I am very excited for the opportunity to share words of Torah with you. Each week, in this spot, I look to share an idea I've found that speaks to me and that I think will resonate with you as well. This week, I share an excerpt from an article by Rabbi Yehuda Appel entitled 'Repairing the World', about each of our individual roles in making the world a better place.
Judaism recognizes that everyone has a particular role to fulfill in this world. The mystical teachings state that with each waking hour God grants us, there comes an accompanying responsibility to in some way help repair the world. This concept of "Tikkun Olam," repairing the world, also extends to repairing our own selves. Every person has one dominant area of weakness (whether it be gossip, dishonesty, arrogance, etc.) where they need to focus attention in order to accomplish a "personal tikkun." In fact, explain the Sages, the need to correct this area of weakness is why a person has been put into the world in the first place!
[...] This week's Torah portion, Bechukotai, deals with the tremendous responsibilities given to the Jewish people. Just as each individual has a task to improve the world, so too the Jewish people have that role. [... A]t the beginning of the parsha, God promises the Jewish people that "if you walk in My laws and guard My commandments," you will be blessed with great peace and wealth. As much potential as there is for tragedy, great blessing can also be theirs.
Of course the big question is what does the Torah mean when it says "if you walk in My laws?" What exactly is expected of the Jewish people? Rashi explains that "walk in My laws" means that everywhere we walk we should be studying Torah. The Jews are to engross themselves in the study of Torah and become a nation of scholars. The Sfas Emes, a great 19th century Chassidic rabbi, says this goes beyond the simple acquisition Torah wisdom. Walking in God's laws means to become so connected to the will of God that the presence of the Almighty becomes manifest on earth.
This in turn teaches a profound insight into the nature of each person's individual "Tikkun." This is accomplished when the individual becomes an instrument of expressing God's will here on earth. And this is truly the deepest meaning of Tikkun Olam.
Tragically, this week we yet again witnessed the very opposite of Tikkun Olam with the horrific events that took place in Uvalde, Texas. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families anf friends of the victims and we hope for a speedy recovery for all those injured. It is difficult to fathom how this could happen and to reflect on what we can do moving forward. Perhaps a first step is to incorporate the above idea from our Parsha and find ways in which we can personally imporve ourselves, in turn adding a little more light to this dark time.
Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org
