Thank you for reading! I realize that abbreviated notes are never sufficient, but I wanted to raise our awareness. I also realize that with time concepts change, become altered, and, in some cases, replaced or even discarded, but I believe in the importance of knowing how these concepts were created in the first place to understand what exactly is altered or discarded.
Helpful knowledge! Seems ta me that the original concept of tikkun olam--the one ya describe here-is more 're less to continue "bein' a light unto others" by settin' a good eggzample, 'honorin' whut's "just" an' fair, behavin' righteously, etc.... No exhortation ta "save the whirled" indeed! Thanks fer the deets on this...most of us, I'll venture, had no clue 'bout the original concept which seems far more talmudic to me--as in properly considerin' what actions ta take WITHIN community.... an' that might be the original concept of T.O.
Now I thankfully wuz not taught the current incomprehensible meanin' of T.O. as a mission that we must save the ENTIRE whirled from itself...oy. Sounds like Gad Saad's suicidal empathy....go on an' help folks that would hate ya?! But indeed temples do--there were jooish synagogues packin' care packages for Gazans... the ones that wanna kill us. Sad & Saad, no?
I will say that from all I've gathered--a lotta Reform temples (zo I notice), even if they aren't goin' all the way ta help Fallastinians... still seem ta state a mission to "repair the whirled" thru what they'd call "outreach" (always secular!--helpin at homeless shelters, fightin' fer MyGrunt rights, diversity (yep), trans rights -- !, clean water, lab-animal safety an' other such unrelated causes...)
It seems these temples bent over backwards ta seek out particularly non-jooish causes an' become uninvited do-gooders onna repair "mission" that might be better described as either apologizin' thru good deeds fer havin' "white priviledge" (fergit that many don't consider us white!) OR, when guilt ain't the main M.O., it seems ta be "civics on steroids."
No surprise that this oddball mission started jus' bout the time civics got struck from skool curricula... I.e. the message was ta take over where society dropped the ball...perhaps? America used ta have kids visitin' civic offices, helping out at small town parades, local charities, etc. but all a part of bein' American--not related to temple/shul. I think that whoever insty-tooted that policy of replacin' trainin' for civic duty was graspin fer straws or bored as heck 'er both, hence the most improbable kinds of volunteer work of jews in the name of Tikkun Olam.
I feel lucky that our own take-home lesson in Tikkun Olam was to help those around you--in the immediate--NOT ta save the whirled but ta take an active part in our OWN communities. It could be in ways secular OR parochial. It might be helpin' out at the Jooish book sale, might be assistin' local kids at the JCC camp, could be lookin' in on yer sick neighbor, visitin' a friend in need, makin' care baskets fer elders such as those at temple or those in yer buildin'....NOT helpin' starvin' babies in Senegal (however needy they were).
The only eggception was clearin' yer plate for the "childrin starvin' in Chynna!" (jokin' there...how many mothers FED their kids that non sequitur?!)
Anywhoo...now I'm seein' even the more "local" reach of the T.O. that I larned was really not the original message. It was fine, nize even... an' would be better done as part of "civics," but at least it wasn't savin' the whirled which now seems ta be a guilt trip too. An' since 10/7 we realize all those the T.Olamanians did fer others...were not reciprocated. I think T.O. is ready for a makeover...in this case it's strippin' OFF all the make up (made up!) that's taken place over many years!
I loved this. I was never taught the distorted-beyond-recognition concept of Tikkun Olam, Baruch Hashem, but I also didn’t learn most of what is here, especially the specific instructions, like this one, which I really like, for some reason:
“If a man sells his field to a Gentile, and an Israelite bought it back, he has to bring, the purchaser must bring first fruits from it, because of tikkun olam.”
Thank you for reading! I realize that abbreviated notes are never sufficient, but I wanted to raise our awareness. I also realize that with time concepts change, become altered, and, in some cases, replaced or even discarded, but I believe in the importance of knowing how these concepts were created in the first place to understand what exactly is altered or discarded.
Ilana,
Thanks for these learnings. It is a big issue and appropriate to raise at this time.
Helpful knowledge! Seems ta me that the original concept of tikkun olam--the one ya describe here-is more 're less to continue "bein' a light unto others" by settin' a good eggzample, 'honorin' whut's "just" an' fair, behavin' righteously, etc.... No exhortation ta "save the whirled" indeed! Thanks fer the deets on this...most of us, I'll venture, had no clue 'bout the original concept which seems far more talmudic to me--as in properly considerin' what actions ta take WITHIN community.... an' that might be the original concept of T.O.
Now I thankfully wuz not taught the current incomprehensible meanin' of T.O. as a mission that we must save the ENTIRE whirled from itself...oy. Sounds like Gad Saad's suicidal empathy....go on an' help folks that would hate ya?! But indeed temples do--there were jooish synagogues packin' care packages for Gazans... the ones that wanna kill us. Sad & Saad, no?
I will say that from all I've gathered--a lotta Reform temples (zo I notice), even if they aren't goin' all the way ta help Fallastinians... still seem ta state a mission to "repair the whirled" thru what they'd call "outreach" (always secular!--helpin at homeless shelters, fightin' fer MyGrunt rights, diversity (yep), trans rights -- !, clean water, lab-animal safety an' other such unrelated causes...)
It seems these temples bent over backwards ta seek out particularly non-jooish causes an' become uninvited do-gooders onna repair "mission" that might be better described as either apologizin' thru good deeds fer havin' "white priviledge" (fergit that many don't consider us white!) OR, when guilt ain't the main M.O., it seems ta be "civics on steroids."
No surprise that this oddball mission started jus' bout the time civics got struck from skool curricula... I.e. the message was ta take over where society dropped the ball...perhaps? America used ta have kids visitin' civic offices, helping out at small town parades, local charities, etc. but all a part of bein' American--not related to temple/shul. I think that whoever insty-tooted that policy of replacin' trainin' for civic duty was graspin fer straws or bored as heck 'er both, hence the most improbable kinds of volunteer work of jews in the name of Tikkun Olam.
I feel lucky that our own take-home lesson in Tikkun Olam was to help those around you--in the immediate--NOT ta save the whirled but ta take an active part in our OWN communities. It could be in ways secular OR parochial. It might be helpin' out at the Jooish book sale, might be assistin' local kids at the JCC camp, could be lookin' in on yer sick neighbor, visitin' a friend in need, makin' care baskets fer elders such as those at temple or those in yer buildin'....NOT helpin' starvin' babies in Senegal (however needy they were).
The only eggception was clearin' yer plate for the "childrin starvin' in Chynna!" (jokin' there...how many mothers FED their kids that non sequitur?!)
Anywhoo...now I'm seein' even the more "local" reach of the T.O. that I larned was really not the original message. It was fine, nize even... an' would be better done as part of "civics," but at least it wasn't savin' the whirled which now seems ta be a guilt trip too. An' since 10/7 we realize all those the T.Olamanians did fer others...were not reciprocated. I think T.O. is ready for a makeover...in this case it's strippin' OFF all the make up (made up!) that's taken place over many years!
I loved this. I was never taught the distorted-beyond-recognition concept of Tikkun Olam, Baruch Hashem, but I also didn’t learn most of what is here, especially the specific instructions, like this one, which I really like, for some reason:
“If a man sells his field to a Gentile, and an Israelite bought it back, he has to bring, the purchaser must bring first fruits from it, because of tikkun olam.”
There is much more. I just pulled a few examples.
Reading Mishnah is like trying to untangle a puzzle, which is the best part of it!
Have you read "To Heal the World?" by Jonathan Neumann?
No, not familiar. Do you recommend it?
Yes.