Tikkun Olam Text Study

Tikkun olam is a term that is thrown around a lot in Jewish circles. It is typically translated as fixing the world (with tikkun meaning fixing and olam meaning world) and is usually used to refer to any kind of social justice or social action for the betterment of the world. But what does it really mean? And how is it a distinctly Jewish value? Today, we will explore these questions.

This passage from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) contains one of the earliest uses of the root t-k-n, from which the word tikkun is derived.

קהלת ז׳:י״ג

(יג) רְאֵ֖ה אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה הָאֱלֹקִ֑ים כִּ֣י מִ֤י יוּכַל֙ לְתַקֵּ֔ן אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִוְּתֽוֹ׃

Ecclesiastes 7:13

(13) Consider God’s doing! Who can straighten what He has twisted?

This chapter of Tractate Gittin of the Mishnah (also known as the oral Torah, written in the 2nd century CE) contains the earliest uses of the term tikkun olam:

משנה גיטין ד׳

(ד)...עֶבֶד שֶׁעֲשָׂאוֹ רַבּוֹ אַפּוֹתִיקִי לַאֲחֵרִים וְשִׁחְרְרוֹ, שׁוּרַת הַדִּין, אֵין הָעֶבֶד חַיָּב כְּלוּם. אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם, כּוֹפִין אֶת רַבּוֹ וְעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתוֹ בֶן חוֹרִין...

(ו)...וְאֵין מַבְרִיחִין אֶת הַשְּׁבוּיִין, מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, מִפְּנֵי תַקָּנַת הַשְּׁבוּיִין. וְאֵין לוֹקְחִים סְפָרִים, תְּפִלִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת מִן הַגּוֹיִם יוֹתֵר עַל כְּדֵי דְמֵיהֶן, מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם:

(ז)...אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, מַעֲשֶׂה בְצַיְדָּן בְּאֶחָד שֶׁאָמַר לְאִשְׁתּוֹ, קוֹנָם אִם אֵינִי מְגָרְשֵׁךְ, וְגֵרְשָׁהּ. וְהִתִּירוּ לוֹ חֲכָמִים שֶׁיַּחֲזִירֶנָּה, מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם:

Mishnah Gittin 4

(4)...If a man makes his slave a pledge [for a debt] to another man and then he emancipates him, according to the “letter of the law” the slave is not liable to do anything. But because of tikkun olam we force his [second] master to emancipate him...

(6)...Captives should not be helped to escape, because of tikkun olam. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says [that the reason is] to prevent the ill-treatment of fellow captives. Torah scrolls of the law, tefillin and mezuzoth are not bought from Gentiles at more than their value, because of tikkun olam.

(7)...Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah said: a case happened in Sidon of a man who said to his wife, “Konam, if I do not divorce you”, and he did divorce her, and the Sages permitted him to remarry her because of tikkun olam.

What definition of tikkun olam does this text present? Is it different than the conventional definition that we use today?
How would you translate tikkun olam in this context? Focus on this text only and think outside anything else you have learned about tikkun olam.

Alenu is a prayer that is recited every day. It was written in the 3rd century CE.

סידור נוסח עדות המזרח, שחרית לימי החול, עלינו

(ג) עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לָךְ, ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ, לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזָּךְ, לְהַֽעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָֽרֶץ, וְהָֽאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּֽרֵתוּן, לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי, וְכָל־בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶֽךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל־רִשְׁעֵי אָֽרֶץ. יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵֽדְעוּ כָּל־יֽוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵֽל, כִּי לְךָ תִכְרַע כָּל־בֶּֽרֶךְ, תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל־לָשׁוֹן.

Siddur Edot HaMizrach, Weekday Shacharit, Alenu

(3) Therefore, we will hope to You L·rd, our G·d to see speedily the glory of Your Might - to remove abominable idolatry from the earth & the false gods be utterly terminated, to repair the world with the Kingship of the Al·mighty. And all living flesh will call in Your Name to turn back to You all the wicked of the earth. They will recognize & will know, all the inhabitants of the earth, that to You that every knee shall bow down, & every tongue.

How does the prayer Alenu present tikkun olam? How is that portrayal different from the definition from Tractate Gittin?

Kohelet Rabbah is a 5th century (CE) commentary on the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which is read on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

קוהלת רבה ז׳:י״ג

(א) רְאֵה אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹקִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ.

Kohelet Rabbah 7:13

(1) Look at God's work - for who can straighten what He has twisted? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). He [the blessed holy one]...said...“Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you.

What does Kohelet Rabbah say about the importance of Tikkun Olam?

Rambam, also known as Maimonides, was a 12th-13th century Jewish philosopher and one of the most influential and prolific Torah scholars to have ever lived.

רמב"ם משנה אבות א׳:ב׳:א׳

יאמר שבחכמה והיא התורה ובמעלות המדות והם גמילות חסדים ובשמירת מצות התורה הם הקרבנות תהיה התמדת תקון העולם וסידור מציאותו על הדרך השלם:

Rambam on Pirkei Avot 1:2:1

He is saying that with wisdom, and that is the Torah; and with enhancement of [good] traits, and that is acts of lovingkindness; and with the fulfillment of commandments, and that is the sacrifices [referred to in the mishnah as service] - there will be a continuous tikkun olam and ordering of its existence in the most complete way.

The Mishneh Torah is a code of Halakha (Jewish law) authored by Rambam.

משנה תורה, הלכות סנהדרין והעונשין המסורין להם כ״ג:ט׳

(ט)...וְכָל דַּיָּן שֶׁדָּן דִּין אֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ אֲפִלּוּ שָׁעָה אַחַת כְּאִלּוּ תִּקֵּן אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ...

Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within Their Jurisdiction 23:9

(9)...And every judge who judges truth unto its [deepest] truth, even for one hour, it's as if he fixed the whole world entirely...

משנה תורה, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ג׳:י׳

(י)כל הורגי נפשות שלא בראיה ברורה או בלי התראה אפילו בעד אחד…יש למלך רשות להרגו ולתקן העולם כפי שהשעה צריכה

Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 3:10

(10) Any who kill people without being clearly seen or without [being given] warning even with one witness…[since there isn’t enough evidence for them to be found guilty by a court,] the king has authority to execute them and to [thereby] fix the world, according to what the hour needs.

What definition of tikkun olam does Rambam present? How is it different from the definition the previous texts presented?
Which text that you've read so far presents the most inclusive definition of tikkun olam?
Start thinking about your own definition of tikkun olam.

ויקרא י״ט:י״ד

(יד)...וְלִפְנֵ֣י עִוֵּ֔ר לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן מִכְשֹׁ֑ל...

Leviticus 19:14

(14)...you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind...

The below passage of Sefer HaChinukh (a book which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah) refers to the above passage.

ספר החינוך רל״ב:ב׳

(ב) שרש המצוה. ידוע, כי תקון העולם וישובו הוא להדריך בני אדם ולתת להם בכל מעשיהם עצה טובה.

Sefer HaChinukh 232:2

(2) The root of the commandment is well-known, since the guidance of people and to give them good advice for all of their actions [is needed for] the tikkun olam and its civilization.

What does it mean to "not place a stumbling block before the blind?" What does this commandment tell you about tikkun olam?

The definition of tikkun olam that is most literally related to fixing can be found in kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the teachings of Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, who is considered to be the father of modern kabbalah. According to him, tikkun olam refers to the idea that during creation, G-d's holy vessels shattered and scattered their pieces throughout the world. He taught that the Jewish people are supposed to search for those pieces and to look for the holiness in everything and everyone, and that that will restore peace and justice to the world.
How does this teaching affect your idea of tikkun olam?

Likutei Moharan is the collected teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), who was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. He was also the great grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism.

ליקוטי מוהר"ן ה׳:א׳:ב׳

(ב) ...נמצא, כשהעולם נברא בשבילי, צריך אני לראות ולעיין בכל עת בתיקון העולם ולמלאות חסרון העולם ולהתפלל

בעבורם

Likutei Moharan 5:1:2

(2)...One finds, since the world is created for my sake, I need to see and look in every moment into repairing the world, and to replenish what the world lacks, and to pray on their behalf.

How does this text affect your definition of tikkun olam?

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) wrote that “any idea that is cut off from tikkun ha-olam and the ordering of society, and that floats in the spiritual air alone … is founded upon a lie that has no legs” (Orot Hakodesh).
What does this say about the importance of tikkun olam to Judaism?
Rav Kook also said that “the holiness of Nature herself … is the foundation of tikkun for the entire world” (Orot Hatechiyah).
How does this affect your definition of tikkun olam?

Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (1885-1954) wrote that "it is not possible to fix the world (l'taken et ha-olam) in religious matters before securing for the world a tikkun of the economic system” (Building the Future Society). He also wrote that “every individual will understand that his good and the good of the community are one, and through this union the world will come into its full tikkun” (Peace in the World).
How do these teachings fit with our modern concept of social justice? What political ideology do they seem to represent?

Rabbi Yitzhak Aharon Korff, the chaplain for the city of Boston and the spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Jacob, Zvhil–Mezhbizh Beit Medrash of Boston, Miami, and Jerusalem, wrote that "For Jews who truly do want to engage in Tikkun Olam, the only honest and authentic Jewish way to do that is to encourage observance of the Torah across the entire spectrum of the Jewish Community. That in fact is actually what our responsibility is, nothing more and nothing less, and the rest is up to G-d—if we do our part, so will G-d."
After your learning today, what do you think of this statement?

The root from which the word tikkun is derived can variously mean to make straight, firm, right; to straighten, mend, or repair; or to set in order, prepare, or establish. The word olam can also variously mean world, society, community, universe, spiritual sphere, forever, or eternity.
Which combination of these translations resonates with your view of tikkun olam most, based on what you read today?

Does it make sense that tikkun olam has taken on different meanings throughout its history? Do you think it's okay that the term has somewhat lost its original meaning?