Tikkun Olam

Last updated on: October 14, 2015 at 8:30 pm by Amy Butler

Tikkun Olam 2015-10-14T20:30:21-04:00 Amy Butler

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I spent most of the day yesterday in Rosh Hashanah services.

I hadn’t really planned to attend; it just kind of happened. Sixth and I Synagogue, one of our Penn Quarter neighbors, has a growing congregation of young professionals in the neighborhood. While their sanctuary is quite lovely, it’s not large enough to accommodate the crowd of 750 they had planned for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Skip to: Sixth and I temporarily became 7th and H…they moved all the prayer books over to Calvary’s sanctuary, which can seat 750 with no problem.

A few days ago I wandered into our sanctuary to observe the frantic preparations the staff from Sixth and I were undertaking to become familiar with our space, to set up signage, to distribute prayer books in the pews, etc. I knew the Rabbi the minute I saw her: she looked tired/excited/a little crazed—just like every clergyperson looks the day before one of the biggest holy days of a congregation’s year (be sure to check in with me this April on Holy Saturday, Easter Eve, to see what I mean). When I introduced myself and said I was there to check to make sure everything was okay, she kindly invited me to stop in at services the next day to bring greetings from the Calvary congregation.

So I did. While many of my dearest friends are Jewish, I had never attended a Rosh Hashanah service before. I joined the service for the last hour, to hear the blowing of the shofar, and I’ve since determined I need to attend every year.

For one thing, the service had the gravity and excitement of any High Holy Day religious service—only this time I was not in charge. I loved sitting quietly in the pew, not responsible for one single thing, letting the words of the Rabbi and the sung prayers of the people just wash over me.

Also, I loved the opportunity to join the community of worshippers in starting a new year, beginning afresh, celebrating the opportunity to turn a corner, begin something new, take stock of life as I’ve been living it. The Rabbi said over and over again that we all have a choice—how is it that we want to spend the precious life we’ve been given? These are words that perhaps I would speak myself from the pulpit, but I never get to hear them much. I needed to hear them; it was good for my soul.

But the best part of the service was the constant reminder of tikkun olam. “Tikkun olam” is a Hebrew phrase that means, basically, “repair of the world.” To heal the world, to repair the world, is a Jewish idea that suffuses every part of Jewish life, especially on Rosh Hashanah. It’s our obligation, Jews believe, to live our lives consistently contributing to the healing or mending of the world. I loved hearing the constant reminders of tikkun olam, because as Christians we talk a lot about bringing about the Kingdom of God here on earth. The underlying hope is the same: that things as they are are not things as they can be…and we can be part of God’s healing and hope for a broken world.

Though I know we Christians are not alone in this effort, it helped so much to see such a crowd of people of faith gathered together, hoping and praying for the same. So many voices welcoming God’s healing for our world, for our lives…it gave me hope and new resolve.

In her comments about tikkun olam, the Rabbi quoted the following and it has been stuck in my head since I heard it: “Scrawl it on the wall: Random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Breaking into the school and painting a dirty room bright colors overnight. Fixing broken glass in people’s houses while they’re gone. Leaving full meals on tables in the struggling part of town. I fantasize slipping grocery money into the old lady’s purse, secretly painting daffodils every grey place there is.”

People of faith, whoever you are, perhaps we should all take a few minutes to celebrate the beginning of a new year, the opportunity for tikkun olam, the joining of our voices and our lives together to bring about God’s great hope and healing for our hurting world.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 27, 2011

Life Together: Believing the Promise

Next Post

October 4, 2011 Life Together: Living Our Faith

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Answering the Call Being the Church Curating Wisdom Laughing Out Loud Living in Relationship Practicing Discipleship Reclaiming Baptist Speaking from the Pulpit Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005

Search for:

Tikkun Olam

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Who interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue?