Rabbi Stiefel's Monthly Article

Rabbi Sharon Stiefel

Current November 2025

Tikkun Olam

“Tikkun olam,” literally “repairing the world,” is one of the most central ideas in Jewish thought. The concept of tikkun olam has evolved from its earliest reference in rabbinic law to its place today as the heart of Jewish social justice.

The term tikkun ha-olam first appears in the Mishnah, not as a call to global transformation, but as a justification for legal reform, specific changes to ensure fairness and protect the vulnerable. For example, Rabban Gamliel the Elder decreed that a husband could no longer secretly annul a divorce, safeguarding women from being trapped in uncertain marital status. Likewise, Hillel’s creation of the prosbul, which allowed loans to continue through the sabbatical year, ensured that people in need could still access credit. In these examples, tikkun ha-olam meant repairing a social system to prevent harm, an act of justice rooted in compassion. From its earliest use, “repairing the world” was practical, legal, and deeply ethical.

Centuries later, the Jewish mystical tradition reimagined tikkun olam in cosmic terms. Sixteenth-century Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria taught that when God created the world, vessels of divine light shattered, scattering holy sparks throughout creation. Each human act of goodness - - each mitzvah - - helps to gather and raise those sparks, restoring divine wholeness. This mystical understanding connected moral behavior to cosmic healing: our actions not only improve the human world, but they also help repair the universe itself. To do tikkun olam is to participate in the divine work of creation.

In the modern era, Reconstructionist founder Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan referred to tikkun olam when he wrote, “There can be no personal salvation so long as injustice and strife exist in the social order.” Kaplan saw God as “the power that makes for salvation,” the divine energy that moves humanity toward shalom(peace) and sheleymut (wholeness). The Reconstructionist movement has carried this commitment forward, leading efforts in many realms, including LGBTQ+ inclusion, racial justice, economic justice, environmental justice and democracy and civil rights.

Our commitment to tikkun olam feels especially urgent in this moment. We are living through painful and polarizing times - - nationally and globally. Many of us experience anguish over the loss of life, the suffering of innocents, and the deep divisions that have emerged within and beyond our communities. Whether through advocating for peace, supporting humanitarian efforts, or engaging in dialogue that honors the dignity of every person, we affirm that our Jewish calling is to pursue justice and the preservation of life.

Tikkun olam is not only about direct service but also about transforming unjust systems. True compassion requires both caring for individuals and addressing the root causes of their suffering. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”

The work of tikkun olam can feel overwhelming. Yet our tradition insists that we remain engaged. As Rabbi Tarfon teaches in Pirkei Avot, “You are not obliged to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Each act of justice, each spark of kindness, brings us closer to the world as it should be - - a world of wholeness and peace.