The Age Of Tikkun
By Eliezer Shore
There is a word that is repeated throughout history. It is spoken in times of peace, when society builds hopefully for the future, and when men are at war, struggling for the present; it captures the best of our dreams and aspirations. Judaism refers to it often, for it is at the heart of all her laws and customs, and finds expression in nearly every aspect of the religious life. It is the goal of both the legalist and the mystic, of both leaders and the simple man seeking quietude. The word is Tikkun.
Tikkun has several connotations: correction, restoration, reform. Most often, it is used in the phrase tikkun ha-olam, usually translated as “repairing the world.” It conveys a sense of putting things right, of promoting harmony and integration among the various elements of creation and peace among humanity. Tikkun is understood to be the goal of all the Torah’s commandments: “The mitzvos were only given to purify the world,” says the Midrash. It manifests itself on all levels of society, whether one works in the broad area of the public good, or merely tries to refine one’s own life, both contribute to the same goal of tikkun ha-olam. Ultimately, tikkun means imbuing the creation with such a profound sense of life and spirit that the entire world becomes a vessel for Revelation. In that sense, tikkun also means “healing,” for it means returning to the world its soul.
This was humanity’s role from the very beginning. It was for this reason that God declared: “Let us make humankind in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth…” (Gen. 1:26). This dominion is not a form of control or manipulation; rather it is a type of stewardship, leading all the parts to a greater whole. The word “dominion” in this verse, vayerdu, is related to the word “to go down,” just as a greater person must descend to see to the needs of a lower one, for tikkun is always concerned with raising up that which is fallen.
According to the Kabbalah, when God first formed the universe, He left it incomplete, one step away from Divinity. Adam was supposed to close the circle and finish the tikkun. But when he sinned in the Garden, rather than uplifting the world, he plunged it further into darkness, making the process of repair so much harder. There is a Kabbalistic teaching that says that as a direct result of Adam’s sin, the Children of Israel, many centuries later, would be forced to descend into Egypt to experience bondage and deliverance; for there is a direct relationship between the act of tikkun and the movement from slavery to freedom.
It has been noted that the Torah, as a book of law, never speaks in terms of rights; all its laws are phrased in the language of responsibilities – to one’s family, one’s community, or to God. Though the law is preeminently concerned with the welfare of the poor and the underprivileged, it nonetheless speaks only of our obligations. However, there is at least one area in which the law does allude to human rights: in the treatment of slaves and indentured servants. Even in ancient times, when slavery was common, the Torah protected their welfare. Of the rights of a slave, the verse states, “It shall be good for him with you” (Deut. 15:16). According to the Talmud, this means that a slave must be fed and clothed well, he must not be overworked or embarrassed or belittled in any way, and if his master abuses him physically, he is allowed to go free.
The Torah is making a subtle point: that the difference between rights and responsibilities is the difference between slavery and freedom. For a free man is not defined by the rights he deserves, but by the responsibilities that he bears. Freedom is not an end unto itself, to be the focus of legislation; it is a means to something greater, to bring the world to perfection. Only a person under the subjugation of another needs rights, but since the Torah views man as intrinsically free, it makes him responsible for others, and for the entire world.
In the mystical teachings of Hasidism, the concepts of slavery and freedom are understood on a deeper level – as states of consciousness. “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord our God took us out from there,” begins the Passover Hagadah. The essence of slavery is not physical subjugation or restricted movement, but a limited state of consciousness in which the mind cannot recognize the truth of God in the present moment but sees only a facade of illusions and fantasies projected by the ego and the lower inclinations. Slavery means living in a world of dreams, whereas true freedom means relating to the world as it exists before us now, as an emanation from God, with all its potential for becoming a vessel for holiness. The First Commandment states, “I am the Lord Your God who took you out of Egypt . . .” (Ex. 20:2). That is, the deliverance from bondage is precisely that which leads us to a perception of the “Lord our God.” One who attains this state of consciousness is free, even when he is physically restrained, for he is at every moment attached to the Divine. Whereas even a person with autonomy of movement is enslaved, so long as he cannot liberate himself from the influence of his fantasies and lower self.
Thus, the act of tikkun is not merely an act of repairing the world, but of repairing the consciousness, until we can clearly see what needs to be done in this world. It means freeing ourselves from personal interests and biases in order to serve the needs of the present moment. For it is in this moment, with all its problems and deficiencies, that God reveals Himself to us. Freedom means giving to others, even when the deed is unfulfilling, or putting aside ones own interests for the sake of a greater good. In a word, it means the willingness to sacrifice for the highest vision of goodness and truth. This is the process of both individual and universal redemption. Hasidism teaches that when all the illusions of the world have finally been exhausted, history will have reached its end, the world will reach its tikkun.
Seen in this light, the concepts of slavery and freedom apply to our generation as well. Never in history have these two opposites been stronger: the unbridled reign of the imagination fostered by our media culture, versus the need for the most sober and realistic world view in the face of our great power for destruction; our potential to bring the world to perfection versus our ability to totally annihilate it. We have finally fulfilled the verse, “You have made [man] a little less than the angels . . . You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, the beasts of the field; the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea” (Psalms 8:6-9). We must remember, with everything that we do, that this means stewardship over the earth, with the goal of bringing it to perfection. Thus, even while we examine other traditions for alternative paradigms of society – Native American, Aborigine, earth religions – we must realize that humankind, having mastered so much of this planet, will never return to those models. And since we will never relinquish our control, we have no choice but to learn to use it properly.
The question now is how to become free, how to take responsibility for all of our actions. For we can no longer afford to be slaves to our illusions, ignoring the repercussions of our acts. God created Adam and placed him in the Garden “to serve it and to protect it” (Gen. 2:15). The Kabbalah teaches that Adam was supposed to repair the world on the very first day of his creation. Yet he failed to take responsibility for the earth, insisting instead on his right to eat from every tree in the Garden. But though he fell, the job of tikkun remains the same, only now it has to be performed by countless individuals over thousands of years, for the soul of Adam was divided and spread out over time.
That means that every human being, on whatever level of society, has something to fix, something to heal, some way in which to use the gift of their life for a higher purpose, correctly, responsibly. The Midrash says that while Adam still lay silent on the ground, God showed him all the generations that would emerge from him. Some were derived from his head, some from his heart, some from his feet. Each person has his place and his role; together they constitute the body of Adam. Likewise, when the Torah speaks of responsibilities, it is not just addressing those in power. The underprivileged also have obligations, and according to Jewish Law, even the beggar on the street must give charity to those worse off than him. By doing so, he too contributes to the repair of the world, within his own limited sphere of influence.
Now we stand on the threshold of a new millennium. So many ages have already passed before us, from the Classical Age to the Age of Technology, from the Romantic period to the Post-Modern age. Each one has left its mark upon the world; some have done it harm. What age will we now be facing?
We must enter the Age of Tikkun, of Healing – for the damage we have done to ourselves and the world over the past centuries, and because the earth still waits to fulfill its purpose. We exist in this world in order to fix and uplift, and have a responsibility to all of creation. The Midrash says that when God created Adam, He took him around the Garden of Eden and showed him all the trees. “Do you see My handiwork, how beautiful and choice they are? Be careful not to ruin and destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one after you to repair it.” This command still applies to us. We must not despair in the face of the challenge, but only see our great potential for healing. May God help us finally fulfill what we are meant to do on this earth. d
Tikkun has several connotations: correction, restoration, reform. Most often, it is used in the phrase tikkun ha-olam, usually translated as “repairing the world.” It conveys a sense of putting things right, of promoting harmony and integration among the various elements of creation and peace among humanity. Tikkun is understood to be the goal of all the Torah’s commandments: “The mitzvos were only given to purify the world,” says the Midrash. It manifests itself on all levels of society, whether one works in the broad area of the public good, or merely tries to refine one’s own life, both contribute to the same goal of tikkun ha-olam. Ultimately, tikkun means imbuing the creation with such a profound sense of life and spirit that the entire world becomes a vessel for Revelation. In that sense, tikkun also means “healing,” for it means returning to the world its soul.
This was humanity’s role from the very beginning. It was for this reason that God declared: “Let us make humankind in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth…” (Gen. 1:26). This dominion is not a form of control or manipulation; rather it is a type of stewardship, leading all the parts to a greater whole. The word “dominion” in this verse, vayerdu, is related to the word “to go down,” just as a greater person must descend to see to the needs of a lower one, for tikkun is always concerned with raising up that which is fallen.
According to the Kabbalah, when God first formed the universe, He left it incomplete, one step away from Divinity. Adam was supposed to close the circle and finish the tikkun. But when he sinned in the Garden, rather than uplifting the world, he plunged it further into darkness, making the process of repair so much harder. There is a Kabbalistic teaching that says that as a direct result of Adam’s sin, the Children of Israel, many centuries later, would be forced to descend into Egypt to experience bondage and deliverance; for there is a direct relationship between the act of tikkun and the movement from slavery to freedom.
It has been noted that the Torah, as a book of law, never speaks in terms of rights; all its laws are phrased in the language of responsibilities – to one’s family, one’s community, or to God. Though the law is preeminently concerned with the welfare of the poor and the underprivileged, it nonetheless speaks only of our obligations. However, there is at least one area in which the law does allude to human rights: in the treatment of slaves and indentured servants. Even in ancient times, when slavery was common, the Torah protected their welfare. Of the rights of a slave, the verse states, “It shall be good for him with you” (Deut. 15:16). According to the Talmud, this means that a slave must be fed and clothed well, he must not be overworked or embarrassed or belittled in any way, and if his master abuses him physically, he is allowed to go free.
The Torah is making a subtle point: that the difference between rights and responsibilities is the difference between slavery and freedom. For a free man is not defined by the rights he deserves, but by the responsibilities that he bears. Freedom is not an end unto itself, to be the focus of legislation; it is a means to something greater, to bring the world to perfection. Only a person under the subjugation of another needs rights, but since the Torah views man as intrinsically free, it makes him responsible for others, and for the entire world.
In the mystical teachings of Hasidism, the concepts of slavery and freedom are understood on a deeper level – as states of consciousness. “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord our God took us out from there,” begins the Passover Hagadah. The essence of slavery is not physical subjugation or restricted movement, but a limited state of consciousness in which the mind cannot recognize the truth of God in the present moment but sees only a facade of illusions and fantasies projected by the ego and the lower inclinations. Slavery means living in a world of dreams, whereas true freedom means relating to the world as it exists before us now, as an emanation from God, with all its potential for becoming a vessel for holiness. The First Commandment states, “I am the Lord Your God who took you out of Egypt . . .” (Ex. 20:2). That is, the deliverance from bondage is precisely that which leads us to a perception of the “Lord our God.” One who attains this state of consciousness is free, even when he is physically restrained, for he is at every moment attached to the Divine. Whereas even a person with autonomy of movement is enslaved, so long as he cannot liberate himself from the influence of his fantasies and lower self.
Thus, the act of tikkun is not merely an act of repairing the world, but of repairing the consciousness, until we can clearly see what needs to be done in this world. It means freeing ourselves from personal interests and biases in order to serve the needs of the present moment. For it is in this moment, with all its problems and deficiencies, that God reveals Himself to us. Freedom means giving to others, even when the deed is unfulfilling, or putting aside ones own interests for the sake of a greater good. In a word, it means the willingness to sacrifice for the highest vision of goodness and truth. This is the process of both individual and universal redemption. Hasidism teaches that when all the illusions of the world have finally been exhausted, history will have reached its end, the world will reach its tikkun.
Seen in this light, the concepts of slavery and freedom apply to our generation as well. Never in history have these two opposites been stronger: the unbridled reign of the imagination fostered by our media culture, versus the need for the most sober and realistic world view in the face of our great power for destruction; our potential to bring the world to perfection versus our ability to totally annihilate it. We have finally fulfilled the verse, “You have made [man] a little less than the angels . . . You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, the beasts of the field; the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea” (Psalms 8:6-9). We must remember, with everything that we do, that this means stewardship over the earth, with the goal of bringing it to perfection. Thus, even while we examine other traditions for alternative paradigms of society – Native American, Aborigine, earth religions – we must realize that humankind, having mastered so much of this planet, will never return to those models. And since we will never relinquish our control, we have no choice but to learn to use it properly.
The question now is how to become free, how to take responsibility for all of our actions. For we can no longer afford to be slaves to our illusions, ignoring the repercussions of our acts. God created Adam and placed him in the Garden “to serve it and to protect it” (Gen. 2:15). The Kabbalah teaches that Adam was supposed to repair the world on the very first day of his creation. Yet he failed to take responsibility for the earth, insisting instead on his right to eat from every tree in the Garden. But though he fell, the job of tikkun remains the same, only now it has to be performed by countless individuals over thousands of years, for the soul of Adam was divided and spread out over time.
That means that every human being, on whatever level of society, has something to fix, something to heal, some way in which to use the gift of their life for a higher purpose, correctly, responsibly. The Midrash says that while Adam still lay silent on the ground, God showed him all the generations that would emerge from him. Some were derived from his head, some from his heart, some from his feet. Each person has his place and his role; together they constitute the body of Adam. Likewise, when the Torah speaks of responsibilities, it is not just addressing those in power. The underprivileged also have obligations, and according to Jewish Law, even the beggar on the street must give charity to those worse off than him. By doing so, he too contributes to the repair of the world, within his own limited sphere of influence.
Now we stand on the threshold of a new millennium. So many ages have already passed before us, from the Classical Age to the Age of Technology, from the Romantic period to the Post-Modern age. Each one has left its mark upon the world; some have done it harm. What age will we now be facing?
We must enter the Age of Tikkun, of Healing – for the damage we have done to ourselves and the world over the past centuries, and because the earth still waits to fulfill its purpose. We exist in this world in order to fix and uplift, and have a responsibility to all of creation. The Midrash says that when God created Adam, He took him around the Garden of Eden and showed him all the trees. “Do you see My handiwork, how beautiful and choice they are? Be careful not to ruin and destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one after you to repair it.” This command still applies to us. We must not despair in the face of the challenge, but only see our great potential for healing. May God help us finally fulfill what we are meant to do on this earth. d