Tikkun olam

Tikkun olam (Hebrew: תיקון עולם‎ or תקון עולם'‎) (literally, "repair of the world", alternatively, "construction for eternity") is a concept in Judaism interpreted in Orthodox Judaism as the prospect of overcoming all forms of idolatry, and by other Jewish denominations as an aspiration to behave and act constructively and beneficially.

Documented use of the term dates back to the Mishnaic period. Since medieval times, kabbalistic literature has broadened use of the term. In the modern era, tikkun olam is the idea that Jews bear responsibility not only for their own moral, spiritual, and material welfare, but also for the welfare of society at large. To the ears of contemporary pluralistic Rabbis, the term connotes "the establishment of Godly qualities throughout the world".

The phrase tikkun olam is included in the Aleinu, part of Jewish congregational prayer. The Aleinu beseeches God:

In other words, when all the people of the world abandon false gods and recognize God, the world will have been perfected.

Being that we share a partnership with God, humanity is instructed to take the steps towards improving the state of the world and helping others, which simultaneously brings more honor to God's sovereignty. Some scholars, however, argue that the phrase in the Aleinu prayer is actually not a valid source for the concept of tikkun olam, and that the confusion arises because of the homonym "l'takken" (spelled differently, לתכן) meaning "to establish" rather than "to fix" or "to repair." There are many sources where the reading of לתכן survives today. This section of Aleinu is fundamentally a prayer for the establishment of God’s kingdom and therefore the reading of לתכן fits much better and makes much more sense. If so, the meaning of the phrase is something like, "to establish God's sovereignty over the world."

The American Conservative movement's prayer book, Siddur Sim Shalom, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, "A Prayer for Our Country" includes the verses, "May citizens of all races and creeds forge a common bond in true harmony to banish all hatred and bigotry" and "uniting all people in peace and freedom and helping them to fulfill the vision of your prophet: 'Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they experience war anymore.'" Both lines express wholeheartedly the idea of universal equality, freedom, and peace for all.

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