Acts of tikkun olam never wear thin

My disappointment in Rabbi Korff’s remarks regarding tikun olam (“Enough with the tikkun olam,” June 7) was exceeded only by my respect and admiration for Rabbi Konigsburg’s much more humanistic outlook (“Setting the world is a Jewish imperative,” July 7). In a world that can bring heartache, despair, tragedy, and as we’ve recently seen in Boston, Rabbi Korff’s own city, the worse that man can do to his fellow man, is discouraging people from pursuing random acts of kindness. It seems irresponsible and certainly not in keeping with our faith. Rabbi Konigsburg better understands that tzedek and chesed are as fundamental to Jewish tradition as Torah study.

I hope that Rabbi Korff is never in need of an unexpected and unreciprocated gesture of human care, but if he is, I will be there for him, as will my children, who have been raised to look for opportunities to fulfill these mitzvot.

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