Jewish Lights: The Way Into Tikkun Olam

Why did you write this book?
First, surveys show that close to half of all Jews identify fixing the world as the most important part of their Jewish commitments. I hope that this book demonstrates that even though there are many other rich and meaningful parts of Judaism that they should explore, they are not wrong in identifying fixing the world as an important part of what it means to be Jewish. It is not only their impression that that is so; the classical texts of the Jewish tradition affirm that that is so.

Second, there is a deeply personal side of this project for me. Even though I am a traditional, Conservative Jew, and even though traditional Jews often focus most on Jewish rituals, I have always considered social action to be a crucial part of my Judaism. During college, between 1961 and 1965 (I am now sixty-three—you don’t have to guess!), I spent every Thursday afternoon at a junior high school in Harlem tutoring seventh graders who were reading on a second-grade level. My last year of college I worked at another junior high school in Harlem doing enrichment work with ninth graders who, according to their teachers, were the most likely to go to college. Ever since, I have been involved in multiple forms of tikkun olam: in interfaith relations (I am co-chair of the Priest-Rabbi Dialogue sponsored by the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California); in social services (I served for two years as president of Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles); and in working with the poor, the disabled, and the abused. So this book articulates many of my own deepest Jewish commitments.

What is distinctly Jewish about tikkun olam? Isn’t it just what is required of us as human beings?
There certainly are general, humanitarian reasons to engage in acts of tikkun olam, but Judaism adds many more reasons to do so and it gives us concrete directions about how we should do so. Judaism makes the whole process of thinking about tikkun olam, and the act of fixing the world, a much deeper and richer experience. This experience of Judaism calls on many different parts of our being and many different motivations and gives us instructions about how to carry out those motivations. Chapter two of my book describes the multiple reasons that Judaism suggests as to why we should care about others, and chapter three describes what Judaism adds to our general thoughts, motives, and actions of tikkun olam, and it explores how Judaism makes tikkun olam a much deeper and richer experience than it would be if we were to act solely on humanitarian grounds. To take just one example, by making these actions commandments rather than just acts of compassion and kindness, Judaism makes it much more likely that we will engage in such actions often, not just when we get the whim. This makes us much more active and reliable fixers of the world.

I understand that “tikkun olam” refers to helping the poor. Why, though, do you also include chapters about how we talk to and about each other, ransoming captives, and supporting each other in times of need and joy?
The term “tikkun olam” actually has a long history and has meant many different things during that history. I trace the most important meanings that that term has historically had in chapter one. It is actually only in the last fifty years or so that the phrase has come to mean social action. Judaism always demanded that we engage in actions of social repair, but it used other terms for it. On a social level, tikkun olam demands that we act to ensure tzedek (righteousness) and mishpat (justice), and on a personal level it demands that we act with hesed (loyalty and therefore kindness) which becomes acts of gemilut hasadim (loving kindness). Thus the very meaning of the phrase has changed throughout history, and in this book I call attention to the broadest possible meanings that are reflected in Jewish sources.

Are there any meanings that you have left out?
Yes, this book does not deal with fixing the world literally—that is, through environmental repair and preservation. The Way Into Judaism and the Environment, another book in The Way Into... Series, discusses this.

In what sense is how we talk to and about each other a form of tikkun olam?
The Jewish tradition was very sensitive to the power of words to create and destroy entire worlds—both personal worlds and social ones. Most of the sins we confess on Yom Kippur involve misuse of words. Secular law recognizes the harms of slander and libel, but Jewish law goes far beyond that in demanding that we refrain from indecent language, slurs, and even “the dust of slurs.” Part of what I wrestle with in chapter four is whether that makes dirty jokes and even normal conversation among friends impossible. You will be glad to know that it does not, but these rules do demand that we take care to ensure that what we say does not destroy other people’s reputations. Doing so harms not only the people spoken about, but also the speaker, the listener, and, indeed, the entire fabric of society. On the other hand, Jewish law requires that we be much more forthcoming about a person’s weaknesses than American law does when a potential school or employer needs to know that. Furthermore, Jewish law encourages us to use our words to help and support people.

I always thought that "tikkun olam" refers to social action. Your book, though, includes an entire section on tikkun olam in the family, with a chapter on spousal relations, another on parental duties, and another on filial duties. How are those aspects a part of tikkun olam?
Because we live our lives as part of families, the Jewish tradition took great care to ensure that our families were strong. It therefore spells out in great detail what spouses, parents, and children owe each other. Obviously, if everyone gets along and even loves each other, many of these things will come naturally, but most family relationships are less than ideal and even the closest of families have their moments of tension. Jewish law thus gives us some very realistic guidelines about how we should interact with each other in our families, even when we do not do so out of love. In spelling out these expectations, Jewish law is fortifying an absolutely crucial part of everyone’s life and of society as a whole.

Your last chapter talks about Jewish ideas about the ideal world. How is this related to tikkun olam?
Even though many of the texts in this chapter speak about Jewish visions of Messianic times, they are crucial for our understanding of tikkun olam in the here and now because they define the goals of our individual acts of tikkun olam. These texts tell us the kind of world our concrete actions of fixing the world should try to create. I hope my book will educate people about the many important reasons to engage in such acts and that it gives people the sensitivity to recognize the many aspects of life that we need to fix. Then we will be at least a few steps closer to attaining a repaired world!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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How much of a Jew’s commitments should be devoted to fixing the world, and how much should be devoted to other aspects of Judaism, like Jewish prayer, rituals, holidays, and Israel?

To what extent should a Jew’s acts of fixing the world be devoted to Jews in need, and to what extent should a Jew’s efforts be directed to the general community?

In what ways does Judaism make acts of fixing the world richer and deeper than they would be on humanitarian grounds alone?

Which of the motivations for fixing the world discussed in chapter two is most meaningful for you? Why? Which is least meaningful for you? Why?

In what ways do you think that the Jewish rules governing speech are unrealistic? If you think they are unrealistic, explain why. If not, discuss ways you are able to govern speech today.

Discuss the classical Jewish duties of spouses, parents, and children and discuss which, if any, are outdated. If you find them to be outdated, explore how. If not, how do they need to stretch to apply to the modern realities of where family members live and how they work?

What factors of an ideal world, if any, would you like to add to the ones described in the last chapter? If so, what acts of fixing the world would that add to the Jewish list of how we should work to fix the world?

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