On Shavuos, we read the Megilla of Rus, the story of the Ammonite princess who converted to Judaism and clung to her former mother-in-law Naomi.
Coming back to the Land of Israel, she married an elderly man named Boaz, and began the royal lineage of Moshiach, becoming the great- grandmother of Dovid HaMelech.
Why do we read this on Shavuos? The Midrash Lekach Tov says it is because Rus is a book full of chesed, kindness. Elimelech abandoned his land because he refused to do kindness with them, Rus accompanied Naomi and did chesed with her, caring for her mother-in-law no matter what, and following her advice. Boaz did chesed by allowing Rus to glean in his fields, and then by marrying her though people whispered about him.
The Torah, which was given on Shavuos, is also a book of kindness, as it says in Mishlei (31:26) “...v’Toras Chesed al leshona.” The Torah was given as a gift to the Jewish People with tremendous kindness from Hashem.
It is a gift because it empowers us to be great and to do amazing things. And, when we accepted the Torah, we also did an act of kindness for Hashem.
Hashem held Mount Sinai over us on Shavuos, and Chazal tell us it was like a chupa. Hashem is the groom and the Jewish People is the bride. We have to accept Hashem’s gift and agree to unite with Him in order for it to work. This is our chesed back to him.
Further, in our role as the “kallah,” we utilize the power of the wife, of femininity, to receive, and then create more, thereby becoming partners with Hashem.
Rus accepted and sowed the seeds of Moshiach, and so do we accept the Torah and sow the same seeds with every good deed we do.
Based on a shiur by R’ Daniel Coren
