From Trauma to Hope: A Shavuot Shiur

We come to Shavuot at a time of great tumult and tragedy. As the news cycle spreads the news of war and gun violence, extremism, and hatred, and as the pandemic continues to rage around us it can be easy to be overwhelmed. We will explore what the Torah, and specifically the book of Ruth have to teach us about finding hope at times of despair.

(6) “The two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem the entire city was in a tumult about them, and the women said: Is that Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19).

Boaz’s wife died on that day, and all of Israel assembled to show kindness [to participate in the funeral]. As all the populace was going to show kindness, Ruth entered with Naomi; this one [Boaz’s first wife] departed, and that one entered.

According to these texts, the book of Ruth begins with grief: the grief of Naomi, Ruth, Orpah, and Boaz as well. When Naomi and Ruth encountered a crowd upon returning Bethlehem, this was the crowd coming from the funeral of Boaz's wife. Their reunion was forged in tragedy. Why do you think the book of Ruth begins with so much tragedy?

There were five events that happened to our ancestors on the seventeenth of Tammuz and five on the ninth of Av...On the ninth of Av it was decreed that our ancestors should not enter the land, The Temple was destroyed the first and the second time, Betar was captured, And the city was plowed up. When Av enters, they limit their rejoicing.

The following story supports what Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Aibu: A man was plowing his field when his ox lowed. An Arab passed by and asked "What are you?" And he answered "I am a Jew." The Arab man said to him, "Untie your ox and unharness your plough" [as a sign of mourning]. "Why?" he asked. "Because the Temple of the Jews is destroyed," said the Arab. "From where do you know that?" asked the Jew. "I know it because your ox lowed," answered the Arab. While they were talked the ox lowed again. "Harness your ox and tie up the plough again, because the deliverer (moshiach) of the Jews has been born" said the Arab. "What is his name?" asked the Jew. "Menachem (comforter)."

Taanit 30A

There was a custom for women to wash their heads from Mincha time forward on Tisha B’Av out of the belief that the Messiah was born on Tisha B’Av and that following the custom demonstrated accepting comfort and faith in the coming of the redemption.

Why does our tradition teach that the Messiah is born on Tisha B'av? What does that teach us?

(16) Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up, While the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.

Why is it so important for Naomi to vocalize her despair?

(22) Then Moses caused Israel to set out from the Sea of Reeds. They went on into the wilderness of Shur; they traveled three days in the wilderness and found no water. (23) They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; that is why it was named Marah. (24) And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (25) So he cried out to יהוה, and יהוה showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet. There [God] made for them a fixed rule; there they were put to the test. (26) [God] said, “If you will heed your God יהוה diligently, doing what is upright in God’s sight, giving ear to God’s commandments and keeping all God’s laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I יהוה am your healer.”

The Rabbis understandably question what this magical piece of wood could be that would transform the water from bitter to sweet. The Rabbis pose a number of different ideas about what this piece of wood could be. Willow, ivy, olive and thistle are all possibilities, and all of them are bitter themselves.

‘vayoreini’ and said to me,²⁵⁷Proverbs 4:4. which means “and he [my father] taught me,” and so all other such expressions — it appears by way of the plain meaning of Scripture that this tree had a natural property to sweeten water, this being its uniqueness, and He taught it to Moses. Our Rabbis have said that the tree was [naturally] bitter, but that this was a miracle within a miracle, [i.e., that He healed the bitter waters with something which was bitter].... It does not say vayar’eihu (and He showed him) but vayoreihu, which means that He taught him His way.” That is to say, He instructed him and taught him the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, i.e., that He sweetens the bitter with the bitter.

Why do you think Nachmanides' way is "to sweeten bitter with the bitter"?

How might one go about doing that?

“I believe the meaning of life is to labor, to do our part in laboring for a just world rooted in joy, because joy is how we last. Even the night I watched the video of George Floyd’s murder, with the officers knee on his neck for 8 minutes, even as I could feel that grief seize my own body, my own heart, even as I could feel rage rush through me, I knew that all of those were important emotions in the labor of love. Joy is the gift of love. Grief is the price of love. Rage is the force that protects that which we love. Laboring in love is allowing all of those to come through you and still finding ways to return to joy.”

Rabbi Shimeon ben Yochai offers a different interpretation. He interprets the word "etz" not as a literal piece of wood but rather part of the etz chaim, the Torah itself. He suggests that we turn the bitter to sweet by overpowering it with words and teachings of Torah.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, 1772-1810

If you believe that it is possible to break, believe that it is possible to repair.

(14) Early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar. He placed them over her shoulder, together with the child, and sent her away. And she wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. (15) When the water was gone from the skin, she left the child under one of the bushes, (16) and went and sat down at a distance, a bowshot away; for she thought, “Let me not look on as the child dies.” And sitting thus afar, she burst into tears. (17) God heard the cry of the boy, and a messenger of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is. (18) Come, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” (19) Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and let the boy drink.

Naomi instructs Ruth to ask Boaz to be her redeeming kinsman, having a child with her, and passing his inheritance to her child, so that Naomi's family's name can live on though her.

Boaz tells Naomi that there may be a closer redeeming relative to fulfill this need. When he isn't successful, he agrees.

(10) I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, so as to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his estate, that the name of the deceased may not disappear from among his kinsmen and from the gate of his home town. You are witnesses today.” (11) All the people at the gate and the elders answered, “We are. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the House of Israel! Prosper in Ephrathah and perpetuate your name in Bethlehem! (12) And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah—through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.” (13) So Boaz married Ruth; she became his wife, and he cohabited with her. The LORD let her conceive, and she bore a son. (14) And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not withheld a redeemer from you today! May his name be perpetuated in Israel! (15) He will renew your life and sustain your old age; for he is born of your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons.” (16) Naomi took the child and held it to her bosom. She became its foster mother, (17) and the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi!” They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, father of David.