I have seen what "tikkun olam" really is. Reform became officially a social action movement in the late 1990s, with Tikkun Olam giving it an excuse to be considered a Jewish sect, as little if any other aspect of Judaism was truly considered important. Tikkun Olam has been at the forefront for the past decades in their synagogues where hate and demonization of Israel was a weekly sermon, and hatred toward religious Jews was the added component. It has destroyed most of US Jewry. The assimilation is near total amongst the younger Reform and or ex-Reform who are totally secular and eating a bagel consists of their total Judaism.After Oct. 7 many turned against the Jewish community, celebrating rather than than mourning, and even good old Stephen Spielberg, supposedly one concerned about the Jewish community became a capo, refusing to condemn the slaughter that took place on that day, nor the rapes, nor the taking of hundreds of hostages including an infant, all to die or be tortured endlessly. Is this Tikkun Olam? Not in my books, but hey, Progressives, being incredible hypocrites and narcissists, surely can explain their thinking, as Marxists always do, no matter how twisted. Worse, we now see how many of Reform youth and young people who were brainwashed by Refrom, turning to self-hatred towards their identity as Jews and have become prominent in the Jew hunts and attacks on campuses wearing their keffiyehs proudly and screaming " Worldwide Intifada" based on this supposed "Tikkun Olam" touted by the Reform movement.
Thank you for speaking out. What you wrote is exactly why I am no longer a member of my Reform synagogue And, yes, Steven Spielberg's actions are appalling-I couldn't agree more!
The weaponizing of Tikkun Olam has driven so many people out of Reform Judaism-- it's awful.
I will admit that “tikkun olam” was my gateway drug into a Judaism that had been transmitted to me only minimally growing up, (second to “Jewishness”) but because there is so much more depth and breadth that invites one into Judaism, I didn’t stop there. Doing so would have been like mistaking a postcard of a beach for a swim in the ocean.
Matthew, I think you make an important point, but I honestly doubt the progressive activists pushing these ideas are actually influenced by the concept of tikkun olam. What is really driving them is the Marxist-style oppressor-versus-oppressed worldview that has spread through universities and activist culture for years now — the idea that everything must be viewed through “colonizer” and “colonized” categories. Jews and Israel simply became recast within that framework, regardless of history or reality. The tragedy is that some Jews adopted those ideas so fully that they ended up disconnecting themselves from Jewish history, Jewish identity, and Jewish self-preservation.
On the money! Extraordinary insight--a truly outstanding essay! Thank you so much for writing it.
Your essay is exactly why I left my reform synagogue. The rabbi had no interest in Judaism. Instead it had become a highly toxic far left so-called social justice movement.
All true. Lurianic Kabbalah provided a spiritual metaphor invoking God's own self when giving birth to the world. Something went wrong, they explained. Such a quasi parable helps to accept the mind-boggling fact that, indeed, this is a broken world. And then, without becoming assimilated deranged wokes, Jews continue to improve the world. Giving, inventing, creating, helping., as Jews. Because they have it in their natures and in their culture to do so. And look at Israel's achievements.
Tikkun Olam is indeed an unfortunate appropriation and abuse of a powerful image, which to this day, if the Big Bang ends up being true, miraculously envisioned the latest modern cosmology ideas five hundred years ago. It's an idea about God and the world ,not about destroying the world and Judaism . God constrained Itself to make room for us, its partners.
Its not so much a kabbalistic concept as its part of kabbalah. For example, there is a concept of reincarnation in kabbalah. Ones soul has a mission, which is some small part of the larger TO in the world. If you (and your sould) do not complete the job, the soul has to come back to someone else to do so.
But the term refers to the "shattering" of the vessel that is the world and Jews are asked to perform mitzvot and such to "repair" it. Isn't this the basic concept?
It means the world will be fixed when people fix themselves. People have to fix themselves first. Stopping the attraction from escaping individual accountability comes first.
Thank you. For humanity to truly flourish, we must address systemic issues stemming from the top. Politicians, the media, and universities are contributing to the problem by enabling individuals to engage in brainwashed undertakings.
America is a country defined by its grassroots movements, where everyday people initiate extraordinary programs to help others around the world. This truly represents the American spirit and exceptionalism in action.
By all means, interpret it how you want. But traditionally speaking, you have backwards. By acting to fix the world in your own small way you fix yourself too.
You have it backwards. It's not our job to fix the world. Rather, our responsibility is to first fix ourselves. This is exactly how the world heals and ultimately gets fixed.
It's not our job to fix the world, that is correct. But we also cannot refuse to try. You would simply not try until you think you are perfect. But you'll never be that. No one will. Therefore you must try to fix the world and fix yourself in the process. That is simply the traditional Jewish approach.
It is absolutely not a Jewish tradition to fix the world. What is, one fixes oneself and the results snowball. People are easily manipulated. The attraction here is to escape from the self, from self-responsibility.
The 89% of PA population supports Hamas and Terrorism. The October 7th massacre on the Nova music festival youth and nearby Kubutzes left more than 12 hundred dead, over 5 thousand wounded and 242 kidnapped to Gaza. This brutal slaughter and rape were committed by Hamas and thousands of their enthusiastic followers who crossed to Israel todo this. The population of the Kubutzes wanted to fix the world, they were massacred for it. "Shaken to the core wife of slain hostage after years of Peace Activism." "We fought for years for Peace and Social Justice and dealt a harsh blow by the very people we helped." Wife of murdered Oded Lifshitz
The Jewish history is rich and glorious. If people don’t want to celebrate that, it is very sad.
Be proud and fight, fight, fight
Here is a good rule of thumb. Anytime someone tells you about "social justice" you can be sure they are talking about Marxism and injustice.
I have seen what "tikkun olam" really is. Reform became officially a social action movement in the late 1990s, with Tikkun Olam giving it an excuse to be considered a Jewish sect, as little if any other aspect of Judaism was truly considered important. Tikkun Olam has been at the forefront for the past decades in their synagogues where hate and demonization of Israel was a weekly sermon, and hatred toward religious Jews was the added component. It has destroyed most of US Jewry. The assimilation is near total amongst the younger Reform and or ex-Reform who are totally secular and eating a bagel consists of their total Judaism.After Oct. 7 many turned against the Jewish community, celebrating rather than than mourning, and even good old Stephen Spielberg, supposedly one concerned about the Jewish community became a capo, refusing to condemn the slaughter that took place on that day, nor the rapes, nor the taking of hundreds of hostages including an infant, all to die or be tortured endlessly. Is this Tikkun Olam? Not in my books, but hey, Progressives, being incredible hypocrites and narcissists, surely can explain their thinking, as Marxists always do, no matter how twisted. Worse, we now see how many of Reform youth and young people who were brainwashed by Refrom, turning to self-hatred towards their identity as Jews and have become prominent in the Jew hunts and attacks on campuses wearing their keffiyehs proudly and screaming " Worldwide Intifada" based on this supposed "Tikkun Olam" touted by the Reform movement.
Thank you for speaking out. What you wrote is exactly why I am no longer a member of my Reform synagogue And, yes, Steven Spielberg's actions are appalling-I couldn't agree more!
The weaponizing of Tikkun Olam has driven so many people out of Reform Judaism-- it's awful.
I will admit that “tikkun olam” was my gateway drug into a Judaism that had been transmitted to me only minimally growing up, (second to “Jewishness”) but because there is so much more depth and breadth that invites one into Judaism, I didn’t stop there. Doing so would have been like mistaking a postcard of a beach for a swim in the ocean.
Tikkun olam in the mind of the trump hating liberal seems to morph into a form of suicidal empathy from the chronic virtue signalers
Matthew, I think you make an important point, but I honestly doubt the progressive activists pushing these ideas are actually influenced by the concept of tikkun olam. What is really driving them is the Marxist-style oppressor-versus-oppressed worldview that has spread through universities and activist culture for years now — the idea that everything must be viewed through “colonizer” and “colonized” categories. Jews and Israel simply became recast within that framework, regardless of history or reality. The tragedy is that some Jews adopted those ideas so fully that they ended up disconnecting themselves from Jewish history, Jewish identity, and Jewish self-preservation.
On the money! Extraordinary insight--a truly outstanding essay! Thank you so much for writing it.
Your essay is exactly why I left my reform synagogue. The rabbi had no interest in Judaism. Instead it had become a highly toxic far left so-called social justice movement.
Once again, you nailed it!
Preach! Exactly!
All true. Lurianic Kabbalah provided a spiritual metaphor invoking God's own self when giving birth to the world. Something went wrong, they explained. Such a quasi parable helps to accept the mind-boggling fact that, indeed, this is a broken world. And then, without becoming assimilated deranged wokes, Jews continue to improve the world. Giving, inventing, creating, helping., as Jews. Because they have it in their natures and in their culture to do so. And look at Israel's achievements.
Tikkun Olam is indeed an unfortunate appropriation and abuse of a powerful image, which to this day, if the Big Bang ends up being true, miraculously envisioned the latest modern cosmology ideas five hundred years ago. It's an idea about God and the world ,not about destroying the world and Judaism . God constrained Itself to make room for us, its partners.
Brilliant
Amen.
What a bright, brilliant, outstanding tract !!
I thought Tikun Olam was a kabalistic concept. As far as what the NY Times says, I would say someone wanting to do good would do the precise opposite.
Its not so much a kabbalistic concept as its part of kabbalah. For example, there is a concept of reincarnation in kabbalah. Ones soul has a mission, which is some small part of the larger TO in the world. If you (and your sould) do not complete the job, the soul has to come back to someone else to do so.
But the term refers to the "shattering" of the vessel that is the world and Jews are asked to perform mitzvot and such to "repair" it. Isn't this the basic concept?
OK, I am not an expert. I chose the topic of Jewish reincarnation to teach at a Shavuot learning a few years ago. But yes, that is the bottom line.
This is well thought out and beautifully written. Thank you Mr. Feinberg.
Well said!
tikkun olam literally means to heal oneself (self responsibility and accountability is part of that) and this is how the world heals.
It doesn’t mean that literally. It means to fix the world. Maybe you mean figuratively.
It means the world will be fixed when people fix themselves. People have to fix themselves first. Stopping the attraction from escaping individual accountability comes first.
I think that’s beautiful. It’s just not how the Hebrew is written. It’s interpretative. Which is fine.
Thank you. For humanity to truly flourish, we must address systemic issues stemming from the top. Politicians, the media, and universities are contributing to the problem by enabling individuals to engage in brainwashed undertakings.
Also along your lines every single act we make to help another is part of repairing the world.
America is a country defined by its grassroots movements, where everyday people initiate extraordinary programs to help others around the world. This truly represents the American spirit and exceptionalism in action.
By all means, interpret it how you want. But traditionally speaking, you have backwards. By acting to fix the world in your own small way you fix yourself too.
It's not first one then the other.
You have it backwards. It's not our job to fix the world. Rather, our responsibility is to first fix ourselves. This is exactly how the world heals and ultimately gets fixed.
It's not our job to fix the world, that is correct. But we also cannot refuse to try. You would simply not try until you think you are perfect. But you'll never be that. No one will. Therefore you must try to fix the world and fix yourself in the process. That is simply the traditional Jewish approach.
That said, by all means go do you.
It is absolutely not a Jewish tradition to fix the world. What is, one fixes oneself and the results snowball. People are easily manipulated. The attraction here is to escape from the self, from self-responsibility.
The 89% of PA population supports Hamas and Terrorism. The October 7th massacre on the Nova music festival youth and nearby Kubutzes left more than 12 hundred dead, over 5 thousand wounded and 242 kidnapped to Gaza. This brutal slaughter and rape were committed by Hamas and thousands of their enthusiastic followers who crossed to Israel todo this. The population of the Kubutzes wanted to fix the world, they were massacred for it. "Shaken to the core wife of slain hostage after years of Peace Activism." "We fought for years for Peace and Social Justice and dealt a harsh blow by the very people we helped." Wife of murdered Oded Lifshitz
The concept of "fixing the world" as a Jewish tradition was made up by progressives and the self erasing Jews.