9. Shavou’ot is the second of the 3 Jewish Pilgrimages (Sukkot -Tabernacles, Passover and Shavou’ot – Pentecost), celebrated on the 6th day of the 3rd Jewish month, Sivan. It highlights Jewish Unity, compared by King Solomon to “a triangular cord, which cannot be broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The Torah – the first of the 3 parts of the Jewish Bible – was granted to the Jewish People (which consists of 3 components: Priests, Levites and Israel), by Moses (the youngest of 3 children, brother of Aharon and Miriam), a successor to the 3 Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and to Seth, the 3rd and youngest son of Adam and Eve. The Torah was forged in 3 manners: Fire (commitment to principles), Water (lucidity and purity) and Desert (humility and faith-driven, tenacious defiance of odds). According to The Ethics of the Fathers, The Torah is one of the 3 pillars of healthy human relationships, along with labor and gratitude/charity. The Torah is one of the 3 pillars of Judaism, along with the Jewish People and the Land of Israel.
10. Shavou’ot highlights the eternity of the Jewish People. Thus, the first and the last Hebrew letters of Shavou’ot (שבועות) constitute the Hebrew name of the third – and righteous – son of Adam & Eve, Seth (שת). The Hebrew meaning of Seth – שת – is “to institute” and “to bestow upon” (Matan-מתן in Hebrew). The Hebrew word for the bestowing of the Torah at Mt. Sinai is Matan Torah (מתן תורה).
11. Shavou’ot (שבועות) is a derivative of the Hebrew word “Shvoua’” (שבועה) – vow, referring to the exchange of vows between God and the Jewish People. The origin of Shavou’ot occurred 26 generations after Adam and Eve. The Hebrew word for Jehovah (יהוה) equals 26 in Gimatriya (assignment of numerical values to Hebrew letters). There are 26 Hebrew letters in the names of the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs: Abraham (אברהם), Yitzhak (יצחק), Yaakov (יעקב) Sarah (שרה), Rivka (רבקה), Rachel (רחל) and Leah (לאה).
12. Shavou’ot highlights the Scroll of Ruth, the great grandmother of King David, son of Jesse, grandson of Ovad, who was the son of Ruth. The Scroll of Ruth is the first of the five Biblical scrolls, which are studied during five Jewish holidays: Ruth (Shavou’ot), Song of Songs (Passover), Ecclesiastes (Sukkot), Book of Lamentations (Ninth of Av), Esther (Purim).
Ruth was a Moabite Princess and a role model of loyalty (“Your people are my people and your God is my God”), gratitude, responsibility, reliability, respect of the other person/religion and faith. Ruth stuck by her mother-in-law, Naomi, who lost her husband, Elimelech (President of the Tribe of Judah) and two sons. Naomi went through family, economic and social calamities, similar to those experienced by Job: both lost their close family and financial assets; both complained to God; both preserved confidence in God and reconstructed their families; both were role-models of faith-driven patience and endurance. Naomi’s sufferings were punishment for emigrating from the Land of Israel during difficult times. Leaders do not desert their people when the going gets rough!
Ruth’s Legacy: Respect thy mother in-law (!); be driven by conviction over convenience; and be cognizant of the central role played by women from Sarah, through Ruth, until today. The total sum of the Hebrew letters of Ruth (רות) – in Gimatriya – is 606, the number of laws granted at Mt. Sinai, which together with the 7 laws of Noah form the 613 statutes of Moses. According to the scroll, “Ruth [the daughter-in-law] was better than 7 sons.”