While researching the Jewish perspective on global warming, I learned that tikkun olam, a term that I’ve invoked in relation to our Jewish response to global warming, is not without its critics. Tikkun olam is a term that’s been adopted in recent decades to indicate and justify a Jewish response to social issues. Some Jewish authorities consider it hackneyed because it has been invoked for so many different causes. Some Orthodox and Conservative Jews believe tikkun olam is being misused from its early rabbinic origins and should refer only to repairing Jewish spiritual and religious life. So, I did some research on the term, and, along the way, found The History of Tikkun Olam, by Rabbi Jill Jacobs (http://www.zeek.net/706tohu/). She sums up tikkun olam’s history, beginning with its appearance in Aleynu, a prayer that may date back to the 2nd century. I don’t have space here to go into depth on her analysis, but I will provide her conclusions:
“I suggest a re-imagining of tikkun olam that combines the four understandings of the term that we have seen in traditional text: 1) the Aleynu’s concept of tikkun as the destruction of any impurities that impede the full manifestation of the divine presence; 2) the literalist midrashic understanding of tikkun olam as the establishment of a sustainable world; 3) the rabbinic willingness to invoke tikkun ha’olam as a justification for changing untenable laws; and 4) the Lurianic belief that individual actions can affect the fate of the world as a whole.”
To me, the above definition of tikkun olam addresses most of the issues surrounding the term, and re-energizes its meaning from a global warming perspective. The most obvious perspective is from #2 to establish a sustainable world. We need to accomplish that to survive the impact of global warming. However, I can extend it to the other three aspects. For #1, God’s perfection, Genesis tells us God gave us a perfect world in Eden, and gave us domain over it. I believe we humans have spent a good portion of our recent existence mucking up this perfect world. Therefore we, have an obligation to strive to restore its perfection. Even if I invoke science here, planetary science tells us Earth is a Goldilocks world, just right for the evolution and continued flourishing of humans. We have tipped the balance that allowed us to evolve and flourish, and have upset the climate forces that helped create this garden world of ours. Therefore, according to aspect #3, we need to correct the failures in our political and economic systems that have led to global warming, Aspect #4 tells us that we, as individuals, can have an impact through our daily lives and through our individual actions. The ultimate in moral responsibility is ours.
So let us accept tikkun olam as a mandate to repair our world. The science of global warming tells us we are at risk of losing our Goldilocks Eden and putting our future descendants at risk. We have a moral responsibility to fix this and restore the climatic balance that gave birth to our species. We owe this to our children and to their children, and we owe it to ourselves in our relationship with God.
Joe Morris
Last Updated on 12/25/2016 by wpadm