22/23 May 2026

Shavuot is the wallflower of festivals, I often think. While all of us are schooled in Pesach, many know less about, and have a more modest engagement with, Shavuot.

Yet, it is one of the very best: cheesecake, conversion, late-night learning and the Book of Ruth. What is there not to love?

Recalling the memory of revelation at Sinai, it offers a yearly opportunity to consider what it means to be part of this Jewish Covenant. It invites us to make sense of the commitments we inherit, from honouring one’s parents to not separating ourselves from the community (particularly when it most needs us). While there are midrashim (stories) suggesting that Sinai was literally held over the Israelites’ heads as a threat rather than a choice, I think Shavuot actually reminds us of consent: the choice is ours to be involved in this way of life. In that way, we are all Jews by choice.

My favourite element of Shavuot is the Book of Ruth and its playful treatment of the Torah rules and values that permeate Leviticus and Deuteronomy. While those texts caution against marrying foreign-born spouses, the Book of Ruth beautifully contradicts this through the magnificent and loyal Ruth. Not only that, but Ruth the Moabite becomes the ancestor of King David (the precursor of the Messianic ideal). It turns the strict letter of the law on its head, offering a more expansive and inclusive take on being part of the Israelite clan.

Here, families are unconventional—made up of women coping incredibly well even after losing their partners. The rules of supporting the vulnerable are fully fleshed out here, too. The commandment to leave the edges of the harvest to be gleaned by the poor and the stranger, as explained in Leviticus, is given vivid life in Ruth. Through her story, we understand that those giving and those receiving are in a direct relationship, needing each other to be full members of the community. Women lead the way here, their savviness and loyalty shining through each chapter. I like to think that Thomas Hardy read Ruth and allowed it to influence his Tess of the d’Urbervilles – another clever young woman who gleans at harvest time to carve out a life for herself. It is a compelling tale and Ruth is considered the first convert with very good reason.

Jewishness, so heavily discussed in the wider world right now, needs our inner consideration, too. Where have we felt afraid, proud or ambivalent this year? What does it mean to us right now?

This week, I offered the final prayer as Chaplain to Rabbi Danny Rich’s Mayoralty at a most unusual Council meeting for Barnet as the hung council was resolved. I see even that civic duty as a religious obligation, flowing from my understanding of being in a covenant as a Jew. It helps me make sense of it all right now and raises my awareness of the positive influence we can wield.

I hope you might join us for learning, for cheesecake, for music or simply to host SPS and Sha’arei Tsedek, who so generously hosted us last year. Or, if the synagogue building isn’t your thing this year, perhaps join the Shavuot brookside walk on Friday lunchtime with the Crouch End Chavurah. The conversations, I hope, will be both relevant and risqué.

Chag Shavuot Sameach.
Rebecca