Inner Connections: Shavuot. Why are You Doing That???

נעשה ונשמע

We will do and we will learn/understand.

B”H we received two crowns when we said the above. We entered into a status of beni melach-children of the King.

B”H we do and we do and we do. The whole world around me is doing and doing and doing. What makes my doing different than any other human being on the planet?

I do and I do and I do. My question is, do we remember why are we doing?

Do we put purpose in our doing?

Am I just doing because this is what I’ve been taught? This is what society tells me? This is my source of feeling “accomplished”?

Where is my neshama in all of this? Where is Hashem? After

all, there were two crowns.

Is just doing going to keep me in the status of remembering that I am the daughter of the King? That I am more than what I do?

I need the meaning. I need understanding. I need purpose. I need to know that I must put the value behind what I am doing (or not doing 😊).

I need CONNECTION.

I need to know why I am doing what I am doing. Which is…BECAUSE I am a daughter of the KING!

Once again we go back to putting a second of thought, a second of intention into our acts of doing. A second of connection and clarity. To reclaim those two crowns which is, yes, do! But put Hashem into the picture of your doing. Put purpose.

Know that you are is not equal to what you do, but you can put who you are (the daughter of the King!) into what you do.

***

I have always been in awe of the Ruths that have come into and out of my life. The women like the Moabite princess who “give up” so much, turn their lives “upside” in search of truth. They make choices based on inner values and don’t care what anyone says or thinks about them. They follow the calling of their heart and of their soul.

Yes, I am in awe of these women, women of royalty who no matter what anyone thinks of them know their inner value and their inner worth because if not, why would they make such “illogical” decisions? Yes, I fully understand why Ruth merited to be the grandmother of royalty, the grandmother of David haMelech. It takes the courage of a king, of a queen, to act on truth, to stick to truth, to be willing to go against the world when the world is upside down.

I understand Ruth.

But there’s something new that I learned from Rav Shimshon Pinchas z”l that I must share with you.

Ruth might not have been the mother of royalty if Boaz hadn’t reminded her of her internal strength and her internal beauty.

If Boaz hadn’t “lifted up” her spirits.

She chose a path, but with Boaz’s encouragement she was able to stay on it.

Ruth came into the field of Boaz. Ruth, a Moabite, a descendant of an enemy. What did he see? What did he think? What did he say to her?

What did he see? A modest woman who was acting with honesty and integrity. What did he think? I have no idea! What did he tell her? Words of kindness and of compassion. And then what did he do? He merely pointed out to her the good that she did and he blessed her by it:

“I have been told of all that you did for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you had not known before. May the LORD reward your deeds. May you have a full recompense from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge! (Ruth 3:11-12)”

No false flattery, just an emphasis on the good that was there. There is always good there.

He pointed it out to her good. It lifted her spirits and she kept going. One who sees the good and focuses on it- he’s the father of royalty, of kingship.

So we see that royalty, true royalty, Divine royalty is a combination of looking within to connect to Hashem and to who we are at the core- to staying faithful to our values and Truth. It’s not caring what anyone says or does to discourage you from following your path of connection. And it’s seeing the good, of focusing on it, in yourself and in others. It’s bringing it out into the open and lifting another’s spirits.

It’s on focusing on all the good that we do and the ways we act with integrity, dignity, and modesty. Royalty is lifting up both others and yourself. It’s seeing Hashem in our lives and bringing Him into the lives of others.

I’m going to ask you this Shavuot to do two things.

One- to close your eyes, to look within and to list all the things that you are doing, that you have done, this past week, or month or year that you are proud of. Remember the acts of kindness that you did, I’m sure that they were numerous. Remember the blessings that you said or the charity that you gave. Remember the effort you put into something, someone, without receiving any reward or pay. Remember the effort that it took not to get upset and how there were so many moments that you went throughout your day doing the best that you could in that situation. Remember.

Two-from now until the end of the holiday reach out to at least one person and tell them truthful observations about the great acts that they did. Name them, specify them in as much detail as you can. Point it out to them, not that they should need it, but I am sure that they do. We all do. It’s part of being human.

This Shavuot connect to that part in you that so much wants to do good and does do good and connect to that goodness in others and on the merit of this may we bring the Redemption closer.

Chag Sameach,

Elana