It’s been nearly 49 days since Passover, when we gathered around the Seder table and stepped into our story of the Exodus, recounting the journey from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light.
We remembered the time as if we ourselves had been redeemed from Egypt, tasting the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of freedom as if for the first time.
Since that night, we’ve been counting—not just to mark the passage of time, but to move forward.
Step by step. One day at a time.
We’ve journeyed from leaving Egypt to standing at Sinai—from liberation to revelation—transforming a little more with each passing day.
This sacred period of counting the Omer culminates in Shavuot, which begins on Sunday night. Shavuot celebrates the moment we received Torah at Mount Sinai. One way we mark it is by reading the Book of Ruth.
Ruth begins her story as a widow. In a moment of deep uncertainty, she chooses to follow her mother-in-law Naomi, leaving behind everything familiar to step into an entirely new future.
And in that moment, unsure of what would come next, she speaks words of strength, courage, intention, and commitment:
“Wherever you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” -Ruth:1:16
We’re told the world was created with words.
“Let there be light.”
And when the Holy One spoke those words—there was.
Like this first act of creation, Ruth’s words don’t just express commitment—they shape her reality. They set a new path in motion. They create a deep connection. They build a new sense of belonging. Ruth reminds us that faith can be chosen, and that sometimes, it requires a leap ahead with open eyes and an open heart.
We often describe Shavuot as the moment we received Torah from the Holy One. But I think there’s something powerful in remembering that we were all standing there.
Revelation wasn’t private—it was shared. The Covenant was not just given to us as individuals, but to us as a people.
That’s why it feels especially meaningful that tonight, with tears in our eyes and full hearts, we welcome eight people into The Tribe.
Each of them has walked a different path to get here—asking big questions, studying deeply, reflecting honestly, wrestling with tradition, and celebrating moments of joy.
Through these moments, but more so through their souls, they’ve become part of us: showing up regularly at services and Torah study, raising their children in our religious school, joining task forces, and even working as part of our full-time team.
Their individual stories strengthen our collective identity as a people.
That’s the power of this moment. As a community, we’re not only celebrating their joining the Jewish people—they’re helping us remember who we are. Their presence, their soul, their neshama, reminds us that Jewish life isn’t static. It grows with every person who chooses it, with every story that deepens it, with every moment of celebration.
We don’t just receive Torah—we receive each other.
And in doing so, we expand our understanding of who we are and what it means to belong.
We are not the same community we were 49 days ago. And we shouldn’t be.
The Omer, the spiritual journey from Passover to Shavuot, challenges us to grow—to open our hearts a little wider, to listen a little more deeply, to become a little more ready to put Torah in our arms and recommit to the covenant with the Holy One.
And tonight, because of these eight souls and their stories, we arrive at Sinai more whole. We are reminded that Torah is not only something we study—it’s something we live. That being part of the Jewish people isn’t only about where we come from, but where we choose to go.
Revelation still happens through leaps of faith, through community, and when words are spoken with intention and love.
Alden Solovy writes, “We have always found comfort, perhaps even answers, in words.”
This Shabbat, may the words we speak be brought to life. May they be words of gratitude, faith, commitment, love, and joy.
Shabbat Shalom,
