Noam Pre-Camp 5778: Tiqqun ‘Olam

(ב) בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה בֵית דִּין בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר וּמְבַטְּלוֹ. הִתְקִין רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הַזָּקֵן שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ עוֹשִׂין כֵּן, מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם. ...

(ג) ... הִלֵּל הִתְקִין פְּרוֹזְבּוּל מִפְּנֵּי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם:

Mishnah Gittin 4:2-3

(2) At first, a man [who had already sent his wife a bill of divorce by means of a messenger] would set up a religious court in a different place [from where the wife lived] and cancel [the bill of divorce]. Rabban Gamliel the Elder enacted that they not be able to do this, due to [the need for] repairing the world [Tikkun HaOlam]. ...

(3) ... Hillel instituted the pruzbul [a court-issued exemption from the Sabbatical year cancellation of a personal loan] due to Tikkun HaOlam.

"Tikkun: A Lurianic Motif in Contemporary Jewish Thought," Jacob Neusner
Tikkun is to be achieved by human beings through their contemplative action. Every religious act requires contemplative concentration on the various dimensions of divinity and the various combinations of the divine name in order to “raise up the fallen sparks.” The focus of concentration is the inner dynamics of reorganization and restructuring that takes place in the course of acts of devotional piety.

על כן

לְתַקֵּן עולָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי

'Al Ken

The world will be perfected through the Almighty's sovereignty

Rambam, Hilkot, Matenot, Aniyim 10

There are eight degrees of Tzedakah, one higher than the other. The highest degree of all is where one strengthens the hands of an Israelite who faces poverty, giving him a gift or a loan, entering into a business partnership with him, or giving him a job in order to strengthen his hand and to prevent him from becoming an object of Tzedakah. It is with regard to this that Scripture says:

“Then thou shalt strengthen him: Yea, though he be a stranger or a sojourner:

that he may live with thee” (Lev, 25:35).

The meaning is: Strengthen him before he falls and needs to be supported by others.

Letter from Bella Vigvena to her community's board, 24th August 1783
Gentlemen, with Greatfull heart I hearby return you my most Since Thanks for the favours I have hitherto received from your bountifulness, as the Almighty has been pleased to put me in a situation to life in an Independence from Charity which has ever been my Aim should it be in my Power at any time I shall with Joy repay both what I and my Deceased Parent received from your goodness but if what God forbid I should come again to want I shall have recourse to your generosity and shall ever pray for you Welfare etc.
Your most Obedient Humble Servant,

Mikhmanei Uziel, p. 557

"Action without study-even action is lacking, since it is a

branch without roots. And study without action is a root without a

branch. "

Siyḥah 'al Iyyov, Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon
"God said to the prophet: I want humanity to do justice and compassion and love. I don't want to always have to do this myself, directly. I have given humanity room to act, and if they don't act, then the wicked will prevail. Human beings are responsible for this. I want them to be responsible, because if I were to do it all for them, then there would be no room for humanity in Creation, for there would nothing for them to do. Everything would be perfect- and what would humanity have to do then?"
It is neccessary that part of the world's perfection is expressed in the fact that God has created imperfection in the world, and this imperfection is what makes it perfect. For if everything was perfect without any human help, humans would have no purpose in life. God has given a portion of what God needs to do and given it to humanity. If they don't bring this to be realised- it is them who are responsible, and it truly is a responsibility.