Page 24 - Harlem Shavuot Companion 2020

The Torah of Grace
By Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar in Residence at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
And Rabbi Wendy Amsellem, Teacher of Talmud and Halacha at Yeshivat Maharat

Chen is sometimes hard to describe but we know
it when we see it. It is that extra measure of grace
that makes a person or an action especially
appealing. Chen elevates the ordinary, exceeds
our expectations, and inspires us to be more
graceful as well.

It is perhaps because grace transcends the natural
limitations that it is so difficult to articulate and
achieve. In our tradition, the number seven represents the spectrum of the natural order and the
cycle of the seven days of creation. From Passover to Shavuot we count seven weeks, for a total
of 49 days. This number seven, multiplied by itself, represents the greatest expression of the
essence of nature. But it is only on the next day, the 50th that goes beyond these boundaries, that
we are able to receive the Torah.

Like the relationship between our body and soul, the Torah is where the finite meets the infinite.
נ
Chen is spelled in Hebrew ןח - the numerical value of 50 = and 8 = ח .Both the number 50 and
the number 8 exceed the regular natural order which is based on factors of 7. Chen is above Nature.

Megilat Ruth is replete with acts of Chen that break natural assumptions. Ruth and Orpah, the
Moabite daughters-in-law of Naomi, escort her on her way back to Bethlehem. Naomi explains
that there is no future for the young women there and urges them to return to their parents’ homes
in Moab. The word Moab itself has the Hebrew numerical value of 49, indicating that returning
there would be the natural thing to do. Orpah makes the reasonable choice to turn back, but Ruth
clings to Naomi fiercely, pledging her unswerving loyalty.

Ruth goes beyond what is expected of her, choosing not only Naomi’s company but also her God,
her people, and her way of life. In truth, all converts do this - they break from the assumed rhythms
of their lives and embark instead on an extraordinary path of spiritual expansion. We read Megilat
Ruth on Shavuot because Shavuot is about going beyond the letter of the law. On Shavuot, the
people of Israel break with their previous patterns of behavior and perform the ultimate elevating
act of accepting the Torah. In doing so, they model the kabbalat mitzvot, accepting of
commandments, that is traditionally the most essential part of the conversion process.

Boaz also exceeds expectations. As a field owner, he is obligated in the mitzvah of leket, allowing
the poor to pick up sheaves dropped by his gleaners. Boaz not only performs the basic mitzvah of
leket, but he instructs his workers to drop extra sheaves (Ruth 2:16) so that Ruth can collect them.

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