35: Whither Thou Goest

Israel Story

Judaism, Palestine, Jewish, Stories, Religion & Spirituality, Israel

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 May 2018

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ruth the Moabite said she'd follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, anywhere. That blind devotion has since made her an enduring symbol of loyalty, faith and determination. And, just in time for our smorgasbord of cheesecakes, lasagnas and blintzes,

Somewhere between post-Passover fatigue and summer-is-around-the-corner excitement, Shavout tends to be overlooked. But in reality, it is the secret gem of the Jewish calendar: A festival that’s all about strong women, wheat harvests, creamy cheesecakes and receiving the Torah. What else could you possibly want from a Jewish holiday?

And at the center of this wondrous celebration is an unlikely heroine, the Bible’s quintessential convert to Judaism – Ruth the Moabite. Following the death of her Israelite husband, Mahlon, Ruth refused to part ways with her mother-in-law, Naomi. “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you,” she famously told her. “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” Ruth followed Naomi back to Bethlehem, where she met a man, Boaz. They got married, had a son, and started an illustrious lineage, which supposedly included David, Solomon and Jesus.

Ruth herself has since become a feminist icon, a symbol of acceptance and dedication. In today’s episode, we will hear three modern-day incarnations of Ruth’s story – a trio of tales about determined women who will follow their hearts to the ends of the earth for love, family and companionship.

The original artwork for the episode is by Aura Lewis, and the original music was composed and performed by Ari Wenig. The final song, “At Telchi Ba’Sade,” is by Chava Alberstein. The episode was recorded by Ben Wallick and Paul Ruest, and mixed by Sela Waisblum.

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site.

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or The Times of Israel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey.
0:11.0	So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas.
0:16.5	Trains now on Uber. T's and C's Tuesday morning, 8 a.m. We're here together in the German colony, a lot of traffic, people going to work, people going to school.
0:35.2	And can you introduce yourself?
0:37.8	Sure, my name is Fleur Hassan Nahum.
0:40.1	I am a city councilwoman in Jerusalem, and I'm also the leader of the Yvesalmin Party.
0:45.9	Our party is a party that believes in a pluralistic Jerusalem and we fight for it every day.
0:52.1	And where are we, Fleur?
0:54.0	We're on the corner of Ruth Street, intersecting with Racheli Beenu Street.
0:59.0	So we have Rahel, our mother, and Ruth. So two of our heroes from our heritage.
1:07.0	Ruth Street is named for Ruth the Moabite, the heroine and namesake of the biblical Book of Ruth.
1:13.6	It's actually very, very topical that we're here today
1:17.3	because this is what we're going to read next Sunday.
1:19.4	Flur's talking about the upcoming holiday of Shavuut when we read the book of Ruth.
1:25.2	And Shavut, let me tell you, is my absolute favorite Jewish holiday of the year.
1:31.6	In my mind it will always be linked to my antelana's lasagnas and creamy cheesecakes, to folks
1:37.8	in Jerusalem all dressed in white squirting water at each other, and perhaps most significantly to kissing Ghanit Gray outside our 11th
1:46.5	grade All Night Youth Movement Torah study activity in 1999.
1:51.7	But really, Chavooth is just the best.
1:55.0	It's all about strong women, about receiving the Torah, about the wheat and barley harvest.
2:01.6	I mean, what else could you possibly want from a Jewish holiday?
2:07.4	And here we were, Flora and I, standing underneath a shiny new street sign with the name of this wondrous holiday's
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Israel Story, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Israel Story and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.