Listen to the Story of Ruth & Naomi on the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast.
Then join us online today at 1 pm for our Pentecost Festival (see below)
Dear Friends, With all the struggles going on in & around Israel, I would like to tell the story of Ruth & Naomi – a Jewish woman & an Arab woman, who shared a deep karmic connection, giving us a message of unity we need so much today. Their story is mixed in with the Holiday called Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of The First Fruits, or Feast of the Giving of the Law; a Spring festival that celebrates the grain harvest, & the ripening of the first fruits, as well as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. Remember that this is the time that Moses meets the ‘I AM” of Christ in the burning bush! A precurser to the tongues of fire on Pentecost.
According to tradition folks overslept the day that Moses came down from fiery Mount Sinai. So to atone, many folks hold an all-night vigil on the eve of Shavuot. They light candles, decorate with flowers, eat dairy food, study Torah, & read the Book of Ruth- an integral part of the Jewish & Christian liturgical year. Sections of Ruth are also used in the Protestant Wedding ceremony
A number of biblical scholars have speculated that the Book of Ruth may have been written by a woman – its story is not only expressed entirely from a woman’s point of view, the name “Ruth” literally means, “woman friend.” And the grammar of the original Hebrew shows an unusual content of gender equality. There is also a hidden teaching in Ruth, a kind of women’s mystery that we can contemplate, & also an allegory for a karmic, or spiritual union.
Here’s a synopsis: The widow Naomi & her 2 sons left Israel, because of a famine, traveling thru foreign lands. They settled in Moab which today is an Arab country on the East Bank of the Jordan River, bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria & Palestine. The sons married Ruth & Orpah, 2 non-Jewish women from that place. During this time in exile, the 2 sons died, & the 3 woman became very close.
The tender friendship was especially strong between Ruth & Naomi, so unusual with a mother-in-law; which has been celebrated in poetry, prose & in art, the world round. After a time, Naomi gets word that Jerusalem is fertile again, & with her 2 sons gone, she desires to go back to her homeland, telling her 2 daughters-in-law that they should go back to their families, since life with her would be one of poverty, in a strange land, & she didn’t want them to have to sacrifice all the pleasures of their young lives for her. Already sad & lonely with the loss of their husbands, the thought of parting with Naomi really intensified their grief. United in common sorrow, the 3 women stand at a crossroads. Naomi’s words made a deep impression on Orpah; & at last she decides to take her advice; –
But not Ruth, who felt a special destiny with Naomi; so they journeyed on together & made a home in Bethlehem, where Naomi’s family owned a small house, with a spring on the outskirts of town, but little else.
Ruth wanting to earn her keep, heard that laborers were needed in the fields. And Naomi remembered that she had a kinsman, Boaz, whose name means strength -a man of great wealth, as well as wisdom. And so it was that Ruth became employed in the fields of Boaz; where she worked hard & proved a blessing to her mother. Boaz took note of the integrity of the woman from Moab. At harvest time he needed many extra hands, & he often went among the reapers to see how the work was going forward. He heard such good accounts of Ruth’s industry, dignity & discretion that he ordered his men to leave plenty for her to glean & to carry home in the evening. This she often sold on the way, in order to buy something that Naomi needed.
The 2 woman enjoyed their evenings together. Naomi had her spinning-wheel & loom; she also worked in the garden, raising vegetables, herbs & chickens. They often talked over their day’s labor as they enjoyed their simple supper of herb tea, bread & watercress.
One night Naomi was told by the spirit of prophecy, that from Ruth would descend 6 of the most righteous men of the age, notably, the prophet Daniel, King David, & what we would call ‘the Luke Jesus’. Boaz prized Ruth for her virtues, & her great moral qualities of head & heart.
In due time they were married; & Ruth bore a son whose name was Obed, which means: ‘One who Serves’. Obed became the father of Jesse, the root from which sprung the Virgin Mary. And Obed, Ruth’s son, was also the father of King David.
And so that is how this ‘Old Testament’ story ends, but we know this is just the beginning…
~hag
TODAY: Saturday 27 May 2023 on zoom
1 – 2:30 pm Central Time
Anthroposophia & the Redemption of Lucifer –
A Pentecost Festival for 2023
with Hazel Archer-Ginsberg
& Velsum Voices Lucien Dante Lazar & Ultra-Violet Archer
Experiential Break out led by Lucien & Ultra
Hazel Archer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Pentecost Festival
Time: May 27, 2023 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7050174041?pwd=WkNaNDlPS0VIMTJUUkE1ZkFMaDh5dz09
Meeting ID: 705 017 4041
Passcode: Whitsun
& then Tomorrow Whitsunday 28 May 2023
NEW TIME: 7 pm – 9 pm
50 Days after The Resurrection =
Our Community Pentecost Gathering –
Social Sculpture with Rev. Jeana Lee
Pot-Luck, Bonfire & Prep Stir
at the home of Hazel & Chuck Ginsberg
Please bring food & drink to share –
RSVP to Hazel@ReverseRitual.com
