The reason people travel to tzaddikim for Rosh HaShanah—this is because the essential mitigating of the judgments is only by means of holiness and purity of thought, for that is their source. As is brought in the Zohar, “Everything is purified in the mind” (II, 254b).
However, it is possible to achieve a pure mind only through attachment to the tzaddikim, as it is written (Exodus 13:19), “Then Moshe took Yosef’s bones.” Moshe is the aspect of the mind, while Yosef is the aspect of the tzaddik. That is, there is no perfection of the mind except by being attached to the tzaddikim.
And Rosh HaShanah is the source of judgments for the entire year. A person must purify his thoughts in order to mitigate [the judgments], and for this reason people travel to tzaddikim, in order to merit purity of thought.
מַה שֶּׁהָעוֹלָם נוֹסְעִין עַל רֹאשׁ־הַשָּׁנָה לְצַדִּיקִים – כִּי עִקַּר הַמְתָּקַת הַדִּינִין אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי קְדֻשַּׁת וְטָהֳרַת הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת, כִּי שָׁם שָׁרְשָׁם. (כמ"ש) [כַּמּוּבָא בַּזֹּהַר]: כֹּלָּא בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה אִתְבְּרִרוּ.
The reason people travel to tzaddikim for Rosh HaShanah—this is because the essential mitigating of the judgments is only by means of holiness and purity of thought, for that is their source. As is brought in the Zohar, “Everything is purified in the mind” (II, 254b).
וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לָבוֹא לְמֹחִין זַכִּים אֶלָּא עַל־יְדֵי הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת לְצַדִּיקִים, (כמובא בזוהר) [כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב]: וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף, מֹשֶׁה הוּא בְּחִינַת מֹחִין, וְיוֹסֵף הוּא בְּחִינַת צַדִּיק, הַיְנוּ שֶׁאֵין שְׁלֵמוּת לְמֹחִין אֶלָּא עַל־יְדֵי הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת לְצַדִּיקִים.
However, it is possible to achieve a pure mind only through attachment to the tzaddikim, as it is written (Exodus 13:19), “Then Moshe took Yosef’s bones.” Moshe is the aspect of the mind, while Yosef is the aspect of the tzaddik. That is, there is no perfection of the mind except by being attached to the tzaddikim.
וְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה הוּא מְקוֹר הַדִּינִים שֶׁל כָּל הַשָּׁנָה, וְצָרִיךְ לְטַהֵר אֶת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ כְּדֵי לְהַמְתִּיקָם, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה נוֹסְעִין לְצַדִּיקִים, כְּדֵי לִזְכּוֹת לִקְדֻשַּׁת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה:
And Rosh HaShanah is the source of judgments for the entire year. A person must purify his thoughts in order to mitigate [the judgments], and for this reason people travel to tzaddikim, in order to merit purity of thought.