ABSTRACT
The Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam has existed since late antiquity. However, it has been changing a lot over time. The verbal root of Tikkun can be found in the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes without any reference to welfare. In the Aleinu-prayer Tikkun Olam is synonymous with the whole world’s worship for the Jewish God. Some Midrashim understand the term as the preservation of creation. The Talmud uses it for rabbinical decrees to stabilize the social system. In kabbalistic thought Tikkun Olam received the meaning of reuniting a complex divine unity and ringing in the messianic age.
In recent years Tikkun Olam has become popular with Jews and non-Jews alike and has been cited in a large variety of contexts. Today the term has come to mean anything that is promoted as beneficial to the world, from commitment to social justice, to environmental protection, to political agendas.
