http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/brokenworld.htmFixing Our Broken World: Tikun OlamIntroduction:
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a noted biblical commentator of the 19th century, focused on the deeper meaning of Hebrew words. According to Rabbi Hirsch, the Hebrew word rah - evil - is related to the Hebrew word ra'ah - to shatter, to break. He writes: Evil appears as something “broken” – moral harmony disturbed – where the whole is no longer ruled by a uniform idea (commentary to Genesis 2:9). When there is no longer a unifying spiritual vision, the harmony and wholeness of the world is shattered, and as a result, we live in a broken world.
Dear Friends,
The goal of the Torah path is tikun olam – the fixing of the world. The ancient term tikun olam was rediscovered by a new generation of Jewish social activists who began to explore their Jewish roots during the late 1960's and early 70's. In their desire to connect to Jewish tradition, they began to use this term to describe their own social activism; however, many were unaware of how the tradition itself defines this term.
We will begin to discuss the deeper meaning of tikun olam in order to better understand the process which leads to this noble goal. This term appears in the ancient Aleinu prayer, where it states: “To fix the world through the sovereignty of the Almighty.” The Hebrew word for sovereignty in this phrase is malchus. According to the noted 18th century sage, the Vilna Gaon, malchus refers to a sovereignty that is willingly accepted by the people, unlike a dictatorship which is forced on the people. In the messianic age, explains the Vilna Gaon, all the peoples of the earth shall willingly accept the Divine sovereignty and join together in unity to serve the Divine purpose. (Commentary of the Vilna Gaon to Proverbs 27:27)
My Rebbe, Rav Aharon Feldman, pointed out to me that malchus, according to Hebrew grammar, is a “feminine” word. Rav Feldman explained that the Divine malchus mentioned in this prayer is therefore referring to the sovereignty of the Shechinah - the Divine Presence. As we discussed previously, the Shechinah expresses the “feminine” attributes of Hashem – the Compassionate One. In the teachings of Kabbalah, Rav Feldman added, malchus refers to the sovereignty of the Shechinah on this earth. As the ancient Aleinu prayer reveals, we fix the world through accepting this Divine sovereignty.
To understand this process, we need to remember that the shattered state of the world began when the first human couple forgot that they were only the custodians of the Garden of Eden with the responsibility to “serve and protect” the Garden (Genesis 2:15). They began to imagine that they were the sovereigns of the Garden who were free to consume “all” its fruits. In other words, the concept of “forbidden fruit” would no longer apply when it interfered with their pleasures. Their arrogant and selfish behavior shattered the harmony and wholeness of the world; however, the Torah enables us to repair the damage through acknowledging the sovereignty of the Shechinah.