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　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: tikkun ha-olam, tiqun ʿolam Written by Charles Preston Charles Preston is Associate Editor for Religion at Encyclopædia Britannica. Charles Preston Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep 15, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the meaning of tikkun olam? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The term tikkun olam is a concept in Judaism that is generally translated as u201Chealing the world.u201D It has had multiple interpretations over the past 2,000 years. In modern ideology and conversations within Judaism, tikkun olam indicates attempts to alleviate human suffering and avoid global catastrophes and thus encompasses multiple causes, including social justice, human rights, environmentalism, combating antisemitism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did the concept of tikkun olam first develop? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The phrase does not appear in the Hebrew Bible but first appears in rabbinic texts, such as the Talmud and Mishna, of the early centuries ce. In those texts it is often used in the context of maintaining social order, such as through legal matters of fairness and restitution. It was first invoked in a theological context in the u02BFAleinu prayer, written in the 3rd century ce, which later became the closing prayer of the thrice-daily liturgy." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did Kabbala and Hasidism interpret tikkun olam? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "In mystical Kabbala thought of the 13th through 18th centuries, tikkun olam indicates the repair and realignment of the disjunction between the divine and material worlds. Good actions (mitzvot) and other required activities in Judaism were thought to help the divine light trapped in the material world reconnect with the divine effulgence. In some Kabbala works and the pietistic Hasidic movement of the 18th century, emphasis was put on individual moral uprightness and the special roles of Jews and tzaddiks (righteous men) in helping to repair the world." } } ] } Top Questions What is the meaning of tikkun olam? The term tikkun olam is a concept in Judaism that is generally translated as “healing the world.” It has had multiple interpretations over the past 2,000 years. In modern ideology and conversations within Judaism, tikkun olam indicates attempts to alleviate human suffering and avoid global catastrophes and thus encompasses multiple causes, including social justice, human rights, environmentalism, combating antisemitism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

　　How did the concept of tikkun olam first develop? The phrase does not appear in the Hebrew Bible but first appears in rabbinic texts, such as the Talmud and Mishna, of the early centuries ce. In those texts it is often used in the context of maintaining social order, such as through legal matters of fairness and restitution. It was first invoked in a theological context in the ʿAleinu prayer, written in the 3rd century ce, which later became the closing prayer of the thrice-daily liturgy.

　　How did Kabbala and Hasidism interpret tikkun olam? In mystical Kabbala thought of the 13th through 18th centuries, tikkun olam indicates the repair and realignment of the disjunction between the divine and material worlds. Good actions (mitzvot) and other required activities in Judaism were thought to help the divine light trapped in the material world reconnect with the divine effulgence. In some Kabbala works and the pietistic Hasidic movement of the 18th century, emphasis was put on individual moral uprightness and the special roles of Jews and tzaddiks (righteous men) in helping to repair the world.

　　tikkun olam, concept in Judaism that has been reinterpreted with multiple shades of meaning over the past 2,000 years. It is often translated as “healing the world,” however, the implications for what is healed and what is envisioned as the world have varied. Although absent from the Hebrew Bible, it appears as a legalistic concept in rabbinic texts of the first few centuries ce, and Kabbala texts from the 13th through 18th centuries imbued it with mystical significance. Since the 20th century it has come to denote modern ideals of alleviating human and global suffering, such as social justice, human ...(100 of 1043 words)

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