Dear members and Friends,

As we begin the month of Sivan, we are looking forward to Shavuot, the festival of the harvest. Shavuot is also the time when we are standing before God to receive the Torah — the Law. Shavuot, then, celebrates both material and spiritual harvests. During the festival, it is customary to read the book of Ruth, which describes the season of the harvest. However, it is also a tribute to King David, the great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz. The ancestors of the Jewish Messiah embody the spirit of the Torah — accepting and loving the other. On Shavuot, while we are reaping the physical bounty, we are reminded of its spiritual source — God blesses us if we know how to bless others.
On Shabbat and holidays, in the first part of the blessing after the meal, we sing, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Though he goes on his way weeping, bearing the store of seed, he shall come back with joy, bearing his sheaves.” Psalm 126 is also known as Shir Hama’a lot — the Song of Ascents. We sowed in tears of slavery in Egypt; we then ascend the 49 steps (the counting of the omer) until we get to the real harvest in the presence of God. There, we are reaping in joy, as God’s law is joyful, liberating.
God sets the table for us; we come from work hungry and sit around the table. It is not surprising that the code of Jewish law is called Shulchan Aruch — Set Table. In Psalm 23, King David thanks God: “You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In life, God sets a table for us, and it is up to us to make the most of it. Are we going to accept the others whom God has placed at our table?
Last Sunday, our synagogue hosted the East End Jewish Community Council’s first annual Rabbis and Lay Leaders dinner. After months of hard work, there was one more thing to do. Once the tables were set, I walked around the room and placed nametags according to what I thought would be the best order of seating. It felt like serious responsibility, deciding who will sit next to whom. For one night, I was setting the tables. The rest would be up to God and the people in the room to make the best come from it. Happily, it was successful.
May we all learn from Ruth and Boaz to follow God and accept others around the table of our lives.

Chodesh Tov,
—Rabbi Gadi