Shavu’ot – The Holiday of Thoughtfulness

May 30-31, 2014 / 2 Sivan 5774

Shabbat Naso – Shavu’ot

Torah: Numbers 4:21 - 7:89 / Haftarah: Judges 13:2 - 13:25

“Shavu’ot – The Holiday of Thoughtfulness”

Dear Friends,

You have shown even more kindness… (Ruth 3:10)

Shavu’ot is one of the most misunderstood and overlooked of Jewish holidays.  It comes next week on Tuesday evening - when we are still recovering from Passover, when schools let out, when we are enjoying graduation parties, and in the late spring just as summer is about to begin.  With all this excitement, it is easy to understand how Shavu’ot, one of three biggest holidays of the Torah, gets overlooked. This is truly a shame, because Shavu’ot represents the holiday of mentschlichkeit – that of becoming our best selves and behaving with dignity, kindness, compassion.  On Shavu’ot we celebrate receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.  This is a big deal, because the ‘Ten’ form the foundation of what it means to live in a just society. They demand that we behave towards God, family, and our fellow human being with respect and thoughtfulness.

The Book of Ruth, which we read on Shavuot, highlights the righteousness of Ruth and the kindness she performs towards her mother-in-law Naomi. When Ruth wonders why Boaz allows her to collect grain exclusively in his field, he explains that, “It has been told to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband…” (2:11) The Sages describe Ruth’s attribute of kindness (chessed) as a defining character of the Jewish people, noting in the Talmud, (Yevamot 79a) “There are three characteristics which distinguish the Jewish People — they are merciful, they are reserved and they are performers of acts of kindness.”

The Jewish people has integrated Ruth’s attribute of chessed into our ethos. At Shir Hadash, we maintain that Derech Eretz – Thoughtfulness is one of our seven core values.  We follow a robust social action program throughout the year and hold Yom Tikkun Olam – our mitzvah day for helping special causes in our community. Our Chicago Jewish Federation assists in relief efforts for Jewish and non-Jewish communities throughout the world.  Today, the State of Israel continues to promote this attribute of chessed, offering aid and assistance to people in need around the world.

As far as I can tell, Israel was the only country to send a team to the United States to assist in the relief effort following Hurricane Sandy.  Following devastating and unprecedented flooding in Bosnia and Serbia, Israel dispatched emergency aid and basic equipment to the flood victims, including medicine, food, blankets and rain gear. Aleksander Nikolic, the assistant chief representative of the Republic of Serbia in Israel, said the Israeli aid was a “very human gesture” and “proof of friendship in a most difficult moment.” In addition, Israel has sent anti-terror experts to Nigeria to join the search for hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram. President Jonathan welcomed the offer by Mr. Netanyahu to send a team of Israeli counter-terrorism experts to assist in the ongoing search and rescue operations.

Shavu’ot is our celebration of mentshlichkeit.  Like Ruth, who was recognized for her acts of kindness, the Jewish people the world over expends great effort and energy to help others in need.  Let us be proud of our people’s legacy of helping others.  More than that, let us be proud when we as individuals and as a community get involved and make a difference in the lives of others.

Please join our Shavu’ot service and study evening on Tuesday, June 3rd.  Members will lead a number of presentations and discussions about Jewish wisdom and tradition.  Study is one of the ways that we can continue to grow in mentschlichkeit – thoughtfulness, kindness, and compassion.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow