The Liberty Bell. Just like Job, Naomi bounced back from the lowest ebb of ordeal to fulfilled hope. According to the Bible, Ruth, the daughter-in-law, was better than seven sons. The holiday of Shavou’ot (Pentecost) commemorates the legacy of Moses – the Exodus, the Ten Commandments and the Shavou’ot is the holiday of liberty/Exodus, as highlighted by the Biblical concept of Jubilee – the cornerstone of Biblical liberty – which is inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty upon the earth and unto all the inhabitants thereof (Ruth was a role model of loyalty to her Jewish mother in-law (“Your people are my people and your G-d is my G-d”), humility, gratitude, responsibility, reliability, respect of the fellow human beings, faith and optimism. Ruth stuck by her mother-in-law, Naomi, during Naomi’s roughest time, when the latter lost her husband, Elimelech (a President of the Tribe of Judah), two sons and property. It is underlined by the receipt of the Torah, the Ten Commandments and the 613 statutes in the desert – an uncomfortable environment – on Mount Sinai, which is not an overpowering mountain. He who respects other persons!”Shavou’ot reflects the centrality of 7 in Judaism. Moses, the exceptional law-giver and leader, was accorded only one compliment in the entire Bible: “the humblest of all human beings.”It is customary to study – from Passover through Shavou’ot/Pentecost – the six brief chapters of “Who is respected? Job and Naomi went through family, economic and social calamities, lost their spouses, children and financial assets; both retained confidence in G-d and reconstructed their families; both became symbols of conviction over convenience, faith-driven patience and endurance.The legacy of Ruth reflects the central role played by Biblical women, joining the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel; Miriam, the older sister of Moses; Deborah the Prophetess, Judge and military leader; Hannah, the mother of Samuel the Prophet; Queen Esther, etc.The geographic platform of the Shavou’ot commemorates the 40 years of tough challenges in the desert, which forged the Jewish state-of-mind: liberty is acquired through willingness to sustain tribulations (blood, sweat and tears); the steeper the hurdle, the more critical the mission, the deeper the gratification; adversities and challenges are opportunities in disguise.The harvesting season starts with Passover and concludes with Shavou’ot, which is also named the Holiday of the Harvest (Shavou’ot highlights humility as a most critical value of human behavior and leadership. Shavou’ot is the holiday of liberty/Exodus, as highlighted by the Biblical concept of … The Hebrew root of Shavou’ot (Printed from: https://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/holidays/shavouot-pentecost-guide-for-the-perplexed-2020/2020/05/28/Scan this QR code to visit this page online: