Shavuot, Kindness, and the Kingdom to Come

Rabbi Ze’ira said: This scroll [of Ruth] tells us nothing either of cleanliness or of uncleanliness, either of prohibition or permission. For what purpose then was it written? To teach how great is the reward of those who do deeds of kindness [Gemilut Hasadim]. Midrash Rabbah, Ruth 2.14

Shimon ha-Tzaddik was one of the last survivors of the Great Assembly. He used to say: On three things the world stands—on Torah, on Avodah [divine worship], and on Gemilut Hasadim. Pirke Avot 1.2

The practice of kindness, or gemilut hasadim, is a foundational Jewish value, so it’s amazing that one of its prime exemplars in the Hebrew Scriptures is Ruth—a woman of no social status or means, an impoverished widow, who isn’t even Jewish.[1]

Hesed or hasadim (plural) is translated as “lovingkindness,” “grace,” or “mercy.” But all these sound a bit too exalted for everyday use, so I’ll stick with the simpler translation, kindness. Hesed is especially characterized as kindness that 1) doesn’t have to be earned and can’t be repaid, and 2) is practical, helpful, and concrete. Kindness toward the dead is considered the highest form of hesed because the dead cannot repay the kindness given toward them.

Gemilut hasadim could be translated with the old bumper-sticker phrase, “Random acts of kindness.” They’re random because, as the Mishnah says, there is no fixed measure for acts of kindness (Pe’ah 1:1). Rather, we are to practice them whenever we have the opportunity, which ironically means that they’re not really random. Gemilut hasadim is the deliberate practice of kindness: proactively, energetically, and creatively finding ways to be kind to others, especially when they don’t seem to deserve it, and especially within the ordinary scenes of daily life.

The story of Ruth is full of examples of this deliberate practice of kindness.

At the beginning of the story, Ruth and her sister-in-law Orpah deliberately practice kindness toward their mother-in-law Naomi by sticking with her after her sons—their husbands—die. They escort her all the way back to the borders of her homeland, where, “Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal with you in hesed, as you have dealt with the dead and with me” (Ruth 1:8). Orpah departs, but Ruth continues to extend kindness as she refuses to leave Naomi:

For where you go, I will go,
and where you stay, I will stay.
Your people will be my people,
and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)

We rightly take Ruth’s choice as a model of Gentile love for Israel, which should accompany love for the God of Israel. But it is also a model of kindness.

Later, when Ruth presents herself as a marriage partner to Boaz, he says: “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter; this last instance of your hesed is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich” (Ruth 3:10). Boaz is an older man, and Rabbi Samuel ben R. Isaac tells us, “A woman prefers a poor young man to a wealthy old man” (Midrash Rabbah, Ruth 6.2). But Ruth is motivated by hesed, not personal preference. She seeks the redemption of Naomi’s whole household, not just an attractive marriage.

When Christians read the Book of Ruth, they don’t tend to ask why it was written, but they might wonder why Ruth appears in the genealogy of Messiah Yeshua (Matt. 1:5), which generally follows normal usage and traces Yeshua’s descent through the males. Perhaps Ruth appears here for the same reason that her book appears in the Hebrew Scriptures—because she exemplifies gemilut hasadim. From her position of weakness as a foreigner, a woman, and a widow, Ruth finds ways to practice kindness, and thus weaves a strand of hesed into the mantle of the Messianic line.

Another question raised by the book of Ruth: Why is it read at Shavuot? The setting of Ruth is the grain harvest, which is what Shavuot celebrates. In the story, Ruth takes advantage of a provision of the Torah, which is repeated specifically at Shavuot: gleaning the grain field after the harvesters (Lev. 19:9–10; 23:22). This symbol of hesed—unearned, practical kindness—characterizes Shavuot, and it’s hesed that brings Ruth and Boaz together. The Lord in his hesed provides the corner of the field to the disadvantaged for gleaning. Boaz expands on that provision of hesed to make sure that it really helps and empowers Ruth. The practice of kindness by both Ruth and Boaz creates a marriage that produces Obed, Jesse, David, and from him, the line of Messiah (Ruth 4:13-22).

Rabbi Shimon says that the world is founded on gemilut hasadim. How striking that the line of David, which becomes the line of Messiah, is founded on gemilut hasadim as well! The Messianic Kingdom depends ultimately, not on the sort of power and resources that the world depends on, but on the deliberate practice of kindness toward the unworthy. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. . . .  God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us” (Rom 5:6, 8).

As we celebrate Shavuot this year, we can celebrate God’s kindness toward us and all peoples. And the best way to celebrate kindness is to put it into practice, deliberately, creatively, and daily.

Hag Sameach—a joyous festival! - Rabbi Russ Resnik

[1] Rabbinic commentators tend to portray Ruth as a convert to Judaism, but even so, she begins her story as a Gentile, not a Jew.