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Tikkun olam (תיקון עולם) is a Hebrew phrase which translates to "repairing the world." It is important in Judaism and is often used to explain the Jewish concept of social justice. In some explanations, the more mitzvot that are performed, the closer the world will be towards perfection. Some Jews believe that acts of tikkun olam will either trigger or fulfill the prophesied coming of the Moshiach (messiah) or messianic age (the World to Come). The belief in tikkun olam is also central to the Zohar, the most important book in kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).
The phrase is used in the prayer, such as in Aleinu: l'takken olam b'malkhut Shaddai; "to repair the world in the Kingdom of God." It is also used in the Mishnah, in the phrase mip'nei tikkun olam ("because of tikkun olam") to indicate that a practice is followed not because it is the law but because it helps avoid negative social consequences.
In kabbalah
Lurianic kabbalah holds that the very creation of the universe by God was unstable, and that the early universe, represented by a pottery vessel, could not hold the holy light of God (the Ein Sof or infinite). In this view, the original form of the universe shattered in shards; the universe that we encounter today is thus literally broken, and in need of repair. According to this belief, the practice of following halakha (Jewish religious law) is in order that one can repair the tattered shards of creation through their deeds. Therefore, through each fulfillment of a commanded deed (mitzvah) the kabbalists believe, a Jew performs an act of tikkun olam, gradually returning the universe to its form as God originally intended, and making mankind a partner in God's creation.
In progressive streams of Judaism
In Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Tikkun olam has taken on political and religious significance in that it implies that Jews should work towards social justice. Tikkun magazine, edited by Rabbi Michael Lerner, reflects this worldview.
References
Tikkun olam in kabbalah
- Aryeh Kaplan. Inner Space: Introduction to Kabbalah, Meditation and Prophecy Moznaim Publishing Corp. 1990.
- Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, Jewish Publication Society
- The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts, 3 volume set, Ed. Isaiah Tishby, translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein, The Littman Library.
See also
- Bee Season, a film featuring tikkun olam
- Kabbalah
External links
"Tikkun olam"