Temple Beth Tikvah is a vibrant, inclusive Reform Jewish community, guided by Torah and interconnected through our traditions and values of tikkun hanefesh (enriching our lives) and tikkun olam (improving the world).
Dear Friends,
These words are proudly on display in our lobby and on our website. But what does TBT’s congregational mission really mean?
Let’s start with the Hebrew concepts. Tikkun HaNefesh means “self-repair” — this is the internal work of self-improvement. Tikkun HaOlam means “world-repair” — this is our Jewish obligation to mend a broken world. You may have heard of Tikkun Olam before. But where does it come from, and what does it have to do with us?
In its modern form, Tikkun Ha’Olam emerges from Jewish Mysticism. In the beautiful mountain town of Tzfat the great Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal) [re]told the story of creation: In primordial existence, God’s presence filled all space and time. In order to create anything in space, God had to contract (tzimtzum) and open a vacuum of God-less-ness. Into that vacuum God launched countless vessels of light. But the delicate containers that held the light could not survive that vacuum, so they broke into millions of pieces. The light was scattered throughout the void. The world came into formation, but its goodness was suffused by the surrounding darkness. The mission of every Jew, therefore, is to locate these scattered pieces of light. Through mitzvot and righteous acts we may lift them out of darkness— thus sanctifying God, and participating in the work of creation as God’s partners. Hence - Tikkun HaOlam — the repair of the world.
This is one of the purposes of a Jewish life. At TBT, so many people are engaged in Tikkun HaOlam every single day. I am regularly moved by the passion of our members in the helping professions and who dedicate their lives to serving others. And our volunteers are doing amazing things, too: consider that just this year, our Social Justice committee has been working hard to settle a new refugee family; collect food for those in need; and serve hot meals at the Branford Community Dining Room. The need has grown considerably this year as federal funding for the former two projects has stopped; so our support is really critical. If you might like to get involved with either of these initiatives simply reach out to Robin Baslaw. The commitment is more manageable than you might think, and we’d really love a variety of TBT folks to participate.
Another highlight of the year was our 9th grade trip to Washington, DC. They joined with our fearless Temple Educator Ira Wise and hundreds of Jewish teens from across the country to learn about creating a better world through legislative advocacy. They wrote position papers on issues of Jewish moral concern ranging from food insecurity to reproductive rights to gun violence prevention — and then presented their speeches to our members of congress! This impactful weekend is called “L’taken” — a different grammatical form of that same phrase, Tikkun Olam. You may have heard a few of those terrific young people present their speeches at services earlier this Spring. And the students reported the trip was awesome — a truly transformative learning experience. Next year’s class is already raring to go!
I’d also like to share with you about a project I am working on. Together with our local congregational justice teams of CONECT and the National Gun Safety Consortium, we are partnering with police departments throughout the state. Law enforcement and military buyers constitute the large majority of firearm purchases, so they can make a meaningful impact in the production, adoption, and availability of firearm safety equipment. The NGSC’s non-partisan project seeks to implement safer storage and access practices, with the partnership of our local police. I am proud to share that Chief Massey (Guilford PD) and Chief Drumm (Madison PD) have both eagerly signed on. If you have contacts in other area departments, I hope you will let me know. These devices will save many lives.
Finally, our Kulanu (combating antisemitism) group is planning opportunities for learning, dialogue and connection with the broader community. Just last week, they organized an important conversation with our college students about their experience on campus. If you would like to get involved, please reach out to Irma Grebel or Louis King.
My mom and dad joined our family synagogue in the 1980s. My childhood rabbi, a wonderful man named Mark Shapiro z”l, knew that it could seem intimidating to take a first step. So he invited my mom, who didn’t really know much about Judaism, to start with something manageable. “What about making a sandwich for someone in need?” he asked. “The committee meets on Sunday afternoons.” That first step led to new friends, the joy of doing a mitzvah, and a lifetime of joyful Jewish connection. And yes, that one little sandwich is a small but meaningful step in Tikkun Ha’Olam.
So, let this be my invitation for you to “make that first sandwich!” I would love to connect with you, our members, about your Jewish Journey. I would love to hear your ideas about how to make the world a better place. Please let me know when we can get together, so we can get to work, together.
Shalom,
Rabbi Moss
