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I have been reading questions about the lamed-vav, the 36 righteous people who exist in each generation.

But Rashi, in Zecharia 11:12 cites the gemara in Chullin 92a which has an opinion that there are 45 righteous Jews in the world.

The gemara there also has an opinion that there are 30 righteous non-Jews.

Then Rashi in Zecharia references the idea that

the Midrash Aggadah (Cf. Gen. Rabbah 49:3, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana 88a), that our father Abraham was promised that no generation would have fewer than thirty righteous in men, the number of (Gen. 15:8): “So shall your seed be.” The word יִהְיֶה has the numerical value of thirty.

Is there are text which reconciles these different versions of the number of righteous (men? Jews?) in the world at any time?

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  • There are different gradations of tzadikim and different types as well
    – Laser123
    Apr 3, 2017 at 13:12
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    And let's not forget Isaiah 60:21, "Your nation are all righteous, they will inherit the land forever, branch of My planting, work of My hands to praise." Apr 3, 2017 at 13:35
  • In case the allusion is not apparent, the promise to Avraham was made in his time, meaning before the giving of the Torah. It associates the righteous to the idea of a seed, something which gets planted. This idea continues in the Torah of Moshe (Dev. 20:19) which compares the Jew (HaAdam) to a tree in the field, something which gets planted and then grows to bear many fruit and even more seeds. And that original promise which set the minimum limit that could apply during Avraham's time is expanded by the generation of Isaiah to include the entire Jewish people. Apr 3, 2017 at 13:58

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