I Samuel 5

Hook

The journey you are considering—the path of gerut (conversion) to Judaism—is not a casual lifestyle adjustment. It is not the spiritual equivalent of adding a new piece of art to your living room wall or adopting a few comforting weekend rituals. To explore conversion is to stand at the edge of an ancient, blazing fire. It is an invitation to bring your entire life, your history, your intellect, and your physical existence into a direct, binding covenant with the Creator of the universe.

When you read I Samuel 5, you might initially wonder what this raw, dramatic, and seemingly bizarre narrative has to do with a modern person seeking a Jewish life. Here, we encounter the Philistines, who have captured the Ark of the Covenant—the physical seat of God’s presence among Israel—and placed it inside the temple of their own god, Dagon. What follows is a series of supernatural disasters: the idol of Dagon is repeatedly decapitated and shattered, the townsfolk are struck with agonizing physical plagues, and a wave of deadly panic sweeps through their cities until they desperately beg to send the Ark away.

At first glance, this text feels distant, perhaps even frightening. But for someone discerning a Jewish life, this chapter is a profound masterclass in the nature of Jewish holiness (kedushah). It serves as an honest, urgent warning and a beautiful promise: the Presence of the God of Israel cannot be domesticated.

You cannot simply "add" the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to an existing pantheon of secular values, old spiritual assumptions, or comfortable personal habits. The holy presence of God demands a total reorganization of your inner and outer world. In this guide, we will unpack this text with the help of classical Jewish commentators to understand the immense weight, the absolute beauty, and the practical demands of stepping into the covenant. If you have ever felt that your spiritual search is calling you to something deeper, more demanding, and infinitely more real than a superficial faith, this text is written for you.

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Context

To understand why the Ark of God is in Philistine hands and why its presence causes such upheaval, we must look at the spiritual and historical landscape of the Book of Samuel.

• The Loss of the Ark and Israel’s Spiritual Crisis: Prior to the events of I Samuel 5, the Jewish people were in a state of deep spiritual disarray. Under the leadership of the aging High Priest Eli and his corrupt sons, Israel treated the Ark of the Covenant not as a symbol of ethical and spiritual alignment with God, but as a magical war talisman. They brought it onto the battlefield against the Philistines, foolishly believing that its physical presence would guarantee victory regardless of their moral state. Instead, God allowed Israel to be defeated and the Ark to be captured I Samuel 4. This teaches us a foundational Jewish truth: ritual objects and holy concepts do not possess magical power independent of a lived, ethical covenant.
• The Geography of the Captivity: Once the Philistines captured the Ark, they treated it as a war trophy, parading it through their major urban centers—from Ashdod to Gath, and finally to Ekron. As the great medieval commentator Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz notes on I Samuel 5:1, "The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it from Even HaEzer, where they were encamped, to Ashdod, one of the large Philistine cities." This geographical journey represents the clash between two entirely different worldviews: the pagan, localized, power-based system of the Philistines, and the transcendent, ethical monotheism of Israel.
• Relevance to the Beit Din and the Mikveh: For a prospective convert (ger or giyoret), this text speaks directly to the process of standing before a Beit Din (rabbinical court) and immersing in the Mikveh (ritual bath). When you undergo conversion, you are not merely joining an ethnic group; you are bringing the "Ark"—the Divine Presence—into your personal territory. The Beit Din’s role is to ensure that you are not doing what the Philistines did: trying to house the holy Ark alongside your old "idols" of self-interest, un-Jewish theological assumptions, or half-hearted commitment. The Mikveh represents a total immersion, a symbolic death of the old self and a rebirth into a life where the Covenant is the absolute center. It is a declaration that you are ready to let the old idols fall so that the true Presence can dwell within you in safety and joy.

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Text Snapshot

1 When the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they brought it from Eben-ezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon and they set it up beside Dagon. 3 Early the next day, the Ashdodites found Dagon lying face down on the ground in front of the Ark of God. They picked Dagon up and put him back in his place; 4 but early the next morning, Dagon was again lying prone on the ground in front of the Ark of God. The head and both hands of Dagon were cut off, lying on the threshold; only Dagon’s trunk was left intact...

10 Then they sent the Ark of God to Ekron. But when the Ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, “They have moved the Ark of the God of Israel to us to slay us and our kindred.” 11 They too sent messengers and assembled all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send the Ark of the God of Israel away, and let it return to its own place, that it may not slay us and our kindred.” For the panic of death pervaded the whole city, so heavily had the hand of God fallen there... I Samuel 5:1-4, 10-11

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Close Reading

To explore conversion is to engage in a deep, rigorous study of Torah and its classical commentaries. Let us look closely at the text of I Samuel 5 to extract two core insights that speak directly to your journey of belonging, responsibility, and practice.

       [ The Tabernacle / Israel's Camp ]  <--- Covenantal Alignment (Life & Blessing)
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                      | (Captured in Battle)
                      v
       [ The Temple of Dagon in Ashdod ]   <--- Syncretism Attempted (Idol Shattered)
                      |
                      | (Moved to Gath & Ekron)
                      v
       [ Philistine Cities in Panic ]      <--- Divine Presence Unaligned (Havoc & Plague)

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Insight 1: The Illusion of Syncretism – Dagon and the Ark

When the Philistines captured the Ark, their first instinct was to integrate it into their existing religious framework. I Samuel 5:2 tells us that they "brought it into the temple of Dagon and they set it up beside Dagon."

To understand the gravity of this act, we must look to the commentary of the Ralbag (Rabbi Levi ben Gershon, 14th-century France) on this verse. He writes:

והנה הביאו הפלשתים ארון האלהים בבית ע"א שלהם שהיה בהם צלם על צורת בן אדם שהיו קורין אותו דגון:

“And behold, the Philistines brought the Ark of God into their house of idol worship, which contained an image in the form of a human being that they called Dagon.”

Ralbag highlights a crucial detail: Dagon was an idol shaped in the image of a human being (tzelem al tzurat ben adam). In the ancient world, Dagon was a deity associated with agriculture, fertility, and fish—a god designed to serve human material needs, constructed literally and figuratively in the shape of a human.

By placing the Ark of the God of Israel "beside" Dagon, the Philistines were attempting a spiritual compromise. They did not want to destroy the Ark; they wanted to harness its power. They figured they could keep their old god—their human-shaped, comfortable, predictable idol—and simply add the God of Israel to their collection. They wanted syncretism.

The 19th-century commentator Malbim (Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser) notes a linguistic redundancy in I Samuel 5:1 that reveals the psychological state of the Philistines:

השאלות (א-ב) מ"ש ופלשתים לקחו את ארון האלהים, ויקחו פלשתים את ארון האלהים, הוא כפל:

“The Questions (on verses 1-2): That which is written, ‘And the Philistines took the Ark of God,’ and then [in the next verse] ‘And the Philistines took the Ark of God [and brought it into the temple of Dagon]’—this is a double expression.”

The Malbim explains that this repetition is not accidental. The first "taking" was the physical act of capturing a prize on the battlefield. The second "taking" was a conscious, intellectual decision to elevate this prize into their religious system. They did not treat the Ark as a holy, transcendent source of command; they treated it as an object that they had captured, possessed, and could now position however they pleased.

The Lesson for Your Conversion Journey

As someone exploring gerut, you will face a very similar temptation. In the beginning, it is natural to want to fit Judaism into your pre-existing life. You might think, "I will keep my secular, individualistic worldview, my old spiritual practices, and my comfortable weekend habits, and I will simply place the beauty of Shabbat, the warmth of the Jewish community, and the study of Torah 'beside' them."

But the God of Israel does not sit quietly on a shelf next to our personal idols.

The narrative tells us that when the Ashdodites woke up the next morning, Dagon was lying face down on the ground in front of the Ark I Samuel 5:3. They picked him up and put him back in his place, but the following morning, Dagon was not only prone, but his head and both of his hands were severed, lying on the threshold I Samuel 5:4.

This is a vivid, dramatic metaphor for what happens when true holiness enters a person's life:

• The Head of Dagon represents intellect: Your old ways of thinking, your previous theological frameworks, and your self-centered philosophies cannot survive intact when confronted with the truth of the Torah. Judaism will challenge how you think about time, money, relationships, and ultimate reality.
• The Hands of Dagon represent action: Your daily behaviors, your habits of consumption, and your ethical choices must undergo a radical shift. In Jewish life, we do not just "believe" in God; we serve God through the physical actions of our hands—through mitzvot (commandments).

When you choose the path of conversion, you are agreeing to let your personal "Dagons" fall. The rabbinic court (Beit Din) is not looking for someone who wants to "add" Jewish identity as a decorative accessory. They are looking for a candidate who is willing to undergo the beautiful, sometimes painful process of letting their old, self-constructed idols be dismantled so that the living God can occupy the absolute center of their existence.

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Insight 2: The Weight of Responsibility – The Heavy Hand and the Cry of Ekron

As the Ark of God travels through the Philistine pentapolis—from Ashdod to Gath, and then to Ekron—the physical consequences of its presence become increasingly severe. In Ashdod, the people are struck with hemorrhoids I Samuel 5:6. In Gath, a great panic breaks out I Samuel 5:9. By the time the Ark arrives in Ekron, the inhabitants are in absolute terror.

Let us look at the commentary of the Malbim on I Samuel 5:10, which describes the desperation of the Ekronites:

וישלחו לכן לא אספו את הסרנים בזאת הפעם רק שלחוהו מעצמם, אחר שכבר יעצו הסרנים לשלחו ממקום המכה אל מקום אחר, אבל העקרונים שבא הארון לשם זעקו זעקה גדולה, כי עד עתה היה רק מכה וחולי ועתה היתה מהומת מות ולכן זעקו הסבו וכו' להמיתני וכו'

“‘And they sent’—Therefore, they did not gather the lords [of the Philistines] this time, but sent it [the Ark] on their own accord, since the lords had already advised to move it from the place of the plague to another place. But the Ekronites, when the Ark arrived there, cried out a great cry, because until now there was only plague and illness, but now there was a deadly panic, and therefore they cried out, ‘They have moved... to kill me...’”

The Malbim points out a terrifying escalation. The presence of the holy Ark, when unaligned with the covenant, does not just cause mild discomfort; it causes a "deadly panic" (mehumat mavet).

This is further illuminated by the Radak (Rabbi David Kimhi, 12th-13th century France) and Metzudat David (Rabbi David Altschuler, 18th century) on the phrase "to slay us and our kindred" (literally, "to kill me and my people"):

Metzudat David:

ואת עמי. כי שרי העם היו הזועקים:

“‘And my people’—for the officers of the people were the ones crying out.”

Radak:

להמיתני ואת עמי. שרי עיר עקרון אמרו כן:

“‘To kill me and my people’—the officers of the city of Ekron said this.”

Both commentators emphasize that the leaders and officers of Ekron were the ones crying out. They realized that their entire collective community was in mortal danger because they had brought a level of holiness into their midst that they were completely unequipped to handle.

Why did the Ark bring such destruction to the Philistines, while it brought blessing, light, and life to the Tabernacle of Israel? The answer lies in the concept of Covenantal Alignment.

The Ark contained the Tablets of the Covenant—the Ten Commandments Deuteronomy 10:1-5. For Israel, the Ark was the heart of a comprehensive ethical, moral, and ritual system. The Jewish people bound themselves to the laws of the Torah: they committed to justice, to caring for the poor, to keeping kosher, to observing Shabbat, and to maintaining sexual and moral boundaries. Because they accepted the yoke of the commandments (ol mitzvot), the intense, concentrated presence of God was a source of life and blessing.

But for the Philistines, who lived outside this covenantal framework, the raw holiness of the Ark was incompatible with their spiritual state. It was like exposing an unprotected body to high-voltage electricity. Without the "insulation" of the mitzvot, the Divine Presence became a destructive force.

This is beautifully illustrated by Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 11th-century France) in his comment on I Samuel 5:11 regarding the "deadly upheaval" (mehumat mavet):

“Deadly upheaval. All upheavals [mentioned in Scripture] are caused by thunder. The following is the origin: ‘Adonoy thundered with a great noise on that day against the Philistines, making them panic’ [cf. I Samuel 7:10]. It is so explained in the Aggadah of Thirty-Two Rules of R. Eliezer, the son of R. Yose Haglili.”

Rashi connects the physical plague to the cosmic, thunderous voice of God. The "upheaval" is the sound of reality itself shaking because the holy and the unholy have been brought into direct, unmediated contact.

The Lesson for Your Conversion Journey

This is perhaps the most candid and honest insight you must face as a prospective convert: Entering the Jewish covenant is a matter of profound spiritual responsibility.

In many religious traditions, faith is a matter of belief alone, and grace covers all shortcomings without requiring a change in physical practice. In Judaism, however, we believe that God has entered into a contract with us. When you complete your conversion, you stand before the Beit Din and accept the ol mitzvot—the yoke of the commandments. You are saying: "I agree to be held accountable to the standards of Torah."

This is why traditional Jewish law (Halakha) does not encourage quick, easy conversions. A rabbi will often turn a seeker away multiple times, not out of cruelty, but out of deep pastoral concern. They want to make sure you understand that you are stepping into a high-voltage spiritual zone.

Once you are Jewish, your actions matter in a cosmic way:

• Eating non-kosher food, desecrating Shabbat, or failing to act ethically in business is no longer just a "mistake"; it is a breach of a sacred contract.
• Conversely, every small act of holiness—every blessing recited, every coin given to charity, every hour spent studying Torah—becomes a channel for bringing the light of the Divine Presence safely into the world.

The Ekronites cried out because they realized they could not handle the presence of the Ark without the covenant. Your goal in the conversion process is to spend months, even years, building the spiritual, intellectual, and communal "vessels" so that when you finally emerge from the Mikveh, the presence of God will not feel like a "heavy hand" I Samuel 5:6, but like a warm, loving, and life-giving embrace.

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Lived Rhythm

A Jewish life is not lived in the abstract; it is lived in the concrete, everyday choices we make. The transition from a non-Jewish life to a covenantal Jewish life requires building a daily and weekly rhythm. Here is a practical, 15-minute standard action plan designed to help you transition from a beginner to an intermediate level of practice, directly inspired by the lessons of I Samuel 5.

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Step 1: The Shabbat Threshold (Creating Holy Boundaries)

In I Samuel 5:5, we read that because the severed head and hands of Dagon fell upon the threshold, "the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod." They turned a moment of divine judgment into a superstitious, empty ritual—avoiding a physical threshold without changing their hearts.

As a Jew-in-training, you want to do the opposite: you want to create a conscious, holy "threshold" in your home, specifically when transitioning from the workweek into Shabbat.

   [ The Workweek: Sunday - Friday ]  <--- Mundo of Doing, Creating, and Consuming
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                  |  <--- THE THRESHOLD:
                  |       - Phone turned off / put away
                  |       - Shabbat Candles Lit (18 mins before sunset)
                  |       - Table set with white tablecloth, Challah, and Wine
                  v
   [ Shabbat: Friday Sunset - Saturday Night ] <--- Realm of Being, Rest, and Holiness

The Practice

Every Friday afternoon, establish a physical and digital "threshold" in your living space:

• Set a hard stop: At least 30 minutes before candle lighting time, close your laptop, finish your work emails, and put your phone on silent in another room.
• The Physical Transition: Clean your living space, take a shower, and dress in nice clothing reserved specifically for Shabbat.
• The Light: If you are ready (and in consultation with your sponsoring rabbi), light two Shabbat candles. If you are not yet lighting with a blessing, simply light them to mark the transition. As the flames burn, stand at your "threshold" and spend three minutes in silent prayer, thanking God for the gift of a holy dimension of time that no human ego can construct.

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Step 2: The Discipline of Brachot (Blessings as Alignment)

The Philistines suffered intense physical affliction—specifically in their digestive and eliminative tracts I Samuel 5:6—because they violated the holy and brought chaos into their physical bodies. In Judaism, we do not reject the physical body, nor do we let it run wild. Instead, we elevate our physical functions through the discipline of brachot (blessings).

The Practice: Asher Yatzar

One of the most profound blessings in Jewish tradition is the Asher Yatzar (Who Formed Man) blessing, recited after using the restroom. It is a direct, daily acknowledgment of the miraculous, delicate balance of our physical bodies.

                  [ The Physical Act of Elimination ]
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                                  v
                    [ Washing Hands Ritually ]
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                                  v
             [ Reciting the Asher Yatzar Blessing ]
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                                  v
      [ Transforming a Mundane Bodily Function into Holy Gratitude ]

By reciting this blessing, you actively prevent the "havoc" of physical existence by turning a mundane bodily function into an act of worship:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה, וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים, חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים. גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ, שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אוֹ יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶיךָ אֲפִילוּ שָׁעָה אֶחָת. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת.

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who formed man in wisdom, and created in him many openings and many cavities. It is obvious and known before Your Throne of Glory, that if even one of them were to be ruptured, or if one of them were to be blocked, it would be impossible to survive and to stand before You for even one hour. Blessed are You, Lord, Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.”

Your Goal: Print out this blessing in Hebrew, transliteration, and English, and place it outside your bathroom. Make it a daily practice to wash your hands ritually (using a cup, pouring water twice on your right hand, then twice on your left) and recite this blessing with intention. This simple act builds the spiritual infrastructure needed to hold God's presence in your daily life.

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Step 3: A Systematic 15-Minute Learning Plan

To move from beginner to intermediate, you must move away from sporadic internet reading and engage in systematic, structured study. Allocate 15 minutes a day, five days a week, to the following rotation:

Day	Focus Area	Recommended Resources / Action
Monday	Hebrew Literacy	Spend 15 minutes learning the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph-Bet) and basic reading mechanics. Use apps like Duolingo, or books like Aleph Isn't Tough. You cannot access the deep layers of Torah or pray comfortably in a traditional service without Hebrew.
Tuesday	The Weekly Torah Portion	Read the weekly parashah (Torah portion) with Rashi’s commentary. Use Sefaria or a physical Chumash (like The Stone Edition or The Gutnick Chumash).
Wednesday	Jewish Law & Practice	Study the practical "how-to" of Jewish life. Read a chapter of To Be a Jew by Rabbi Hayim Donin or The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Thursday	Jewish History	Understand the family you are joining. Read Crash Course in Jewish History by Rabbi Ken Spiro to see the epic journey of the Jewish people through time.
Friday	Parashah Review	Review the weekly Torah portion and write down one question or insight to discuss with a study partner or think about during Shabbat.

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Community

One of the most vital lessons of I Samuel 5 is that holiness cannot be managed in isolation.

The Philistines tried to pass the Ark from one isolated city to another—from Ashdod to Gath, and Gath to Ekron I Samuel 5:8-10. Each city suffered alone, panicking and crying out in isolation. They lacked the collective, covenantal community of Israel, which was designed to support, hold, and channel the Divine Presence together.

You cannot be a Jew alone. There is no such thing as a "hermit Jew" in traditional Judaism. Almost all of our most sacred rituals—reading the Torah, reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish, celebrating a wedding, or forming a minyan (a quorum of ten) for prayer—require a physical community.

       [ Private Study & Prayer ]  <--- Essential, but incomplete on its own
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                  v
       [ The Sponsoring Rabbi ]    <--- Guides you through the halakhic process
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                  v
       [ The Chavrusa / Peers ]    <--- Sharpens your learning through debate
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                  v
    [ The Synagogue Community ]    <--- Where you live out the covenant in action

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Finding a Sponsoring Rabbi

Your first and most important step in the conversion process is to find a sponsoring rabbi. This must be a rabbi who is recognized by a reputable, halakhic Beit Din (rabbinical court) in the stream of Judaism you are pursuing (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform).

• How to approach them: Do not walk up to a rabbi after a busy Shabbat service and say, "I want to convert." Instead, send a polite, concise email. State who you are, how long you have been studying, and ask for a 15-minute meeting during the week to seek their guidance.
• What to expect: Be prepared for them to ask you why you want to convert, and do not be discouraged if they seem hesitant or suggest that you wait. Remember the lessons of the Ark: they are testing your sincerity to ensure you are ready for the immense weight of the covenant.

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Joining a Study Group or Mentor Relationship

Do not try to study Torah in a vacuum. Seek out a Chavrusa—a study partner.

• Look for peer learning: Many synagogues offer "Introduction to Judaism" classes or beginner Talmud/Torah study groups. Join one.
• The power of debate: In Jewish tradition, we do not learn by sitting quietly and listening to a lecture. We learn by debating the text with a partner. This relationship will challenge your assumptions, sharpen your intellect, and provide you with a vital friend on what can sometimes be a lonely journey.
• The Mentor: Ask your rabbi if there is an experienced member of the community (a mentor) who would be willing to host you for Shabbat meals or guide you through the choreography of the synagogue service. Seeing how a Jewish family lives their life in real-time is worth a hundred textbooks.

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Takeaway

The story of the Ark in the temple of Dagon I Samuel 5 is a powerful mirror for your soul's journey. It reminds us that the God of Israel is not a passive trophy to be captured, nor a convenient accessory to be placed alongside our old habits and secular idols. The Divine Presence is a consuming fire, a transcendent reality that demands our total, ethical, and physical alignment through the sacred covenant of the mitzvot.

As you continue to explore conversion, do not rush the process. Do not fear the weight of the commitments, but do not take them lightly either. Embrace the rigorous study, the physical disciplines of the blessings, and the deep, demanding beauty of community life.

When you stand before the Beit Din and step into the Mikveh, you will not be bringing a foreign object into your home like the Philistines of Ashdod. Instead, you will be returning home—returning to the place where your soul has always belonged, ready to carry the light of the Covenant with joy, with reverence, and with love.