Authors & Artists

by Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg

Judaism’s central message is tikkun olam (repairing and perfecting the world). The Torah teaches that all humans are called to join in the work of making this earth a better place. We are not alone and can work with God to make this happen. If we devote our lives to perfecting the world, if we partner with the generations before us and build on their accomplishments, if we partner with the incoming generations, educating them to join the mission, then together we will eventually achieve our goal.

To achieve our vision, we will have to overcome poverty, hunger, oppression, war, sickness, and more enemies of life. This accomplishment is called the Messianic Age in Jewish tradition.

Creating such a paradise is so hard that people are tempted to back away or give up before starting. Judaism responds: Do not give up. Have faith in God, your partner. Have faith in yourself and your ability to work hard and achieve the impossible. Have faith in your fellow Jews’ willingness to work for the goal. Have faith in all human beings—for they, too, want to improve the world. Have faith in the generations yet to come that they will continue the mission.

Before Sinai, at Sinai, and subsequently, Jews stepped up and pledged: we have faith, and we will commit our lives to tikkun olam. The divine response was a promise: if you do your share, I will partner with you for as long as it takes. At the moment when human faith and divine promise intersected, the Torah was given. Judaism was born. Jewish identity was forged. Our mission began.