The concept that rests at the core of Jewish leftists' belief systems is called tikkun olam, or healing the world. Believers in this notion claim that the Bible asks for more than piety and moral behaviour; Jews must also endeavor to make the world a better place. This idea has led to overwhelming Jewish participation in the social justice movement, as such actions are believed to be biblically mandated. There's only one problem: the Bible says no such thing. Tikkun Olam, an invention of the Jewish left, has diluted ...
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The concept that rests at the core of Jewish leftists' belief systems is called tikkun olam, or healing the world. Believers in this notion claim that the Bible asks for more than piety and moral behaviour; Jews must also endeavor to make the world a better place. This idea has led to overwhelming Jewish participation in the social justice movement, as such actions are believed to be biblically mandated. There's only one problem: the Bible says no such thing. Tikkun Olam, an invention of the Jewish left, has diluted millennia of Jewish practice and belief into a vague feel-good religion of social justice. In To Heal the World, Jonathan Neumann uses religious and political history to debunk this pernicious idea, and to show how the bible was twisted by Jewish liberals to support a radical left-wing agenda. Neumann explains how the Jewish Renewal movement aligned itself with the New Left of the 1960s, and redirected the perspective of the Jewish community towards liberalism and social justice. He exposes the key figures responsible for this effort, shows that it lacks any real biblical basis, and outlines the debilitating effect it has had on Judaism itself.
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