The First References to Tikkun Olam Are from the Mishnah (Chapters 4 and 5) and the Tosefta (Terumot 1:12-13; Ketubot 12:2; and Gittin 3:8-9)

The first references to Tikkun Olam are from the Mishnah (chapters 4 and 5) and the Tosefta (Terumot 1:12-13; Ketubot 12:2; and Gittin 3:8-9). In these earliest sources, Tikkun Olam refers to the good and general welfare of the Jewish people and reflects the belief that the Jewish community could function as a separate unit unto itself. The first reference to Tikkun Olam b'Malchut Shadai is found in the Aleinu (See Mahzor Vitry and Avodat Yisrael). By the time of Rav in the third century, the Jewish community realized that it had to interact with and was affected by the rest of the world. The Aleinu invokes the hope that G*d's wisdom will be revealed to the rest of the world through an acknowledgment of the Jewish belief system. This is a statement of theological perfection and requires no human involvement other than prayer and belief in G*d. The Tikkun Olam comes from G*d. Tikkun Olam in the Zohar can be found in Vol. 1 - p.102:2, p.163:2; and Vol. 3 - p.21:1, p.112:1, p.239:1. The Zohar characterizes the meaning of Tikkun Olam to include the partnership between human beings and G*d to make not only the world a perfect place, but the magical mystical cosmos as well. For the first time, human beings play a role in Tikkun Olam. This is the origin of the bridge to the more modern notion of Tikkun Olam connecting to the work of social justice here on earth. As in the Aleinu, the Jews, of course, have a special role to play in this perfection, but G*d is still an active partner. In contemporary usage, the term Tikkun Olam refers to productive work to make the world a better place - by human beings with little or no reference to G*d's role. This is probably due to the Emancipation, the diminishing belief in a personal Messiah, and a heightened belief in the power of the individual. For the first time, Jews believed that their own personal behavior might have a positive effect on the whole world. .

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