Stanley Zir
Rescuing “Tikkun Olam
With special thanks to Dr. Sandra Alfonsi for her insightful contributions
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By Stanley Zir
July 5, 2020

Let me be perfectly clear, you cannot just hijack the concept of “Tikkun Olam” without incorporating the entirety of Torah. “Tikkun Olam,” loosely translated, refers to “repairing the world” through acts of goodness, such as performing Mitzvot (good deeds). While “Tikkun Olam” is not a Torah commandment, it is contained in the Talmud and is the key concept of the Judaic code of living a righteous life. I am not referring to any particular level of Jewish observance, just the commonality of a moral and just life.

Using the concept of “Tikkun Olam” without coupling it with Torah is wrong. However, to the uninformed, it can be easily disguised and ultimately lead to something quite nefarious. Simply claiming that a cause of social justice falls under the concept of “Tikkun Olam” does not make it so. If on the surface, a particular cause claims it represents social justice, but in actuality has undertones of an injustice of power, then the concept is void.

Judaism holds the deed to “Tikkun Olam” because it not only seeks to repair the world and make it more harmonious, but makes it safer and more just.

Why? Because Torah embraces the quest for a world free from tyranny. Anything less is a misrepresentation of “Tikkun Olam” and a moral hijacking of the Jewish concept. We cannot allow that to happen.

Here is an example: A group claiming that social injustice exists and invoking the victim card will draw empathy from those who seek to “repair the world.” On the surface, that would be correct. However, when the underlying plan is really not harmony, but an upending of the balance of power, thereby promoting its own kind of absolute tyranny, that is incongruous with the Torah concept. An all-out use of “Tikkun Olam” to pursue a disingenuous purpose, which is exactly what the Left is doing, is erroneous and inconsistent with its actual meaning. We cannot let others use “Tikkun Olam” to gain a false moral high ground. This deception will destroy us all. Those who would bring tyranny upon the people are in direct opposition to the true concept of repairing the world. Those who espouse a tyrannical dogma and hold a dictator or ruling class higher than G-d cannot claim that the world is improved. Again, it is in direct opposition to the meaning of “Tikkun Olam” and Torah.

Previously I wrote,

    While I am not a rabbi with vast Torah knowledge, I am more than qualified to speak on the evils of tyranny embraced by religious leaders who gain the praise of their G-d by sacrificing Jewish lives on their altars of hate and bigotry, then call out for justice in His name.

    You cannot claim the moral high ground or even take a breath of freedom until the enemy you have faced for centuries is confronted and destroyed. Only a complete commitment to this course of action can lead to a real moral high ground, one reserved for those nations who have conquered their enemies with an unconditional victory over their tyrannical enterprises.

So to improve the world, the entire concept of Tikkun Olam must be incorporated to insure the true moral high ground. Many sects state that since G-d already made the world perfect, improvement can only be made to the individual. In other words, personal choices made to coordinate within an already perfect world are the only possible paths to improvement.

I don’t see this concept and personal choice as being in opposition to each other. Both Christianity and Judaism teach about the break from G-d in the Garden of Eden. Because of the arrogance that led Adam and Eve to place their own desires above the command of G-d, we are forever redeeming ourselves from that original sin. It was that one monumental action, a simple bite of fruit, in opposition to G-d’s direct command, that brought strife into an already perfect world.

What is it then that we have to overcome to end the strife and help repair the world? We must overcome the tyrannies in the world – those nations, those rulers, those oligarchs, those who have placed themselves as the objects of worship over and above G-d that keep us from the Final Redemption – and return us to that perfect world.

During my forty years of trying to combat tyranny and Anti-Semitism, the one constant that appears in all my work is the emphasis on the Constitution’s Rule of Law, which is its unyielding stance against tyranny, first arising from that Original Sin.

There is no doubt about the moral high ground on which I stand. I say “Tikkun Olam”, repair the world, which is at the heart of all Judaic teachings, but what I’m really saying is that we must defend the moral high ground from anyone, any group, any nation that would use the integrity of “Tikkun Olam” to invade and destroy the Free World. We must never lose our focus to confront and destroy the disciples of tyranny, even if they appear draped in the robes of Social Justice. That is the just and noble purpose of not only the Constitution, but of our beloved Torah.

Without the Ten Commandments, the underpinnings of moral advancement in humanity, we would not have had the moral nor ethical imperative that produced the laws that framed our Constitution. Without that sacred foundation, the ideals to which our Republic adheres could never have been actualized. These are the same ideals embraced by the Covenant that Abraham received from G-d that bind both America and Israel to a common endeavor, the ongoing quest to secure a world free from tyranny and the forces of oppression.

Our greatest worship and devotion to G-d does not lie in changing the correct B’rucha or lighting candles at an exact hour, but in our diligence to fight tyranny.

I am very proud of this video that I made (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOPEuKsW7jU), and I stand firm to claim “Tikkun Olam” as the greatest moral principle in Jewish Law. To me, and all of us who are in this battle together, “Tikkun Olam” represents G-d’s moral high ground that stands against tyranny. We are committed to not only repairing the world, but preparing the world for the Final Redemption. Using “Tikkun Olam” correctly, only in its unwavering context to Jewish Ethics, as depicted in this video, we have not only rescued “Tikkun Olam,” but can refute any group from hijacking it under false pretenses.

These good deeds, along with our prayers in the name of those who no longer have a voice, will bring about the Final Redemption, a world filled with peace, harmony, and justice for all. We have no control when that day will come, but we hasten it by doing G-d’s work here on Earth.

© Stanley Zir

 

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Stanley Zir

Stanley Zir has dedicated his life's work to two issues: (1) combating forces that undermine the unique freedoms held by American citizens, and (2) the importance of the safety, security and survival of Israel. As founder of several websites, he is unafraid to spotlight incongruity, illegalities and treason in government power plays.... (more)

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