Dear Friends;

With your permission, I would like to say a few words about the Festival of Shavuot. I hope that you’ll enjoy it:

Out of all the three Pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) marked on the Jewish calendar, Chag Hashavuot seems to be the least exciting one. Compared to the other two Festivals, Pessach and Sukkot, it’s rituals and
customs seems to lack in fun. There are no huts to build,no family gathering for the seders, no endless glasses of wine and above all, no “dayeynu”! Instead, we get an all night study session, which is a challenge for most of us to stay up
and learn, and a dairy meal – not very enticing in this age of lactose
intolerance and weight watching.

But on the other hand, the theme for Shavuot seems to be the most important one of all. On Pesach, we celebrate our liberation and on Sukkot, we commemorate our
forty years of living in the desert under G-d’s protection. But on Shavuot, we celebrate the receiving of the Torah which should be the most important one of all, since it was only then when we saw G-d’s revelation and we officially became his Chosen People. So, celebrating Shavuot, not only should be any less exciting than the other two festivals, but on the contrary, it should be the most exciting one of them all!

So, to make up for the lack of fun on Shavuot, it’s customary to read the book of Ruth which is my favorite book in the entire Tanach! In short, the story of Ruth which should touch everyone’s heart is as follows:

The book of Ruth opens with the account of the migration of a wealthy man named Elimelech, along with his wife Naomi and their two sons, from the land of Israel to the immoral society of Moav. Elimelech was leaving the Holy Land to escape the
pressures of the poverty-stricken Jewish people who were constantly asking him for handouts. Soon after their arrival, Elimelech dies and the two sons marry royal Moavite princesses — one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After a
short time, the two sons also die. Having lost both her husband and her sons, the righteous Naomi decides to return to her homeland and bids farewell to her daughters-in-law. Orpah, at first refusing to abandon her mother-in-law, decides
to stay in Moav. Ruth, on the other hand, cleaves to her faith and ascends to Israel with Naomi, willing to encounter the harsh poverty which awaited them, and stating the famous quotes to her mother-in-law, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people are my people, and your G-d is my
G-d; where you die, I will die and be buried”.
Poor and hungry, Ruth gathers bundles of wheat that have been dropped by the reapers in the vast fields of Boaz, a prominent Jewish judge. Eventually, Boaz takes notice of Ruth’s righteousness and asks her for her hand in marriage.
Their great-grandson is King David, which was one of the greatest kings Israel ever had.

So, you may ask yourself, why do we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot? What is the connection between them? Well, a few different answers are given. One is that Shavuot is also know as the Harvest Festival. The book of Ruth gives us a picture of the harvest, and how the poor was treated in the harvest season with
sympathy and love. Another reason is that Ruth was the ancestor of King David who was born and passed away on Shavuot. But the ultimate connection is found in Ruth’s famous quote to Naomi, ” Your people are my people, and your G-d is my G-d “. Ruth who was just a convert, was willing to follow her mother-in-law’s uncertain destiny just because of her strong faith in Hashem. So too, when the
Benei Israel were in the desert, uncertain of their future and destiny, accepted the Torah on Shavuot wholeheartedly only because they believed in G-d. They too said the famous quote “Naasei Ve Nishma”, we shall observe and then we shall listen!

Yes my friends, the Festival of Shavuot and the book of Ruth carry with them the same message. They both teach us that when we have faith in Hashem, there is always hope. On
Shavuot, we remind ourselves about our commitments to Hashem and our everlasting love for him, just like the commitments of a bride and a groom under a Chupah. We also read the book of Ruth to remind us that even at the darkest point in our lives we should never give up hope. Life without hope is meaningless, and hope can only be achieved through
faith. On Shavuot, we might lack in physical activities, but in spirituality we are having a blast. We should know that G-d never abandons his children and as long as we keep his commandments, his protection and his blessings will be bestowed upon
us!

So, if Ruth the convert, was loved so much by Hashem because she had faith in Him, imagine how much more Hashem is going to love his children if we can show him the same unconditional faith!

Chag Sameach and Regards;

Martin