Shavuot 5770

The Biblical Festival of Shavuot or Weeks for the most part has been forgotten by the Jewish community except for the very Orthodox and the Messianic Jews. Why is this festival so important for us? Our sages agree that this is the festival which is replete with implications of the messianic times. For us it has a very special significance in regards to the Righteous Gentiles, the gerim or strangers among us. Shavuot is the first time two loaves of leavened bread are brought into the Temple or mishkan after Passover when only Matzoth were brought. These two loaves of bread shows us that there are two types of people, Jews and Gentiles both having leaven bringing the idea that G-d makes us both holy.

This picture is more fully expanded upon with the reading of the book of Ruth on Shavuot because the Jew and Gentile both play an important role in showing us the lineage of Messiah.

Through the matriarchal lineage of Messiah who comes from King David, we find Tamar and Ruth. Tamar was a Canaanite and Ruth a Moabite. This gives us a full understanding that our Messiah is a representation of all the nations of the world with Israel being the patriarchal lineage.

Naomi and Elimelech were from Beit Lechem of Efrat. This was King David’s city. They were literally coming from royalty yet they left to go to Moav because of the famine in Israel.  Torah teaches us that Moav was not the most recommended place to go: see Numbers 25:1 and Deuteronomy 23. (Moabites and Ammonites were the product of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters.)

Naomi’s sons were both married Moabites, something that was not permitted for them to do and all three men died in that land.  Naomi, finally realizing the folly of her ways, left to return home. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their families, but Ruth insisted upon remaining with her.  Ruth’s response has been used in every conversion ceremony for Gentiles converting to Judaism down through the ages.  It is a beautiful picture of a heart turned to G-d and how through this event G-d used her to bring into the world, King David, from whose line our Messiah would come.

This holiday is a celebration of the giving of Torah not only to the Jewish nation but to the whole world. It is the perfect picture of how G-d is calling both Jew and non-Jew to partake of His Word, to be obedient and to serve Him as one people.

May G-d add blessings to His Word!