'How Beautiful and How Sweet',Rachel Weiss

It was the most extraordinary day in the history of mankind. The long-awaited event was far-reaching and all encompassing - nothing and no one would remain unaffected by the momentous occasion that would literally move mountains.

The mountain that had been divinely chosen to play center stage wrested itself from the depths of the earth to hang in mid-air, like a canopy suspended over the head of the bride. The skies and the earth would be witnesses to the heavenly nuptials, as three million mortals (along with each and every Jewish soul that had lived before or was still to be born) stood under the "chupah" in purified readiness, "like one person with one heart - k'ish echad b'lev echad."

The incessant rumbling of thunder and succession of lightning flashes - alternately bathing the atmosphere in intense light and submerging it in darkness - accompanied a steady drizzle. A huge dark cloud hovering above cast a shadow over the humble mountain, diminishing visual perception and thus enhancing the faculty of hearing.

A smoldering fire atop a trembling Mount Sinai shot pillars of smoke into the heavens from where the Supreme King, escorted by a myriad of heavenly hosts and angels, had descended to personally read the "marriage contract" to His beloved bride, the Jewish nation.

The divine utterances of the Ten Commandments were miraculously heard and seen simultaneously, for each letter of every word spoken manifested itself graphically in the fire. Concurrently, the sound split into seventy channels to resonate in seventy languages across the globe.

Had the Torah not been transmitted in every dialect, conversion to Judaism would have been rendered forever unattainable by anyone born outside the fold.

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An integral component of Shavuos, the holiday commemorating the anniversary of our exalted "twinning" with Hashem, is the reading of Megillas Ruth. The noble heroine of the awe-inspiring narrative relinquishes her royal heritage (as a daughter of the king of Moab) and exerts herself to become a convert to Judaism in her desire to be a true bat Yisrael.

Her story is illustrative of the struggle necessary to obtain greatness in Torah - a lesson for all time and one of the notable reasons cited for the inclusion of her story in the services of the most pivotal of festivals in the Jewish calendar year.

Ruth's unswerving loyalty to her widowed and destitute mother-in-law, Naomi, and tremendous sacrifice in her aspiration are duly rewarded - for she becomes the forebear of aristocracy at its finest, laying the groundwork for Malchut Bet David (the Kingdom of David) and our ultimate redemption.

The reading of the megilla serves also as befitting testimonial to the humble origins of King David, Ruth's great-grandson - who came into the world and left it for a better one on Shavuos - and underscores the everlasting legacy he bequeathed to his descendents: the five books of Psalms that correlate with the five books of Moses.

Of the many lessons learned from Megillat Ruth, one in particular is especially pertinent to our time: One's background history is not a prerequisite for possessing the potential to reach the greatest heights in the building of the House of Israel.

The sign of the month of Sivan - twins, teomim- is symbolic of our unity with Hashem at Har Sinai. The Gemini native's spirit is imbued with a thirst for in-depth knowledge and driven by a deep-rooted desire to experience that which he has learned.

On a Sunday in November of 1978, a young married couple began to feel a stirring in their souls. The day had marked the fortieth anniversary of Kristallnacht, and the local newspaper's featured articles brought a numbing realization upon them: their home sat right in the heart of the city that had tolerated the reign of unfathomable brutality.

The newly ordained Methodist clergyman from Danville, Virginia, and his wife, a German native and daughter of a Lutheran minister, were overcome by a loathing for their surroundings, a recognition that they stepped daily on ground once stained with the blood of innocents slain solely for reason of their Jewishness.

With much determination and little commotion, the couple mounted a private research campaign that exposed inconsistencies in the logic of their religion's teachings and led them to a gradual awareness that Torah Judaism made sense in every sense - spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.

"Ashrei temimei darech haholchim b'Toras Hashem" - Praiseworhy are those whose way is perfect, who walk with the Torah of Hashem who guard His testimonies, who seek Him wholeheartedly (Tehillim 119:1,2).

On the 18th day of Sivan, Asher Wade (one day shy of his 34th birthday) and his wife, Naomi, realized their twin ambitions and officially became members of the Jewish nation.

While Asher's parents in Virginia had taken the news with no misgiving, lending courage and succor to their son's undertaking, Naomi's pastor father was incensed at the turn of events. Naomi's mother, however, allowed her maternal instincts to rule and kept in close touch, eventually convincing her husband to make peace with his children and the reality of their newfound way of life. More than a decade would elapse before the staunch Lutheran would finally come around, but come around he has - on several occasions, including the bar mitzvahs of his Israeli grandchildren.

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"Unveil my eyes so that I may perceive wonders from your Torah. I am a sojourner in your world; hide not Your commandments from me" (Tehillim 119:18,19).

The Wades' remarkable physical and spiritual migration into a world totally apart from the one they had known in their youth and early adulthood took the young pair from Hamburg (Wade was forced to abandon his doctoral pursuit when his professor, formerly a Nazi in Hitler's regime, didn't take a shine to his student's metamorphosis) to Richmond, Virginia, and finally to Israel, their home for the past twenty years.

When Ruth asked Boaz how she, a stranger, had merited his kindness, Boaz explained that he had heard of Ruth's odyssey, her selfless devotion to her mother-in-law, and of how she left her mother and father and her country of origin "and allowed yourself to go to a nation that you did not know of yesterday and before-yesterday." This is a missive for the baal teshuvah- to forget his acts of yesterday and before-yesterday, to concentrate solely on his new existence and rely upon his Creator (Megillat Ruth 2:11-Yetev Lev).

Despite the traditional garb - black hat, flowing tzitzit, full beard, long black overcoat - Rabbi Dr. Asher Wade is as unconventional a chassid as one is likely to encounter.

True to his Gemini nature, he is witty, entertaining and enormously engaging. But what sets him apart is not easily defined in mere words that would do no justice to a man who exudes an aura of innocent youthfulness while captivating lecture audiences with his intellectual appeal and penchant for story-telling.

One cannot help but be intrigued and a tad intimidated by his vast store of knowledge and deep appreciation of a heritage many of us unfortunately tend to take for granted.

Ask Rabbi Wade which aspect of being Jewish came most naturally to him and he will reply simply, "My relationship with God." But hadn't he already experienced a relationship with God as a minister? "Of course," he asserts. "There's belief in the Word of God, but it's all 'belief' without performance practical behavioral rules are scant, leading to inner turmoil and chaos. Our lives defined by Torah guidelines instill in us orderliness and calm."

The biggest challenge he encountered was "davening in a language I was unfamiliar with." Such an impediment, he would come to realize, was a widespread phenomenon.

"Many of us are so busy davening," he says, "we don't have time to pray." Hence "Prayer and Davening: The Personal Connection," one of a series of lectures (itemized on his website, www.asherwade.com) he delivers around the world.

The Baal Shem Tov (whose yahrzeit is observed on Shavuos) once reached a bet midrash only to stand in its entranceway, reluctant to step in. "The house is so filled with Torah and tefillah that there is no room for anyone to enter!" he exclaimed. The baffled worshippers thought: "Torah and tefillah surely most praiseworthy."

The tzaddik minced no words. "It is certainly not admirable for a shul to be full of Torah and tefillah - which attests to the fact that your words of Torah and prayer were not heartfelt and therefore did not merit acceptance above. Consequently they remain down here, causing all this congestion."

What, one wonders, would have induced Rabbi Wade to take the chassidic route? The motivating force behind this transformation speaks volumes of the Gerer Ger (as he bills himself with his trademark humor).

He had been working as a tour guide at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. He also lectured and had done extensive studies on the Holocaust.

During their visits to America, the Wades had become enamored of the historic district of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, which often served them as an enchanting getaway retreat. Its main appeal lies in the reenactment of its history and lifestyle, costumes of the era included, dating back to the eighteenth century.

It dawned on him that if American patrons such as the Rockefellers could establish and subsidize foundations for the purpose of preserving American history dating back to 1770, the least he could do was perpetuate the memory of the Jewish martyrs of the Holocaust.

And so Asher Wade assumed his chassidic levush (clothing manner) in June of 1991, in tribute to European Jewry. (He would receive his rabbinic ordination a year and a half later, in December 1992.)

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Elucidations on the Divine Directive to Love the Ger (Convert):

One who familiarizes himself with the Jewish way of life and is moved by its dynamics to convert: Hashem instructs us to embrace him with the same love and warmth as he has demonstrated for our Torah.

One who insists on taking upon himself the Jewish faith due to his desire for a Jewish woman: We are to treat him in kind; just as he has sought soothing comfort for his heart, so are we to guard against causing him any tzar (agitation).

Referred to as the most genuine of converts is the one who has tried and tested the ideologies of other faiths and has come away with the conviction that Judaism stands above them all. As such, he undertakes to become one of God's chosen, to place himself under His Creator's protective wing. Hashem bids us to accord honorable status to this Ger Tzedek (righteous convert).

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"Zamru l'Hashem bechinor ... v'kol zimrah" - Strum to Hashem on a harp and the sound of musical instruments (Tehillim 98:5).

Should you chance upon Rechov Yoel in the Meah Shearim section of Jerusalem one evening and stroll past the Shadar Medical Center, you may get lucky enough to catch the musical strains of the violin drifting your way. This is where Rabbi Dr. Wade conducts his private practice as a clinical psychologist (he also teaches in the psychology department at Touro College in Givat Shaul) and no, he is not applying the romantic tone of the stringed instrument as marital therapy to restore sweet harmony to an unfortunate couple's lackluster relationship. Rather, he is applying self-therapy - unwinding after a long day by doing one of his favorite things: sailing away on the strings of his viola to his heart's content.

The Wades have imbued their love for Hashem and appreciation for His gifts in their children. All, ranging in age from 24 to 12, are accomplished pianists and/or violinists.

Music and song speak to the soul, evoking the gamut of human emotion as perhaps nothing else. King David, who composed the songs of praise (Tehillim) to God that emanated from the core of his being, was profoundly moved by the melodies of his harp. Shlomo HaMelech, his son and successor to the throne, authored Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), acclaimed as the most eloquent testimonial of the adoration between the Children of Israel and their Creator.

A given name reflects the essence of one's soul: Rabbi Asher (fortunate, happy) and his aishes chayil, Naomi (pleasant, refined) named their eldest, their bechor, Dovid Simcha. Their next four sons were named for tzaddikim and gedolim, while the name of their youngest child and only daughter, Serach Yocheved, was partially inspired by the input of her paternal grandmother, the gracious Mrs. Frances Wade, an avid Bible reader. Serach bas Asher was the insightful and talented granddaughter of Jacob who employed song and instrument to break the news to the despondent patriarch that his long-lost son Joseph was alive and well. As a result, she received Jacob's blessing for eternal life.

Rabbi Wade has sage counsel for his offspring: "Wherever life may take you, remember above all to be a tzaddik. Your potential as a talmid chacham is up to the Master of the Universe Who endows you with intellect. But your midos, your ethics and morals, are entirely up to you."

"Mah yafis umah na'amt ahava ba'taanugim" - How beautiful and how sweet you are in the love between you and Hashem which brings you pure bliss" (Shir HaShirim 7:6).

Rachel Weiss is a frequent contributor to The Jewish Press.

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