KLIPPOT AND TIKKUN OLAM
The klippot are coverings
that hide the divinity or "holy sparks" that reside within everything
that exists. Some see the klippot as dregs left over from the shattering
of the vessels, and others see the klippot as an evil that hides goodness.
Maybe so, but as with everything in Torah, the klippot have seventy facets
from with they may be viewed. One viewpoint that I now understand is that
within each of us is a deep desire to merge back into the infinite oneness
of the Ain Sof, and that if there were no sort of barrier placed between
us and that immensity, we would cease to exist in an instant. Ultimately,
I see these coverings not as an evil but as a gift to help us safely develop
as individuals. Nevertheless, all growth eventually involves dropping masks
and barriers when the time is right and letting our true self shine through.
The true self within something is referred to in Kabbalah as a holy spark,
and the Zohar tells us that nothing can exist without having a spark of
holiness at its core. The process of removing barriers to release these
sparks is known as tikkun, correction or repairing. To repair the
world at large through good works is tikkun olam, and to repair one's
individual soul is tikkun nefesh. In our lives we sometimes encounter
people whose divinity is not so deeply hidden and we may also encounter
places where the holy sparks are covered by a thinner veil. This helps us
better understand the concept of holiness of people (a righteous person)
and the concept of holiness of place.