This lesson will introduce students to the idea that everyone must play a role in perfecting the world, a concept known in Hebrew as tikkun olam. Modeling the concept of tikkun olam as a collaborative effort will put the overwhelming task within the students’ reach. Students will understand that they too can help shape their surroundings.

The learner will:

• define tikkun olam and philanthropy.
• brainstorm ways in which s/he can take part in tikkun olam.
• collaborate on an effort to illustrate various opportunities for tikkun olam.

Anticipatory Set:

• Explain that there is a Jewish concept of tikkun olam which requires everyone to help perfect the world. Define tikkun olam as acts of loving kindness to repair or perfect the world, and explain that it is each person’s responsibility to leave the world a little better than it was when s/he came to it. Tikkun Olam is one form of philanthropy – giving time, talent and treasure, and taking action for the common good.
  
  
• Share text from Leviticus 19:16 and related commentary regarding tikkun olam (see Attachment One).
  
  
• Ask students to think of three actions that they can do in order to make their perfect world. Distribute three self stick notes per student and instruct them to write each idea on a different one. Have them note if the idea is an example of giving of their time and/or talent and/or treasure.
  
  
• Have students share their ideas and post their notes on the poster shaped like a large globe. Ask one student to act as a recorder and to make a list of all tasks mentioned. This list can later be sent home to complete the school/home connection activity.
  
  
• Ask learners if they think tikkum olam is an easy or hard task. Ask them to raise their hands if they think they can do it themselves. Ask them to raise their hands if they think it would be better to work with someone else. Have some volunteers explain why this might be true.
  
  
• Explain that tikkun olam is a collaborative effort because all people work on repairing the world together.
  
  
• Introduce the text from Pirkei Avot (See Attachment Two) and allow students to answer the question on the worksheet. After hearing their thoughts, explain that many commentaries explain that Rabbi Tarfon is talking about the task of serving God and perfecting the world. He is saying that there is a lot to be done and each person has a limited amount of time to do it. He concludes that it is no single person’s responsibility to perfect the entire world, but everyone must do whatever they can. Note: Pirkei Avot, translated as Ethics of Our Fathers, is a compilation of sayings by rabbis during the Mishnaic era regarding ethics.
  
  
• Compare this concept to a jigsaw puzzle where every piece seems small but, in reality, is of fundamental importance for finishing the task. So too, every kind act that a person does is of fundamental importance because, when put together, these acts perfect the world.
  
  
• Give each student 3-4 attached puzzle pieces and tell them that we will collaborate to illustrate the concept of tikkun olam. Instruct them to choose one activity that was listed as being helpful to perfect the world and make a picture on their puzzle pieces.
  
  
• Have students assemble puzzle and write the quote from Pirkei Avot in the middle. (Each student can write a few of words.)

Have students take home the list of activities that qualify as tikkun olam. Instruct them to ask five people how many times per month they do each activity and to keep a record of every person’s answer. As a class, make a graph to show which tikkun olam activities are done most often.

• Torah Thoughts http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaysection/section_id/103/edition_id/186/format/html/displaysection.html
  
• Navigating the Bible II http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?
  ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=3&CHAPTER=19