Judaism: Tiqqun Olam Flashcards
What is tiqqun olam and how is it related to the Jewish understanding of ‘creation’?
The world has a triangular structure: God - human - creation. And if the structure is
disrupted, the world shows ‘brokenness’. Tiqqun olam means “repairing or perfecting/completing the
world god created in the beginning”. This could make the divine aspects of creation
more visible and it could introduce more justice, peace and mercy into our world.
We are custodians of earth. This could be going to help sick people or doing a
Mitzvah (fulfilling a commandent from God, a good deed). Engineers also have this task because they give a certain order to the
interaction between human beings and nature. So tiqqun olam has an ecological
charge too. It is our duty to care for the earth. It is related to creation because if one part corner of the triangle is missing, its not a triangle anymore. He created the world and then introduced choas to it and populated the world with humans and animals. He created humans as a steward of the earth; NOT dominators or controllers. The purpose of this to create a place in which the entire creation can unfold in harmony. This means that all human beings have the task of contributing in this stewardship.
What is tiqqun olam and why is this idea important for engineers?
What it is is explained in the other card.
It is our duty to care for the earth, to care for what He created. Engineers have the task to help people, as well as to help the interaction between human and nature. And thus to help care for the earth. It is also important for engineers that they handle this interaction the right way. That they try to fix their mistakes. And to not make the same mistakes again. In 1 sentence that they handle (design, manufacture, …) with the ecological crisis.
What is bal taschit and in which way is it an example of how Jews read the Bible?
Bal taschit means “do not destroy/waste”.
It is an example of how Jews read the bible because they read it in 2 ways: literally (Pshat) and exploring what it might mean (Drash). A verse in the Torah about bal taschit: When a city is in war, don’t cut down fruit trees because they provide you food. This can be taken literally, but also “if they cant cut these trees during a crisis why would they do it in a normal situation?
This relates to the jewish ethics, it learns them to have a feeling of what they can or cannot do. Just because it isn’t a rule or law that you can’t do something doesnt mean that you should.
What can we conclude?
Engineers need to keep in mind both Bal Taschit and Tiqqun Olam. To not destroy opr waste, and to create and repair the world, the triangle.
