Who will bring in Tikkun Olam?
There is a term in Hebrew called “Tikkun Olam – תיקון עולם ” which means “Reparation of the world”. In certain ways, Israel was chosen to bring in Tikkun Olam, as we see in the Haftarah Portion in Isaiah 42:6, where it says that Israel was to be “Ohr L’Goyim” –“Light to the nations”.
Over time, the world has been distancing itself from the Creator. We, humans, continue to repeat the story of the Tower of Babel, in which we wanted to be like God; when we do that, our destruction begins. Isn’t that how Eve was tempted?… “You too shall be like God.”
The portion, Bereshit, begins with “Bereshit bara Elohim… God began by creating the heavens and the earth”. Each of the first two chapters expresses the creation story differently. Why was the story of the creation separated into two chapters? Chapter two begins with “…The heavens and the earth were finished…God ended His work and (vayishbat bayom hashivii) rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had made.”
If you examine a Torah scroll, you see that there are no numbered chapters and verses. These divisions were made by early Christians who wanted to separate Shabbat from the rest of creation. In this way, they wouldn’t have to observe it as God gave it, but could replace it with Sunday. One of the greatest problems we face today in almost every religion is that they each impose their rules and regulations, their norms and understandings, upon their followers instead of the Word of God. These theological artifices impose their preconceived ideas upon us, so that when we read the Scriptures, those ideas and beliefs have been forced into them. That is why we have formed so many religions vying for the best place, creating fanatical believers at every level of society (religious, political, and educational) who think theirs is the only right way while the rest are wrong, to the point they are ready to kill those who disagree. I want to be understood in the right way. I have been called a bigot because I have expressed ideas that people don’t want to hear and because they want to change the word of God.
Bereshit 1:26-27 says, “God said, let us make man in our likeness and image. God created zachar-זָכָר male and n’keivah – נְקֵבָה female.” It is very clear that He created male and female. This has been proven physically, anatomically and scientifically, which teaches that the XX (female) and XY (male) chromosomes are found in our DNA. There is absolutely no physical way to change this. No number of surgeries and hormones can change this truth; all they can do is change the external look, but they can never change our DNA.
When we say Tikkun Olam – to Repair the World, do we think that the Creator made a mistake that we humans now have to repair? As at the Tower of Babel, we believe we are gods and can correct the Creator’s mistakes. We have come to believe that we don’t need the pressure of being “The Superior Being”; rather, we can be our own brand of super beings who can tell others what is right and what is wrong. We are repairing the world in our way; even if it is for the worse, not the better.
Chapter 2 gives us another account of male and female. The Garden was already there when man was created. Verse 15 tells us: “And the LORD GOD took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to work (avodah-serve) it and to (shmara) guard it.” Verse 18 is very interesting: “And the LORD said: it is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him.” This second narration of the creation of man specifically speaks of our being stewards or supervisors of all the “Bore Olam’s creation. {Bore (fromבָּרָ֣א bara 1:1) Olam means the “Creator of the world.”}
At this point, man was the only creation that did not have a “kenegdo” – כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, a suitable mate, a helper corresponding to him. So, God put Adam to sleep, and many say that He took his rib to make the woman; however, our sages tell us that Adam had both male and female aspects to his being (i.e., he was androgynous) and that God simply separated these parts, creating Eve – Chava – חַוָּה – the one who brings life. From ish (man) He made isha (woman). The Creator drew up the blueprints for humanity with very clear roles from the beginning. But today, with feminism and all the other isms, if we speak of the distinct roles for male and female, we are called bigots. Do you know that not one male who outwardly changed his sex to female can give birth, while the opposite is true: a female who becomes a male can give birth? What is this telling us? Today in these modern times, many believe that it’s ok for young children as early as 7 years old to choose their sex. In many cases, it is because either parent prefers a girl to a boy, or vice versa. This is child abuse!
This world is going crazy! Today, a woman can abort a baby anytime she wants to throughout her pregnancy, even to the ninth month; but if a pregnant woman and the baby inside her are accidentally killed in a car crash, the driver is charged with manslaughter. How can we have laws that are so contradictory? It is vital for us to think for ourselves instead of blindly believing the opinions of liberal progressives who push their agendas, who say, “Give me your life, and I’ll take care of you”. The Creator teaches us the opposite. We each have been given free will and are responsible for ourselves and those around us.
The Creator brought order to this world. On each day of creation, He increased the level of complexity. Man was at the top and was given dominion over everything that came before, but I want to bring something to your attention – the last thing that God created was not the man; it was the woman. That is why the woman deserves her special place; she is the only one who, like the Creator, brings life into this world. God’s order to man was to protect the woman. Today, women refuse to be protected. I teach the young men to be gentlemen and to treat women like ladies. But that is so difficult, especially for young girls, because they don’t want to wait in the car while we open the door. Instead, they get out on their own and look at you, upset, “Don’t I have hands? I can do it by myself! “I don’t need your help”. In doing this, the ladies are robbing themselves of being the crown of God’s creation. The saddest thing about feminism is that women want to be equal to men. They don’t realize that they are already at the top and by wanting to be equal, they are really lowering themselves. By the way, I am not blind to men’s abusive behavior or mistreatment of women throughout the ages, but she doesn’t need to stoop to his level. Since we are in the process of Tikkun Olam, I say to you, ladies: value yourselves for the great gift that the Creator has given you – at the top of creation. Do not lower yourself to be like men.
My challenge to you is to understand that we don’t have to make everyone equal; each human being has their own intrinsic value and is worthy of life. God has given us order, with specific roles and tasks. Women can do everything that men can do; that is not the question. The question is: Is that meant for a woman, or for a man? Males and females are made different – that is simple anatomy. Why are we going against the fundamental Word of God and destroying His final creation – male and female who are made in His likeness and image? Chapter 2:7 doesn’t speak of “b’tzalmo- in His image”; rather, it says, “And the LORD GOD formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the soul of life (Nishmat chayim – נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים) and made him a living being (nefesh – נֶפֶש). He breathed the soul (neshama) into us, making us living beings (nefesh), a gift no other form of creation has been given. This name shows our uniqueness in His creation.
Let us examine what the Torah is teaching us so that we can judge whether the media is right or wrong when they spew out their so-called facts. We tend to blame the Creator when we are the ones who did something wrong, as we see right here when God asked Adam and Eve where they were. I have known many survivors of the Holocaust who have very different reactions to what happened to them. Some are so grateful that they survived and can be a testimony to the cruelty of human beings, while others tell us not to even mention the name of God, blaming Him for what happened to them. It’s easy to blame others and God for the inhumanity of man, but it is time for us to wake up.
I challenge you not to allow the news to distort the truth. Check the facts, whether they concern the environment, politics, or whatever. It is the same with theological bias, in which they try to convince us that they are right and we are wrong.
Allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves. Allow the Creator to teach you and show you. We are beginning again with Bereshit, and we will be confrontational at times, but we need to be honest. There will be times when we are wrong, but let’s not be afraid to be wrong. It shows us that there is room to grow. Never fight to have the last word, because God wants us to humble ourselves before Him. He is the only one who holds all Truth. Knowing this, walking with Him and trusting Him is how we can help bring about Tikkun Olam, the Repair of the World.
Shabbat Shalom
Ranebi