Tikkun Olam

January 19, 2024

William Schecter, MD

Several years ago, I was having dinner with a friend from my childhood and his wife in New York City. The discussion came around to the question of what it means to be a Jew. My friend, who had drifted away from Judaism for several decades, had reconnected when he married the “little girl” across the street whose father, a Cantor, had helped prepare him for his Bar Mitzvah. My friend thoughtfully said that for him being a Jew meant being a good person, social justice and Tikkun Olam. I smiled and said that I thought there was a little more to it than being a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party. He smiled back and agreed.

Last Saturday, Rabbi Potash and I were studying the Elter Rebbe’s commentary on Parashat Vaira and there was a reference to Tikkun Olam. I knew that Tikkun Olam referred to repair of the broken “vessels” and not just “repairing the world” as is the general concept in the less observant Jewish world so I asked Rabbi Potash “what exactly is Tikkun Olam.”

The World of Tohu

Rabbi Potash explained that Kabbalah postulates that there are an infinite number of worlds (not unlike modern cosmolology) but there is a primordial world called Tohu. The word first appears in Genesis 1:2

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְהֹ֑ום וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

The precise definition of Tohu is not clear, like many words in the Torah. It is often translated as chaos, confusion, emptiness. The World of Tohu has infinite Divine Energy flitting around at great speed without any organization. In the process of creating the finite world in which we live (the world of Asiyah) below the world of Tohu, it was necessary to contain this infinite energy or light in Vessels.

Vessels

The vessels or kli’im (כליים ) organize and contain the Divine Energy. There are a total of 10 vessels which are also referred to as Sfirot: three intellectual vessels: Chochma (wisdom), Bina (understanding) and Da’at (knowledge) and 7 emotional vessels. Since G-d is One, how can the Divine Energy be separated into various components? Rabbi Potash explained using a metaphor. Consider the vessel to be a glass. The glass contains light. Light (energy) has an infinite spectrum from radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays and gamma rays. We only see visible light which itself has a spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. But the light in a clear glass is plain, we do not see the spectral components. Now imagine that we have a green glass. The light in the glass looks green. So, too, with a red glass, etc.

The various vessels containing the Divine Light allow us humans with limited intellect to “see” certain aspects of the Divinity (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge etc.) without negating the Unity of G-d.

The Shattering of the Vessels

Rabbi Potash continued to explain that the Light contained in the vessels was so intense that the vessels shattered with 288 sparks falling to the finite world. The word Tikkun means repair. Tikkun Olam theologically refers to the process of repairing the vessels and creating order.

I next asked Rabbi Potash “Ok, how does one go about repairing the vessels (Tikkun Olam). He smiled and referred me to the “Aleynu” prayer in the Siddur. Even the most casual attendee at a service is familiar with the Aleynu prayer. It has a distinctive melody but more importantly, it signifies the conclusion of the Service which often comes as a relief after more than two hours of prayer.

The Aleynu Prayer

I have recited this prayer innumerable times but must confess that I paid little attention to its meaning. To my amazement, Rabbi Potash pointed out that it describes exactly what must be done to achieve “Tikkun Olam”.

עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית שֶׁלֺּא עָשָֽׂנוּ כְּגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת וְלֺא שָׂמָֽנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה שֶׁלֺּא שָׂם חֶלְקֵֽנוּ כָּהֶם וְגוֹרָלֵֽנוּ כְּכָל הֲמוֹנָם: שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לָהֶֽבֶל וָרִיק וּמִתְפַּלְּ֒לִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִֽׁיעַ, וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ כּוֹרְ֒עִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶֽלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּ֒לָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַֽיִם וְיוֹסֵד אָֽרֶץ, וּמוֹשַׁב יְקָרוֹ בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל, וּשְׁ֒כִינַת עֻזּוֹ בְּגָבְ֒הֵי מְרוֹמִים, הוּא אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ אֵין עוֹד, אֱמֶת מַלְכֵּֽנוּ אֶֽפֶס זוּלָתוֹ כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶֽךָ כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֺהִים בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל וְעַל הָאָֽרֶץ מִתָּֽחַת אֵין עוֹד:

It is our obligation to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Creator of the [world in the] beginning: that He has not made us like the nations of the lands, and has not positioned us like the families of the earth; that He has not assigned our portion like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitudes. For they prostrate themselves to vanity and nothingness, and pray to a god that cannot deliver. But we bow, prostrate ourselves, and offer thanks before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One blessed is He, Who spreads the heavens, and establishes the earth, and the seat of His glory is in heaven above, and the abode of His invincible might is in the loftiest heights. He is our God, there is nothing else. Our King is true, all else is insignificant, as it is written in His Torah: And You shall know this day and take into Your heart that Adonoy is God in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is nothing else.

The first paragraph of the prayer above does not interest us for the purposes of Tikkun Olam. It describes our obligation as Jews to serve G-d and acknowledge His Supremacy. The first paragraph is usually sung and the second paragraph often said silently very rapidly. I have highlighted the section referring to Tikkun Olam.

עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזֶּֽךָ לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָֽרֶץ וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּרֵתוּן לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁ֒מֶֽךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁ֒עֵי אָֽרֶץ, יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְ֒עוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁ֒בֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן: לְפָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפֹּֽלוּ, וְלִכְ֒בוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּֽנוּ, וִיקַבְּ֒לוּ כֻלָּם אֶת עֹל מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ, וְתִמְלֺךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּ֒ךָ הִיא וּלְעֽוֹלְ֒מֵי עַד תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ יְהֹוָה יִמְלֺךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד: וְנֶאֱמַר וְהָיָה יְהֹוָה לְמֶֽלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהֹוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד:

We therefore put our hope in You, Adonoy our God, to soon behold the glory of Your might in banishing idolatry from the earth, and the false gods will be utterly exterminated to perfect the world as the kingdom of Shadai. And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You, every knee must bend, every tongue must swear [allegiance to You]. Before You, Adonoy, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves, and to the glory of Your Name give honor they will all accept [upon themselves] the yoke of Your kingdom, and You will reign over them, soon, forever, and ever. For the kingdom is Yours, and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written in Your Torah: Adonoy will reign forever and ever. And it is said: And Adonoy will be King over the whole earth; on that day Adonoy will be One and His Name One.

Tikkun Olam then refers to the process in which the entire world accepts that G-d is King over the whole earth; on that day

G-d will be One and His Name One. How do we move the world in this direction? By the performance of Mitzvot.

So, perhaps my friend was correct that one is a good Jew by being a good person and being involved in social justice movements. Rabbi Potash commented that the concept of Tikkun Olam as discussed in contemporary society is almost a secular activity. Of course, it is praiseworthy to feed the hungry, house the homeless and struggle against racism, misogyny, and antisemitism. These activities are critically important but are horizontal activities between man and man. There is also a vertical relationship, says Rabbi Potash, between man and G-d. True Tikkun Olam occurs when we combine its horizontal and vertical components.