזה מַצְדִּיק וכ׳ this place (Salem-Jerusalem) makes its inhabitants righteous.—ה׳ עליו את הדין to deal strictly with. Taan. 8ᵃ כל המצדיק … מַצְדִּיקִין עליו את הדין וכ׳ he who makes himself righteous here below (who strives for righteousness) is judged righteously (strictly dealt with) in the judgment above (cmp. Yeb. 121ᵇ quot. s. v. דִּקְדֵּק). Hor. 11ᵇ (play on צדקיהו) אמר לו יה יַצְדִּיק עליך וכ׳ he (Nebuchadnezzar) said to him, Yah shall deal strictly with thee, if thou wilt rebel against me; a. fr. —2) to treat with צְדָקָה, to be liberal towards. Y. Peah IV, end 18ᶜ (alluding to Ps. LXXXII, 3) עני ורש הַצְדִּיקוּהוּ במתנותיו (not ועשיר) treat the poor and needy liberally as regards the gifts belonging to him (v. Ḥull. 134ᵃ quot. supra).—3) ה׳ את הדין to submit to divine judgment, be resigned (v. supra). Sifra l. c. למודים צדיקים שמַצְדִּיקִים וכ׳ the righteous are wont to resign themselves to the will of God. Taan. 11ᵃ מצדיק עליו וכ׳ he acknowledges the justice of the verdict and says, you have judged me rightly &c. Ber. 19ᵃ והוא עומד ומצדיק וכ׳ he (the mourner) stands up and declares the judgment to be just &c.; a. fr.—Part. pass. מוּצְדָּק justified, lawfully qualified. Gitt. 86ᵃ (in a Chaldaic formula of sale of a slave) מ׳ לעבדו, v. עַבְדּוּתָא.
    Hithpa. - הִצְטַדֵּק to justify one’s self, excuse one’s self. Gen. R. s. 92 (ref. to Gen. XLIV, 16) מה נִצְטַּדָּק בדינה how can we justify ourselves for what we have done in the case of Dinah (that we killed the Shechemites)? &c.; Yalk. ib. 150.