Candide Ou L’optimisme, Tikkun Olam and the Pontiff

“Moshe, I just bought my tickets to see Candide at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  It’s an operetta based on Voltaire’s 1759 novel, and Leonard Bernstein composed the music.”

“Good venue; an excellent composer; a great book. I hope you enjoy the show. I’ve never seen it but I read Candide way back in 1967 as a freshman in  English Lit at the University of Miami.”

Mordechai paused to recall that Candide was Voltaire’s magnum opus. And that his writing impressed him so much that I wanted to become a satirist. He continued, “That book made a mockery of optimism and the Catholic Church. In 1759, the Church struck back by declaring Candide a prohibited book. And in 1929, a Boston US Customs official deemed the book obscene and prevented it from reaching a French class at Harvard.”

“I love it when the Vatican sticks its nose where it doesn’t belong or fails to stick its nose where it does belong. You would think with all of its problems it wouldn’t have time for censorship games.”

“Speaking about the Vatican, You know I have always felt that if the Pontiff believed in tikkun olam he would wear a kippah or zucchetto made out of the grey-blue striped pajamas and a yellow Magen David worn by a Jew in Auschwitz. That kippah would remind him how little the Church did to save the six million and the true meaning of cruelty,” Moshe said.

“Now that would be the best of all possible worlds. But there will always be people who stand by and do nothing. No mending, no fixing just hiding their eyes from the horror. Meanwhile, other folks are the fixers and breakers of the world. And sometimes it’s hard to tell who is who. But being a child of survivors, I was a dye-in-the-wool pessimist. A pessimist who laughed his head off when reading about the tragedies that befell Candide with his all-is-for-the-best attitude or his we live in the best of all possible worlds opinion. But I also admired his ability to find something positive in every tragedy. His glass was always half full,”

“Well, Moshe, I wondered if a modern-day Voltaire would have put Candide and his lover in the camps. We’ll never know. But I have a test for you. Pretend that you’re Candide and come up with something positive to say about President Trump’s getting elected.”

“I’ll take that bet on. Do you want to put a little wager on my analytical abilities?”

“Nope. No way. I always lose those bets.”

Well, then, let’s get started. First, I begin with the premise that all Jews are mandated to make the world a better place. In Hebrew, it is called Tikkun Olam. It’s a core principle of Judaism. It’s our religious duty to repair and or mend this planet. And we must work for social justice. Now, after Trump destroys the world economy, our alliances, our stature among nations, and our environment, just think about how much Tikkun Olam it’s going to take to clean up his mess. Aren’t we blessed to be given so many opportunities?

Mordechai laughed out loud and then said, “Well, Moshe, you’ve done it again. You passed the Voltaire-Candide all-is-for-the-best test. I’m so glad I didn’t take you up on that wager. And I’ll never forget that I must be a fixer in a world full of breakers.”