As we prepare for this year’s celebration of Shavuot, we are reminded again in this week’s reading of the affectionate nature of our God. He calls his chosen “li segulah,” “my treasured possession.” It’s a phrase reserved for the Lord’s relationship to his bride, Israel.

Lest we think that creating order in our inner lives is easy or unimportant, Pirkei Avot 4:1 tells us: “Who is mighty? One who subdues their [evil] inclination, as it is said: ‘One that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and one that rules their spirit than one that takes a city.’”

Our society is not a humble one. One only needs to briefly look at our entertainment, our advertisements, and our politics to know that this is so. In opposition to humility, humanity all too often celebrates pride. Contrary to the world, however, the Torah puts an exceedingly high value on humility.

When I was leading my first congregations, I often struggled to explain what it means to live by faith. People would want to know, “How do I get more faith?” And then I heard a simple phrase that I have since often repeated, especially to new believers: “Faith is trusting in God’s faithfulness.”

Many people skip over Leviticus, assuming these chapters are irrelevant to our lives. This week’s parasha proves such people to be mistaken. Taken seriously, even two verses in today’s parasha can transform our lives in service to God and mankind.

This week as we count the Omer, we are examining the middot (character traits) of Peace and Patience. The Apostolic Witness refers to these as “Fruit of the Spirit,” and I have found that the fruit of patience and peace are most evident when I allow myself to live in a place called calm.

Real joy arises out of real relationships. Aaron’s shame after the golden calf incident could only be resolved in relationship. He loved and trusted his brother. Moses’ words were probably reinforced by a comforting hand on his shoulder, a genuine smile, and a deep, reassuring gaze.

The account of our exodus from Egypt is a love story. When we retell it each year at the Passover Seder, it’s framed by four cups of wine that—the sages tell us—reflect God’s four-fold promise at the beginning of the story, ending with, “I will take you for me as a people, and I will be for you as a God.”

This weekend is Shabbat HaGadol, the final Shabbat before Pesach. In the midst of a frenzy of last-minute house cleaning, we gather this week to read the closing words of the prophet Malachi.

God does a lot of speaking in the Torah, both in visions and dreams and in an audible voice. He speaks so often that we might miss some revealing distinctions in how he speaks. And these distinctions have a lesson for us, as we seek to hear God amidst the noisy and chaotic days we’re living in.