Shavuot - Living Miracles

The joint message of Shavuot, Ruth, Yizkor, and Shabbat is clear: We can attain the miraculous.

Shavuot is an extraordinary holiday for many reasons. My Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt”l, taught that Shavuot commemorates the most magnificent miracle in all of history, surpassing even the miracles of Passover. He noted that identifying as a Jew signifies more than just adherence to a religion; it represents a sense of nationhood. However, what is the unifying factor that connects us as Jews? We've been in exile for 2,000 years, and thus we lack the common attributes that typically define nations: a unified land, culture, language, or shared history. Our Jewish community is incredibly diverse, spanning Middle Eastern Jews, European Jews, North American Jews, South American Jews, African Jews, and Asian Jews, among others, all who speak varied languages, have different cultures, and live in different places. He answered that the events at Har Sinai on Shavuot serve as the bond that unites us all. What unites us is the very fact that we have endured as a nation, and to this day continue to identify as a nation, linked exclusively by the Torah and the revelation at Sinai, and that is the most profound miracle of all.

The miraculous occurrences of Shavuot embody, as we have previously noted, a concept the Maharal termed l’malah min hateva, or transcending nature. He explains that the number seven symbolizes nature because God chose seven days as the framework for Creation. Thus, when we count the Omer for seven weeks, or 7x7, the total of 49 days represents the epitome of the natural world. Shavuot, however, occurs on the 50th day, placing it outside and beyond the Omer's cycle. This places Shavuot in a realm transcending the natural, a celebration of the supernatural and the miraculous, that we commemorate within our physical reality.

Another important part of Shavuot is the reading of Ruth. One compelling reason for reading Ruth may be her extraordinary circumstances. Ruth was a unique convert, because members of her nation of origin, Moab, were generally prohibited from converting to Judaism. However, the sages found a legal interpretation to enable a female Moabite to convert.

כָּךְ מְקוּבְּלַנִי מִבֵּית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתִי: ״עַמּוֹנִי״, וְלֹא עַמּוֹנִית. ״מוֹאָבִי״, וְלֹא מוֹאָבִית

This is the tradition that I received from the court of Shmuel from Rama: An Ammonite man is prohibited from entering into the congregation, but not an Ammonite woman; a Moabite man is prohibited from entering into the congregation, but not a Moabite woman.

So Ruth’s story itself was an example of an extraordinary conversion, acknowledging that the process of Jewish conversion requires exceptional commitment, and extraordinary effort. Thus we hold immense pride for all our converts. One could argue it takes almost supernatural strength to surmount the numerous hurdles to a Jewish conversion. So it is very appropriate to read Ruth on Shavuot, the 50th day, a day from a different realm where we celebrate the supernatural.

This extraordinary phenomenon is also mirrored in our recitation of Yizkor on Shavuot. Reflecting on our history and those we’ve lost, we recognize the miracle of our continued existence. Logically, we should have vanished, yet we've endured: Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live on.

This year, Shavuot coincides with Shabbat, described as meain olam haba, a foretaste of the World to Come. This confluence reminds us that we can live a remarkable, miraculous, transcendent life, even in our physical world.

Thus, the unified message of Shavuot, Ruth, Yizkor, and Shabbat is clear: We should never confine our aspirations. We must always remember that even in this very confusing world full of obstacles and challenges, with God's assistance, we can attain the miraculous.

Shabbat Shalom. Chag Sameach.