Reply To: Is every Yid a big tzaddik?

If you define a “Yid” as someone who is Shomer Shabbos (meaning, most importantly, not working at your “real world” job on Shabbos), and Shomer Kashrus (meaning the for all purposes you can never eat outside the home unless you bring your own food or make special arrangements such as locating a kosher restaurant), you could say the every “Yid” is showing such tremendous meserias nefesh that they can be considered a tsaddik. Just being Shomer Shabbos and Shomer Kashrus (not to mention many other mitsvos), means you give up perhaps 90% of the employment opportunities in the United States (either because the job involves work on Shabbos, requires schooling that involves work on Shabbos, or involves travel or geographic locations where observance of Shabbos and Kashrus is not practical).