Page 10 - C.A.L.L. #38 - Summer 2014

From the International Communes Desk (ICD) Study Group

Tikkun Olam

WHAT IS “TIKKUN OLAM”? WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?

The literal translation of the Hebrew term “Tikkun Olam” is: “To mend, repair and

transform the world”. As such, the term embodies two different but potentially
complementary ideas.

Whether mending a torn shirt or repairing a mechanical defect in your car, repairing
and/or mending attempts to return something to its original functional state. Within the
context of a social situation, it implies social responsibility within a given social and
economic reality which commits one to good works, acts of lovingkindness and charity. In

Hebrew, a language thrifty in words, “Tikkun” also means amending rules and regulations in
response to changing reality.

On the other hand, the concept of “Tikkun Olam” as used in Jewish daily prayer means
transformation.
“We therefore hope soon to behold the glory of your Divine Might. Then will false gods be

felled and vanish and the world will be perfected under Your unchallenged rule”.

The vision of transformation seeks a more just, a more perfect world – social and
environmental justice. Social justice means quality of life for all. “Justice, justice shalt

thou pursue” (Deut. 16: 20). Environmental justice demands that we be stewards of Divine
Creation and not just exploiters of Spaceship Earth’s limited resources. “The Divine took
the human and placed him in the garden of Eden to till it and tend it.” (Gen. 2: 15).

The heritage of Israel recognizes both the importance of mending and repairing in the here
and now as well as the divine imperative of ongoing transformation. In the Bible, the priest
and the king embody the here and now. The prophet calls for transformation. The

legitimacy of the creative tension between the here and now and the transformation to a
more just future constituted a defining feature of society in ancient Israel. The Bible
introduced this ideal into the heritage of Western civilization. The idea of transformation

was enabled by the Bible’s recognition of free will – the responsibility of the individual and
the community to choose between good and evil.

COMMUNITY AND PURPOSE IN LIFE.
All traditional societies assumed that humans live in the context of community – extended
families, clans, peoples. The Biblical tradition added the dimension of purpose to

community. The people became the assistants of the Divine in striving for ongoing

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