Tikkun Olam
Tikkun
Olam” is
an aspect of “Tzedakah” that refers to our moral obligation to promote
change in society for the betterment of all people and the world we live in,
including protection of animals and our physical environment. In terms of the
origins of this concept, Congregation Adath Shalom explains:
The
word “tikkun” first appears in the book of Ecclesiastes (1:5;
The
obligation to repair the world emerges from various Jewish sources. Some,
including many of the ancient prophets, see the obligation as originating
primarily from the commandment to emulate God’s holiness, for, in their view,
God is the model for human righteousness. Others see the obligation to engage in
social action as arising chiefly from the Jews’ historical position as an
oppressed people. Still others believe that engaging in acts of tikkun olam is
the primary means of satisfying the need to create a sense of Jewish community
and identity. From this perspective the commitment to tikkun olam is a calling,
a vocation, and it is unlikely that the Jews could survive, and it would be
unseemly if they did, except as a community organized around values and
committed to tikkun olam.
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More on this topic at http://www.jrf.org/adatsmd/tikunola.html |