What is Tikkun?
Tales of Rabbi Isaac Luria (16th century Rabbi), as retold in Tree of Souls, by Howard Schwartz
In creating the world, God sent forth ten vessels, like a fleet of ships, each carrying its cargo of light and holiness. Had they all arrived intact, the world would have been perfect. But the vessels were too fragile to contain such a powerful, sacred light. They broke open, split asunder, and all the holy sparks were scattered like sand, like seeds, like stars...
That is why we were created — to gather the sparks, no matter where they are hidden. God created the world so that the descendants of Jacob could raise up the holy sparks...
And when enough holy sparks have been gathered, the broken vessels will be restored, and tikkun, the repair of the world, awaited so long, will finally be complete. Therefore it should be the aim of everyone to raise these sparks from wherever they are imprisoned and to elevate them to holiness by the power of their soul.
Where and how does one begin to do the work of Tikkun?
Taking Tikkun One Step at a Time
Adapted from the stories of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, 19th century
Once upon a time a young woman sought to change the world.
But before she could change the world, she realized she needed to change her country. She knew that if she changed her country that would have an impact on changing the world. So she set about changing her country.
But before she could change her country, she realized she needed to change her province. She knew that if she changed her province that would have an impact on changing her country that would in turn have an impact on changing the world. So she set about changing her province.
But before she could change her province, she realized she needed to change her community. She knew that if she changed her community that would have an impact on changing her province that would in turn have an impact on changing the country and ultimately have an impact on changing the world. So she set about changing her community.
Soon she realized that before she could change her community, she needed to change her family. For she knew that if she changed her family that would have an impact of changing her community that would in turn have an impact on changing her province, impacting her country and ultimately changing the world. So she set about changing her family.
After heartfelt and tiring labor, she realized that something was still missing. To change the world she would first need to change herself. By changing herself, that would change her family, then her community, her province, impacting her country, and only then could she ultimately change the world.
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When has this been true for you?
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Are there times when this isn’t the case? How do you decide when you need to focus more on Tikkun of the world vs. Tikkun of yourself?
Lo Alecha
(טז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה.
[Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not your responsibility alone to complete all the work that needs to be done, but you are not at liberty to decide that you can refrain from all of it.
How does Rabbi Tarfon’s mindset relate to Tikkun? Is this framing helpful or not if you’re trying to pursue Tikkun?
How is someone supposed to figure out that they’ve done enough work to fulfill their responsibility?