On Shavuot, which begins Saturday evening, June 4, Jews around the world will read the Book of Ruth in synagogue. The biblical tale, situated in the pre-monarchical period in ancient Israel, tells the story of its eponymous heroine, a Moabite who marries into an Israelite family that moved to Moab in a time of political turmoil and famine. As Americans deal with their own political, financial, and geopolitical turmoil today, Ruth's four brief chapters offer a profound example of how ancient models of humility, kindness, and hospitality can both reveal the greatness of our own nation and inspire a renewed will to overcome our current internecine conflicts.