The word Tikkun (תקון) itself is found only once in Tanach, where we’re told that “what is crooked cannot be made straight” or corrected (Eccl. 1:15). And that’s clearly the import of the act of Tikkun in Klach as well as in other Kabbalistic works.
Tikkun is used in Targum Onkelus quite interestingly in a couple of instances. The verse that reads “a woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing” (Deut. 22:5) is translated in Onkelus as “a woman must not wear men’s Tikkun, nor a man wear women’s Tikkun”, referring to a piece of clothing or in our context, as the thing that functions as the final adjustment of one’s appearance. Also see Onkelus to Exodus 33:4-6 where it’s used to refer to one’s jewelry or ornaments, which is the ultimate adjustment of one’s appearance.
(c) 2013 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
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