Righteous Indignation, Ch. 2 (p 15-22)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 2 (p 15-22)
What Does Tikkun Olam Actually Mean? -- Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD

This short chapter is packed with meaning as it considers the ramifications of one's actions on the world, the future and even on God. The two primary concepts are tikkun ha'olam and chesed.

(1) Tikkun ha'olam roughly means "mending the world" (p 15).

"Tikkun ha'olam may be translated and understood as a recalibration of the world, a recognition that the world is out of balance and that legal remedies are needed in order to readjust the world to a better balance. The focus is not so much on the power of the individual to effect change, but rather on the power of the law to correct systemic injustice" (p 19).

"The Mishnah and Talmud help us ask the big structural questions, forcing us to focus on underlying causes of suffering and to address them..." (p 21).

"Tikkun olam means Jewish social justice. It means having a large vision of the world as it ought to be..." (p 22).

What issues are you researching and dealing with from a systems perspective? What structural injustices are you focusing on? What are you finding? What are you doing? What's your story? Does your faith play a role in your motivation or methodology? Let's not forget about environmental issues as we consider other social and economic injustices.

(2) Chesed includes the concepts of "compassion, generosity, and lovingkindness" (p 20).

"Acts of chesed are immediate responses to an individual in need. A person is cold: give her clothes. A man dies: bury him" (p 19).

"Acts of chesed are responses from one individual to another in a difficult or desparate time, a response to help that person get through the day" (p 21).

"All too often, as we pursue our grand visions for the world, we can forget the people who are in the immediacy of suffering. Chesed is our reminder that as we ask why people suffer from hunger, we also remember to bring meals to the hungry..." (p 22).

What individual acts of compassion and kindness have you witnessed recently? What is a meaningful way that you have been cared for?

(3) "Chesed reminds us not to forget the people that make up our societies. Tikkun olam teaches us to try and change society itself" (p 22).

Which comes more naturally to you, chesed or tikkun olam? That is, from a social work perspective, what level do you tend to focus on more--micro (give a man a fish), mezzo (teach him and others more effective fishing methods) or macro (secure equal access to the pond, stop those who are polluting the water)? What might happen if we approached social activism at only one of these levels? What examples can you give?

Some faith communities see chesed as consistent with their ethical teachings, but feel tikkun olam is not for them because they do not want to meddle in politics. What would you say to convince them to work for societal change? What examples from your community's teachings and from history could you use to encourage them to get involved at the macro level without being partisan?

As the Introduction explains, this book will focus on tikkun olam rather than chesed. But let's be sure to keep a balance of both.