Today the concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world, is so popular again in various Jewish circles that it runs the risk of becoming a cliché. People have shown new interest in the tikkun, the late-night study session held on the eve of Shavuot, a form of repairing through learning. And many Jews with little religious background have applied the concept of mending the world to social action, such as protesting bigotry or caring for the poor and homeless. Few know that the major source of the doctrine of repair was the "Ari," whose visionary claims most would find strange but whose vision of a perfect world still beckons as an ideal.
— Francine Klagsbrun, Jewish Days