Haftarah
First Day of Shavuot
Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12
The haftorah for the first day of Shavuot describes Ezekiel’s Vision of the Chariot reminiscent of the revelation experienced by the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, on the very first Shavuot of history.
The prophet Ezekiel son of Buzi relays the vision he had of a chariot led by four creatures that resemble men and describes their physical appearance and actions in detail, “When they [the living beings] would go, they [the wheels] would go, and when they would stand, they would stand, and when they would lift themselves up from the ground, the wheels would lift themselves correspondingly to them, for the will of the living being was in the wheels… Like the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness round about; that was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the L-rd, and when I saw, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.”
The haftorah ends with Ezekiel’s mention of the prayers of the angels to G‑d.
Second Day of Shavuot
Habakkuk 2:20, 3:1-19
The haftorah of the second day of Shavuot is a prophecy of Habakkuk
The prophet recalls the wonders that G‑d had done for Israel at the time of the Giving of the Torah at Sinai. He also speaks of the punishments that G‑d meted out to the enemies of Israel
Shavuot Haftorahs in a Nutshell
The haftarah for the first day of Shavuot is of the most hallowed portions of the Bible. Known as Mirkevet Yechezkel, “the Chariot of Ezekiel,” the reading speaks of the revelation to Ezekiel in which he saw the entire gamut of divine beings in what he describes as a “chariot.”
This text is actually the primary source in the Tanach for the mystical element of Torah, known in the Jewish vernacular as Kabbalah. In fact, the Talmud and early Jewish works refer to Kabbalah as Maaseh Merkavah, “the Workings of the Chariot.”
Ezekiel’s Metaphysical Imagery: A Model for Kabbalah
The narrative in Ezekiel speaks in physical terms about a completely spiritual reality. It is impossible to interpret any part of this description in a literal way, as it is only an allegory for metaphysical concepts. In fact, according to Avodat HaKodesh1 this is exactly what transpired in Ezekiel’s vision: he was shown images of the physical, while understanding the G‑dly ideas to which they corresponded.
This style is replicated in most Kabbalistic works, where much of the teachings are also taught via physical metaphor. The sages throughout the ages warned that the student of Kabbalah must “divest the words from their physicality” and be knowledgeable enough to do so.
In recent times, one of the great achievements of Chabad chassidic teachings was to do just that. All the key and foundational aspects of Kabbalah are dissected and thoroughly explained in such a way that the human mind can grasp at least the concept of a certain spiritual idea.
Why the Vision of Ezekiel?
Despite the above explanation of the connection between the haftarah and the holiday, a closer analysis still leaves room for discussion. After all, the primary occurrence at Sinai was the the revelation of G‑d Himself and the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. The experience of the Divine “chariot,” as lofty as it is, can be considered only of secondary importance.
A contrasting reading that, on the surface, might have been more appropriate is a portion of the book of Isaiah (ch. 6) that is read as the haftarah for the portion of Yitro, the portion that contains the Torah reading for Shavuot. There Isaiah is predominantly occupied with the revelation of G‑d to him, but also briefly describes the “chariot” as the setting in which he “sees” G‑d. This, it seems, would make for a much more accurate description of what the Jews witnessed at the giving of the Torah.
All this is on top of the most obvious question of all:
For the vast majority of people, this haftarah is completely incomprehensible. The point of the public haftarah reading is not merely for the select few who have an understanding of the profound meaning of the verses; it is for the benefit of everyone.
It follows that there must be something in this haftarah that encapsulates the concept of the Sinai event itself, and that although the details are incomprehensible, there must be an overall underpinning of the narrative that can be understood by every Jew.
To explain:
The revelation of G‑d at Sinai was not something meant just for that time; it was rather the beginning of an entirely new world order. The revelation of G‑d was to inaugurate the process whereby the physical world could become a G‑dly place.
No detail in the physical world is isolated from G‑dly reality. On the contrary, the existence of this world is a material manifestation of a G‑dly counterpart that exists in a spiritual setting. But although the physical stems from the spiritual, the Midrash2 tells us that before the giving of the Torah, there was no real ability for G‑dliness to penetrate and elevate the physical world. The corporeal cannot essentially perceive the G‑dly, as it is entirely distant from it.
An example for this can be seen even within physical existence itself: any attempt to explain the simplest math equation to a stone will be completely futile. Now, although both logic and a stone are components of the physical world, nevertheless one is entirely cut off from the reality of the other. This is infinitely more so with regards to G‑dliness: the world, by definition, is finite. G‑d and everything about Him is infinite. For the finite and the infinite to connect is impossible. It cannot begin to happen.
Nevertheless, with the giving of the Torah this was actually made possible. G‑d, who has no limitation whatsoever, “came down” within His creation. Thus, at that moment, the possibility for the elevation of the physical to the G‑dly was created.
This idea is the entire theme of our haftarah. Although the exact details are rather obscure, the overall content is Ezekiel’s vision of physical images that not only did not obstruct the vision of G‑d, but on the contrary were the very means by which the prophet perceived G‑dliness.
Isaiah and Ezekiel: Villager or City Kid?
The above is also the reason why on the holiday, the reading from Ezekiel is preferred over the one from Isaiah. The Talmud, analysing the two prophecies, comments that “Isaiah can be compared to a man who dwells in the city who saw the king, and Ezekiel—to a villager who saw the king.”3
A man who dwells in the capital is not greatly excited over the pomp and circumstance around the royal palace; he sees it daily. The villager, on the other hand, becomes very excited by all the extravagances of royalty. Simply speaking, the Talmud is referring to the fact that Isaiah was a prophet in the Land of Israel and thus was accustomed to Divine encounters, whereas Ezekiel prophesied in the diaspora, and there it is a great novelty to have the ability of experiencing anything G‑dly at all.4
On a deeper level, though, the Talmud can be saying this: For a person who grew up in the city, or better yet in the palace itself, all the pomp and circumstance of royalty is just the way in which the king goes about his affairs. For these people, what matters is the king himself; the rest of it is just background. This was Isaiah, who spoke of the “chariot” only as the milieu in which G‑d was seen.
The level on which Ezekiel spoke was that of a villager who has altogether no concept of royalty. Witnessing the immense pageantry around the king arouses tremendous excitement within this simple man. It is actually through this experience that he gains entry into knowing what royalty is altogether, which serves as the entry point in beginning to appreciate who the king himself is.
The event at Sinai began the elevation of the physical world to the G‑dly. For this reason we specifically choose the text of Ezekiel, which comes from the perspective of the “villager”—the plane on which anything G‑dly is a novelty. For the physical to be elevated, it must first be imbued with the feeling that there is something higher than itself, that in fact its physical self is just the “image” of a Divine reality. This is the point of entry in taking the creation to its primary objective, the revelation of G‑d Himself within it.
As said, although the details of this in the text of Ezekiel are obscure, the above is the premise of the entire narrative. The study of Chassidus enables the person to see G‑dliness within creation, which in essence fulfils the purpose of creation itself.5
Rabbi Mendel Dubov is the director of Chabad in Sussex County, NJ, and a member of faculty at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, NJ.
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org’s copyright policy.
Ruth
Why We Read The Book of Ruth on Shavuot
The book is about a Moabite woman who, after her husband dies, follows her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, into the Jewish people with the famous words “whither you go, I will go, wherever you lodge, I will lodge, your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” She asserts the right of the poor to glean the leftovers of the barley harvest, breaks the normal rules of behaviour to confront her kinsman Boaz, is redeemed by him for marriage, and becomes the ancestor of King David.6
The Story of the Book of Ruth
An analysis of the book read on Shavuot.
Read the full text of the Book of Ruth in Hebrew and English.
Ruth is a book for all times, whether written in post-exilic days or based upon very old oral traditions. It is set in the time of the judges — not the best ones, if we assign it to the period of Gideon and Samson — and it attempts to define the rights of widows and aliens within a society fallen upon hard times.
The Book of Leviticus comes to life here, with its injunctions to leave part of the harvest for the needy, and with all of its concern and compassion for the underprivileged within the society. The text contains complexities; yet these fade away against the simple message of a Divine plan fulfilling itself among decent people: Ruth, Naomi and Boaz all occupy the stage in turn, and God‘s purpose is fulfilled through their actions.
We read the Scroll of Ruth on Shavuot, the time of the Giving of the Law. The rabbis find many reasons why Ruth and Shavuot are linked:7
- harvest time,
- the Giving of the Torah and
- its acceptance as we see it in the life of Ruth and David,
- the offspring of Ruth, who died on Shavuot; and
- it is a happy book for a season of joy.8
The Story Opens: A Low Point
The opening paragraph (Ruth 1:1), with a marvellous economy of words, sets the stage: The characters are presented, the situation is clear. Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons become refugees in an alien land, losing all rights and status in fleeing from a famine — a major disaster in their homeland. Mahlon and Chilion have a role to play in the story. “Sick” and “Ailing,” (the literal meaning of their names) as their names describe them, they are still paired against one another. Mahlon’s name will survive through Ruth; Chilion disappears from view.
Even then, rabbinic imagination makes Orpah (Ruth’s sister-in-law) the ancestor of Goliath who will meet Ruth’s descendant, David, in a final confrontation of these branches of the family. Elimelech and the sons die. The rabbis see the death as caused by their leaving of Canaan. In this they touch on a clear theme within the book: the love for this land, a rich and sensuous feeling rising out of the story and out of the loving descriptions of the land at harvest time. Naomi returns to Bethlehem, the “sweet one” made “bitter” by adversity.
Ruth’s Declaration of Loyalty
Ruth remains with Naomi, while the realistic Orpah accepts Naomi’s reasoning that the daughters‑in‑law need not become refugees in turn. The text needs no embellishments:
Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die; and there will I be buried…
Note
This is a scintillating statement of fealty. The only way I can connect it to Shavuot, which celebrates the Revelation at Sinai, and the Haftorah that is read is the Ezekiel's Vision of the Chariot, is by looking at the spiritual context of this statement. It is a vow of loyalty and love like few others in the _Tanach_. The closest would be found in the Psalms or the Song of Songs. However, this one is one that resonates because it is spoken by a woman, and a non-Jewish one at that. It is the words that G-d would love to hear from our lips.
It is a statement of loyalty and faith which endures through all generations. And the loyalty is soon put to the test, as Ruth goes out to glean in strange fields. There, in the field of Boaz, several patterns converge. Naomi has a plan which will obligate the kinsman to support her. Ruth has her own ideas which will, if realized, change her own position as well. And Boaz moves from an initial position of utter correctness and minimum courtesy to a granting of extra privileges which reflect a change within himself of which he is not fully aware at this point.
Boaz’ Kindness
Boaz acknowledges Ruth’s right to glean behind his handmaidens and to remain unmolested in his fields, but he does not yet accede to her request to glean among the sheaves. By meal time, he is a changed person: She is to eat with him, she may glean among the sheaves, and his men are to drop part of their harvest for Ruth to acquire. Ruth returns home with “an efah of barley” (between 30 and 50 pounds according to modern authorities), and Naomi realizes that their future might be brighter than she had dared to hope.
The harvest comes to an end, and Naomi instructs Ruth in a new plan: She is to join Boaz at the threshing floor during his night of vigil. The vigil had cultic and ceremonial significance; and Ruth’s preparations for the night are preparations of marriage. Whether or not the marriage was consummated on that night is debated, although the story is clear enough here: The consummation took place after the marriage (4:13) and was blessed by God with a son, Obed.
The Redeemer
The whole thrust of the narrative, of Boaz as “the redeemer,” of Obed declared to be the son of Naomi, would lose its point had the relationship between Ruth and Boaz been other than a proper marriage between equals. The court scene, between Boaz and the other unnamed claimant, establishes this as it resolves the underlying patterns with a happy ending. And time and history place another dimension into this pattern: the covenant of love between Boaz and Ruth reminded the people Israel, in times of exile and need, that a similar covenant exists and continues between Israel and God.
All of the story is brought to a successful conclusion. First, there is the matter of redeeming Elimelech’s property, Naomi’s only possibility of re-establishing herself in the land. The anonymous kinsman is anxious to purchase the land. Since Naomi has no male descendants, the property would then become part of his permanent family holding. Then Boaz reminds him that marriage to Ruth would be part of the obligation. The son of that marriage would be assigned to Naomi, and the final outcome of the contract would see the land revert to Naomi and her family. The kinsman demurs, and Boaz happily accepts the privilege and obligation of marrying Ruth and raising a family for Naomi.
Professor Herbert Brichto points out that the welfare of the dead depended upon descendants retaining ancestral property, and that the unknown kinsman had no desire to raise a son who would continue Mahlon’s name. The irony is clear: It is the kinsman whose name is forgotten!
The Unfolding of a Divine Pattern
The Scroll of Ruth is not a legal document giving instruction on levirate marriage and land redemption. As Jack Sassoon has pointed out, it is a folk tale, with the structure and logic of the storyteller’s art. It takes the legalities of the time for granted, as incidental to the unfolding of a Divine pattern within human lives, in the creation of a family tree for King David, with possible intimations of a messianic kingdom. It began with the suffering of Naomi, and ends with her joy. The declaration of Ruth is fulfilled: The destinies of Naomi and Ruth are interlocked, they are now one family and one faith. Boaz has fulfilled both of their hopes; he has been the redeemer to Naomi, the true husband to Ruth. And the community rejoices.
Chesed (Steadfast Kindness) Trumps Status
Some scholars have argued that the book was written to defend intermarriage. It was, they contend, a kind of tract put out against the demand made by Ezra on the return from exile that Jews who had remained in the land must divorce their non-Jewish wives. Certainly, it gives full rights to a Moabite woman who then becomes the ancestress of the royal house of the Jewish people, of King David who comes to represent the messianic ideal, the unity and peace which will embrace all humanity
Loyalty to the faith of Israel is fused with the love of humanity for whom the
was revealed. As this text becomes part of Shavuot, the festival of that revelation, the convert who joins Ruth freely, with all her love and loyalty given freely, stands before Sinai and receives the Torah…
Rabbi Zeira said:
This scroll is not concerned with either purity or defilement, either prohibition or permission. Why,then, was it written? To teach you of a magnificent reward to those who practice and dispense chesed (steadfast kindness).9
Placed into our liturgy, at the season of the giving of the Torah, we thus rediscover the heart of the matter: the steadfast love, the Chesed, which assures the eternity of the covenant made at Sinai between God and Israel to the commemoration of which we devote the festival of Shavuot.
Excerpted with the permission of CCAR Press from The Five Scrolls: Hebrew Texts, English Translations, Introductions and New Liturgies, Herbert N. Bronstein and Albert H. Friedlander, eds.
Footnotes
Avodat HaKodesh 4:18. This is an important Kabbalistic work written by R. Meir ibn Gabbai (c. 1530). ↩︎
Midrash Tanchuma, Va’eira 15; Shemot Rabbah 12:3. ↩︎
Talmud, Chagigah 13b. ↩︎
See Tosafot ad loc. ↩︎
Adapted from Likkutei Sichot, vol 33, pp. 18–25. ↩︎
Why We Read The Book of Ruth on Shavuot, excerpted with permission from Every Person’s Guide to Shavuot (Jason Aronson, Inc). ↩︎
The authority for this is found in Soferim (xiv, 3-5) an eighth-century Palestinian text. ↩︎
The Story of the Book of Ruth - An analysis of the book read on Shavuot by Herbert N Bronstein. ↩︎
Ruth Rabba, 2:15. ↩︎