Reply To: The world is in a state of Geula- and don’t misunderstand us!

Iitft:
“Re: Tanya
The Tanya’s conception of tzaddik, benoni, rasha was a radical departure (unless someone can find a source) from all Jewish hashkafa prior.”

If you’ll look into the first perek of Tanya where the Alter Rebbe defines these terms, you will find he concludes so based on many gemaras. (Probably other sources as well but I just remember all the gemaras)

“Classical Judaism believes that a person can rise above their yetzer hara (cf Mesillas Yesharim) or the contrary,(cf Rashi “Vayechezek Lev Paroah”) but no one is born this way”

I admit unfamiliarity with mesillas yesharim but based on what I do know, what you describe is the norm. There are the born tzaddikim who are the rare exception (such as Moshe rabbeinu who was born mohul, which is apparently can be a sign of such), and then there are individuals who worked so hard against their yetzer hara that they reached the level of beinoni on their own efforts, and Hashem then granted then the level of tzadik as a gift. Such as Dovid hamelech who stated vlibi cholul bikirbi as he had killed his yetzer through his fasting.

Most of us aren’t created necessarily to become tzaddikim but we all have the potential to become beinonim. And if that seems mighty hard, we can have beinoni moments and try to make those the majority of our lives (perek 14 Tanya).

In perek aleph, the Alter Rebbe states that the hamon am use the terms tzadik rasha beinoni as terms borrowed from the declaration of the Beis din shel maala, where an individual is termed tzadik (after he passes away and is judged) if he had majority mitzvos over aveiris. He is called tzadik because he was nitztadek badin. Rasha if he failed it due to his many aveiros and is sent to gehennom. Etc

But the real meaning of the terms is as the Alter Rebbe terms them based on the gemaras brought.