Repairing the World
We have endured a deeply troubling year. Beginning with the horrific incursion into Israel’s heart that struck at the fiber of Israel’s security, to the explosion of antisemitism on our campuses and in many places throughout the world, the very foundations of our existence have been shaken to the core. Add to this, the continuing concerns about climate, democracy, threats of violence, and a range of other issues. How do we turn to the New Year with hope and any semblance of optimism? Admittedly, the future presents us with extraordinary challenges.
In the 16th century, the great mystic Rabbi Isaac Luria constructed a fable which may be familiar to some. He imagined that when God sought to create the world, the Holy Divine light filled all space allotted for creation. To make room for the world, God needed l’tzamtzem—to contract. God forced all of that light into massive clay vessels which vibrated under the immense pressure of the light. Shortly after the world was created, they burst, spreading their shards, with the Divine light attached, throughout creation. The world, from its inception, was broken. Rabbi Luria said that it’s upon us to practice tikkun olam—the repair of the world in which the sacred shards are scattered. Each time we perform an act of goodness we gather a fragment and restore the world’s essential sacred wholeness. While no one person can fix the entire world, the acts of many can repair small corners.
At Wise, we have a Center for Tikkun Olam. Here we are dedicated to offering you, our community, opportunities to repair a broken world. In the face of daunting challenges, we give you a chance to feel a sense of agency along with the sense that our actions can truly make a difference in the lives of others. Through Wise Hearts we support our own community in times of joy and challenge. Our Task Force on Antisemitism supports our college students, advocates on their behalf, and together with other organizations pushes back against the upswell of hate. In a city facing an epidemic of homelessness, our work with Hope the Mission, LA Family Housing, and the Veterans Administration, provides safe housing to those who need it most. Prepare meals for the food insecure at Our Big Kitchen LA with your children and grandchildren. As Israel faces its longest war and massive displacements, our Wise community also extends hands of support and solidarity. Among your resolutions for the New Year, we invite you to join us as we make our own small efforts to gather the fragments of Divine light.
If you would like to talk about how you can get involved in any of these activities and others, please reach out to me: [email protected]
-Rabbi Ron Stern