News and Updates Tikkun Olam

At Temple Beth Am, tikkun olam is woven into the fabric of who we are. But during this season of renewal, we are called to elevate our efforts. As we prepare to gather as a community, let’s think about how we can turn our prayers into deeds:

Participate in our holiday food drives: Let us ensure that as we break our fasts, we have helped our neighbors do the same.

Commit to a new year of service and learning: Whether it is volunteering with our social action committees, participating in environmental initiatives, going to Torah study, or enrolling in Beth Am University, let this be the year you engage in service and study.

Extend compassion daily: The act of repairing the world begins with small, daily repairs one person at a time—listening deeply, acting generously, and speaking up for others.

The High Holidays center on teshuvah (return or repentance). True teshuvah requires us to look at the world as it is, acknowledge its brokenness, and actively work to heal it. Tikkun Olam is teshuvah in action. When we engage in acts of tzedakah (justice/charity), advocate for the marginalized, feed the hungry, and care for our planet, we are bringing the world closer to the divine vision of wholeness. We are moving from the contemplation of the High Holy Days into the active creation of a better year. As we hear the shofar blast this year, let it not only wake us up to our own spiritual needs, but also to the needs of the world around us. May we be inscribed in the Book of Life, and may we write ourselves into the story of the world’s healing.

Shanah tovah u’metukah—may you have a good, sweet, and impactful new year.

Judy Cowan
President, Tikkun Olam