(א) וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ שְׁפֹ֣ט הַשֹּׁפְטִ֔ים וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ אִ֜ישׁ מִבֵּ֧ית לֶ֣חֶם יְהוּדָ֗ה לָגוּר֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב ה֥וּא וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנָֽיו׃ (ב) וְשֵׁ֣ם הָאִ֣ישׁ אֱֽלִימֶ֡לֶךְ וְשֵׁם֩ אִשְׁתּ֨וֹ נׇעֳמִ֜י וְשֵׁ֥ם שְׁנֵֽי־בָנָ֣יו ׀ מַחְל֤וֹן וְכִלְיוֹן֙ אֶפְרָתִ֔ים מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֖חֶם יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ שְׂדֵֽי־מוֹאָ֖ב וַיִּֽהְיוּ־שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיָּ֥מׇת אֱלִימֶ֖לֶךְ אִ֣ישׁ נׇעֳמִ֑י וַתִּשָּׁאֵ֥ר הִ֖יא וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנֶֽיהָ׃ (ד) וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ לָהֶ֗ם נָשִׁים֙ מֹֽאֲבִיּ֔וֹת שֵׁ֤ם הָאַחַת֙ עׇרְפָּ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית ר֑וּת וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָׁ֖ם כְּעֶ֥שֶׂר שָׁנִֽים׃ (ה) וַיָּמֻ֥תוּ גַם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם מַחְל֣וֹן וְכִלְי֑וֹן וַתִּשָּׁאֵר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה מִשְּׁנֵ֥י יְלָדֶ֖יהָ וּמֵאִישָֽׁהּ׃ (ו) וַתָּ֤קׇם הִיא֙ וְכַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ וַתָּ֖שׇׁב מִשְּׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֑ב כִּ֤י שָֽׁמְעָה֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב כִּֽי־פָקַ֤ד יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־עַמּ֔וֹ לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם לָֽחֶם׃ (ז) וַתֵּצֵ֗א מִן־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָֽיְתָה־שָּׁ֔מָּה וּשְׁתֵּ֥י כַלּוֹתֶ֖יהָ עִמָּ֑הּ וַתֵּלַ֣כְנָה בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ לָשׁ֖וּב אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ יְהוּדָֽה׃ (ח) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נׇעֳמִי֙ לִשְׁתֵּ֣י כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ לֵ֣כְנָה שֹּׁ֔בְנָה אִשָּׁ֖ה לְבֵ֣ית אִמָּ֑הּ (יעשה) [יַ֣עַשׂ] יְהֹוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ חֶ֔סֶד כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם עִם־הַמֵּתִ֖ים וְעִמָּדִֽי׃ (ט) יִתֵּ֤ן יְהֹוָה֙ לָכֶ֔ם וּמְצֶ֣אןָ מְנוּחָ֔ה אִשָּׁ֖ה בֵּ֣ית אִישָׁ֑הּ וַתִּשַּׁ֣ק לָהֶ֔ן וַתִּשֶּׂ֥אנָה קוֹלָ֖ן וַתִּבְכֶּֽינָה׃ (י) וַתֹּאמַ֖רְנָה־לָּ֑הּ כִּֽי־אִתָּ֥ךְ נָשׁ֖וּב לְעַמֵּֽךְ׃ (יא) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נׇעֳמִי֙ שֹׁ֣בְנָה בְנֹתַ֔י לָ֥מָּה תֵלַ֖כְנָה עִמִּ֑י הַֽעֽוֹד־לִ֤י בָנִים֙ בְּֽמֵעַ֔י וְהָי֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם לַאֲנָשִֽׁים׃ (יב) שֹׁ֤בְנָה בְנֹתַי֙ לֵ֔כְןָ כִּ֥י זָקַ֖נְתִּי מִהְי֣וֹת לְאִ֑ישׁ כִּ֤י אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ יֶשׁ־לִ֣י תִקְוָ֔ה גַּ֣ם הָיִ֤יתִי הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ לְאִ֔ישׁ וְגַ֖ם יָלַ֥דְתִּי בָנִֽים׃ (יג) הֲלָהֵ֣ן ׀ תְּשַׂבֵּ֗רְנָה עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִגְדָּ֔לוּ הֲלָהֵן֙ תֵּֽעָגֵ֔נָה לְבִלְתִּ֖י הֱי֣וֹת לְאִ֑ישׁ אַ֣ל בְּנֹתַ֗י כִּֽי־מַר־לִ֤י מְאֹד֙ מִכֶּ֔ם כִּֽי־יָצְאָ֥ה בִ֖י יַד־יְהֹוָֽה׃ (יד) וַתִּשֶּׂ֣נָה קוֹלָ֔ן וַתִּבְכֶּ֖ינָה ע֑וֹד וַתִּשַּׁ֤ק עׇרְפָּה֙ לַחֲמוֹתָ֔הּ וְר֖וּת דָּ֥בְקָה בָּֽהּ׃ (טו) וַתֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּה֙ שָׁ֣בָה יְבִמְתֵּ֔ךְ אֶל־עַמָּ֖הּ וְאֶל־אֱלֹהֶ֑יהָ שׁ֖וּבִי אַחֲרֵ֥י יְבִמְתֵּֽךְ׃ (טז) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רוּת֙ אַל־תִּפְגְּעִי־בִ֔י לְעׇזְבֵ֖ךְ לָשׁ֣וּב מֵאַחֲרָ֑יִךְ כִּ֠י אֶל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֵּלְכִ֜י אֵלֵ֗ךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּלִ֙ינִי֙ אָלִ֔ין עַמֵּ֣ךְ עַמִּ֔י וֵאלֹהַ֖יִךְ אֱלֹהָֽי׃ (יז) בַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תָּמ֙וּתִי֙ אָמ֔וּת וְשָׁ֖ם אֶקָּבֵ֑ר כֹּה֩ יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה יְהֹוָ֥ה לִי֙ וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֔יף כִּ֣י הַמָּ֔וֶת יַפְרִ֖יד בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֵֽךְ׃ (יח) וַתֵּ֕רֶא כִּֽי־מִתְאַמֶּ֥צֶת הִ֖יא לָלֶ֣כֶת אִתָּ֑הּ וַתֶּחְדַּ֖ל לְדַבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶֽיהָ׃ (יט) וַתֵּלַ֣כְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶ֔ם עַד־בּוֹאָ֖נָה בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם וַיְהִ֗י כְּבוֹאָ֙נָה֙ בֵּ֣ית לֶ֔חֶם וַתֵּהֹ֤ם כׇּל־הָעִיר֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ן וַתֹּאמַ֖רְנָה הֲזֹ֥את נׇעֳמִֽי׃ (כ) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ן אַל־תִּקְרֶ֥אנָה לִ֖י נׇעֳמִ֑י קְרֶ֤אןָ לִי֙ מָרָ֔א כִּי־הֵמַ֥ר שַׁדַּ֛י לִ֖י מְאֹֽד׃ (כא) אֲנִי֙ מְלֵאָ֣ה הָלַ֔כְתִּי וְרֵיקָ֖ם הֱשִׁיבַ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֑ה לָ֣מָּה תִקְרֶ֤אנָה לִי֙ נׇעֳמִ֔י וַֽיהֹוָה֙ עָ֣נָה בִ֔י וְשַׁדַּ֖י הֵ֥רַֽע לִֽי׃ (כב) וַתָּ֣שׇׁב נׇעֳמִ֗י וְר֨וּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֤ה כַלָּתָהּ֙ עִמָּ֔הּ הַשָּׁ֖בָה מִשְּׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֑ב וְהֵ֗מָּה בָּ֚אוּ בֵּ֣ית לֶ֔חֶם בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת קְצִ֥יר שְׂעֹרִֽים׃
(1) In the days when the chieftains ruled, there was a famine in the land; and a man of Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the country of Moab. (2) The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. They came to the country of Moab and remained there. (3) Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. (4) They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth, and they lived there about ten years. (5) Then those two—Mahlon and Chilion—also died; so the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband. (6) She started out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab; for in the country of Moab she had heard that the LORD had taken note of His people and given them food. (7) Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living; and they set out on the road back to the land of Judah. (8) But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Turn back, each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me! (9) May the LORD grant that each of you find security in the house of a husband!” And she kissed them farewell. They broke into weeping (10) and said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” (11) But Naomi replied, “Turn back, my daughters! Why should you go with me? Have I any more sons in my body who might be husbands for you? (12) Turn back, my daughters, for I am too old to be married. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I were married tonight and I also bore sons, (13) should you wait for them to grow up? Should you on their account debar yourselves from marriage? Oh no, my daughters! My lot is far more bitter than yours, for the hand of the LORD has struck out against me.” (14) They broke into weeping again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell. But Ruth clung to her. (15) So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods. Go follow your sister-in-law.” (16) But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (17) Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the LORD do to me-b if anything but death parts me from you.” (18) When [Naomi] saw how determined she was to go with her, she ceased to argue with her; (19) and the two went on until they reached Bethlehem.
When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole city buzzed with excitement over them. The women said, “Can this be Naomi?” (20) “Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, for Shaddai has made my lot very bitter. (21) I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. How can you call me Naomi, when the LORD has dealt harshly with-f me, when Shaddai has brought misfortune upon me!” (22) Thus Naomi returned from the country of Moab; she returned with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabite. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
אֱלִימֶלֶךְ מַחְלוֹן וְכִלְיוֹן גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר הָיוּ וּפַרְנְסֵי הַדּוֹר הָיוּ
Elimelech and his sons Mahlon and Chilion were prominent members of their generation and were leaders of their generation.
רוּת וְעָרְפָּה בְּנוֹתָיו שֶׁל עֶגְלוֹן הָיוּ
Ruth and Orpah were the daughters of [King] Eglon [a non-Jewish king from the book of Judges].
Hesed is indeed one of the key words controlling the text....
Every character acting in this brief story–from Naomi to Ruth to Boaz to the minor characters–behaves in a manner that demonstrates this heroic concept of some form of hesed. The main actors of the story all act in the spirit of hesed; some perform ordinary hesed, and some–especially Ruth–extraordinary hesed. Their exemplary behavior is somewhat reminiscent of that of the patriarchs and matriarchs.
The Ruth narrative resembles the older narratives in language, content, and style (Ruth 3.3-9; cf. Genesis 24.12-14). Ruth, like Abraham–the founder of the nation, the first of the proselytes–leaves the house of her father and mother and goes to join a people who, as far as she knows, will not accept her because of her foreign origins (Midrash GenesisRabbah 59.9; Talmud, Sukkah 49b). Yet she will not be dissuaded and joins the Israelite nation, with no thought of reward for this act of affiliation, and in this lies her great hesed.
The rabbinic sources emphasize the superabundancy of hesed, its "more- than-enoughness." As Maimonides puts it, the concept of hesed:
"Includes two notions, one of them consisting in the exercise of beneficence toward one who deserves it, but in a greater measure than he deserves it. In most cases, the prophetic books use the word hesed in the sense of practicing beneficence toward one who has no right at all to claim this from you" [Guide for the Perplexed].
Ruth’s mode is the second, to practice benevolence toward people who have no claim on her for it.
וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל תִּפְגְּעִי בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ (רות א, טז), מַהוּ אַל תִּפְגְּעִי בִי, אָמְרָה לָהּ לֹא תֶחֱטָא עָלַי, לָא תִסְּבִין פְּגָעַיִךְ מִנִּי, לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם דַּעְתִּי לְהִתְגַּיֵּר, אֶלָּא מוּטָב עַל יָדֵךְ וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי אַחֶרֶת. כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמְעָה נָעֳמִי כָּךְ הִתְחִילָה סוֹדֶרֶת לָהּ הִלְכוֹת גֵּרִים.
And Ruth said: do not entreat me to leave you, or to return from following you. What does "entreat" [literally "plague" or "hurt"] mean? Ruth said to Naomi, "Do not sin against me; do not turn your plagues away from me. To return from following you. I intend to convert no matter what, but it would be better [to be converted] by your hands than by the hands of another." When Naomi heard this, she immediately began explaining the laws of conversion to her.....
וַתֵּרֶא כִּי מִתְאַמֶּצֶת הִיא לָלֶכֶת אִתָּה (רות א, יח), אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּרַבִּי סִימוֹן בּוֹא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה חֲבִיבִים הַגֵּרִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנָּתְנָה דַעְתָּהּ לְהִתְגַּיֵּר הִשְׁוָהּ הַכָּתוּב לְנָעֳמִי.
And when she saw that she was determined to accompany her. R. Yehuda the son of R. Shimon said: Come and see how precious converts are before the All-Present One! Once Ruth decided to convert, the Tanakh refers to her equally with Naomi.
Talmud Bavli Yevamot 47b
He is not, however, to be persuaded, or dissuaded too much.” R. Eleazar said: What is the Scriptural proof? — It is written, “And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.”
We are forbidden, she told her, [to move on the Sabbath beyond the] Sabbath boundaries! “Whither thou goest’ [the other replied] I will go.”
We are forbidden private meeting between man and woman! — “Where thou lodgest. I will lodge”
We have been commanded six hundred and thirteen commandments! — “Thy people shall be my people.”
We are forbidden idolatry! — “And thy God my God.”
“Four modes of death were entrusted to Beit din! — “Where thou diest, will I die.”
Two graveyards were placed at the disposal of the Beit din! — “And there will I be buried.”
Presently she saw that she was steadfastly minded.
Commentary on Talmud Bavli Yevamot 47B
This source comes from tractate Yevamot, concerning the laws of gerut (conversion). This midrash fills in the conversation between Naomi and Ruth after Naomi attempts to send Ruth back to her father’s house. The Rabbis put a halakhic gloss on this conversation which demonstrates how one should speak to a potential convert. It is interesting that Naomi chose mitzvot that might be especially difficult for one coming to Judaism later in life. From this we might guess that Ruth was traveling on Shabbat, worshiping alien gods and engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior. Yet, after this conversation with Naomi, she agrees to accept all 613 mitzvot.
Ruth Rabbah 2:22
And Ruth said, “Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee,”
What is the meaning of “entreat me not?”
She said to her, Do not sin against me, do not turn your misfortunes away from me. To leave thee and to return from following after thee. I am fully resolved to become converted under any circumstance, but it is better that it should be your hands than at those of another. When Naomi heard this, she began to unfold to her the laws of conversion, saying, My daughter, it is not the custom of daughters of Israel to frequent Gentile theatres and circuses, to which she replied, “for whither thou goest, I will go.”
She continued: My daughter, it is not the custom of daughters of Israel to dwell in a house which has no mezuzah, to which she replied “where thou lodgest, I will lodge.”
“Thy people shall be my people” refers to the penelites and admonsitions [of the Torah]
“Thy God my God” to the other commandments of the Bible.
Ruth Rabbah 2:22, 24
“Where thou diest, will I die” refers to the four forms of capital punishment inflicted by the Court (stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation)
“And there will I be buried” these are the two graves prepared by the Beit din, one for those who have suffered stoning and burning, the other for those beheading, and strangulation.
“The LORD do so to me, and more also” Naomi said to her, My daughter wherever good deeds and righteous actions you are able to acquire, acquire in this world, for in the World to Come, “death shall part thee and me.”
Commentary on Ruth Rabbah
This passage in Ruth Rabbah is similar to Yevamot—yet the examples are different. Using her gentle compassion, Naomi explains to Ruth that if she desires to become a Jew, she will not be able to visit Gentile theatres, she must put a mezuzah on her doorpost and she must take on all the mitzvoth and customs of the Jewish people. Naomi’s kindness is palpable in this midrash as she does not say, “you cannot do this, “or you should not do this,” rather, “it is not the way of our people to do this or that.”
Why Jewish sources offer six explanations for the custom of reading the Book of Ruth on Shavuot, the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah at Sinai:
- Both the Torah, which was given on Shavuot, and Ruth are all about kindness and generosity (hesed).
- At Sinai, Israel took upon itself obedience to the Torah; Ruth likewise takes this obligation to the Torah upon herself.
- According to one tradition, David was born and died on Shavuot; the Book of Ruth ends with the lineage of David.
- Shavuot is connected to the barley harvest (also called bikkurim in the Bible); so, too, is the story of Ruth.
- A midrash (a teaching from rabbinic literature) claims that the Torah can be adequately grasped only by those who have suffered; Ruth suffers poverty and hardship (Ruth Zuta).
- The Hasidic master known as the Sefat Emet offers additional explanations for the link between Ruth and Shavuot:
- Reading Ruth teaches us that actions, not mere study, are the essence of “righteous living” or “goodness”; Boaz exemplified this teaching through his actions of hesed and his observance of mitzvot;
- Having received the Torah at Sinai, Israel is now ready to bring near anyone who seeks to receive it, including proselytes like Ruth – the welcoming of Ruth is an example of this readiness;
- The Torah helps Israel gather the holy sparks scattered among the nations; such is the case with Ruth;
- In taking the Torah upon themselves at Sinai, the Jewish people all became proselytes.
Ruth... invites us to reframe Shavuot, seeing the making of the covenant at Sinai not simply as a religious or political act, but as an act of love – a mutual pledge between two parties, committing themselves to one another in a bond of responsibility, dedication and loyalty.
The covenant at Sinai was a marriage between God and the Children of Israel. The covenant at Sinai was a bond of love whose closest analogue in Tanach is the relationship between Boaz and Ruth.
One of the most sustained libels in religious history was Christianity’s claim that Judaism was a religion not of love but of law; not of compassion but of justice; not of forgiveness but of retribution. The book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, is the refutation. Judaism is a religion of love, three loves: loving God with all our heart, our soul, and our might (Devarim 6:5); loving our neighbor as ourselves (Vayikra 19:18); and loving the stranger because we know what it feels like to be a stranger (Devarim 10:19).
Judaism is, from beginning to end, the story of a love: God’s love for a small, powerless and much afflicted people, and a people’s love – tempestuous at times to be sure – for God. That is the story of Ruth: love as faithfulness, loyalty and responsibility, and as a marriage that brings new life into the world. That is the love that was consecrated at Sinai on the first Shavuot of all.
(א) וַתֹּ֥אמֶר לָ֖הּ נָעֳמִ֣י חֲמוֹתָ֑הּ בִּתִּ֞י הֲלֹ֧א אֲבַקֶּשׁ־לָ֛ךְ מָנ֖וֹחַ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִֽיטַב־לָֽךְ׃ (ב) וְעַתָּ֗ה הֲלֹ֥א בֹ֙עַז֙ מֹֽדַעְתָּ֔נוּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיִ֖ית אֶת־נַעֲרוֹתָ֑יו הִנֵּה־ה֗וּא זֹרֶ֛ה אֶת־גֹּ֥רֶן הַשְּׂעֹרִ֖ים הַלָּֽיְלָה׃ (ג) וְרָחַ֣צְתְּ ׀ וָסַ֗כְתְּ וְשַׂ֧מְתְּ שמלתך [שִׂמְלֹתַ֛יִךְ] עָלַ֖יִךְ וירדתי [וְיָרַ֣דְתְּ] הַגֹּ֑רֶן אַל־תִּוָּדְעִ֣י לָאִ֔ישׁ עַ֥ד כַּלֹּת֖וֹ לֶאֱכֹ֥ל וְלִשְׁתּֽוֹת׃ (ד) וִיהִ֣י בְשָׁכְב֗וֹ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ אֶת־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִשְׁכַּב־שָׁ֔ם וּבָ֛את וְגִלִּ֥ית מַרְגְּלֹתָ֖יו ושכבתי [וְשָׁכָ֑בְתְּ] וְהוּא֙ יַגִּ֣יד לָ֔ךְ אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעַשִֽׂין׃ (ה) וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֶ֑יהָ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאמְרִ֥י [אֵלַ֖י] אֶֽעֱשֶֽׂה׃ (ו) וַתֵּ֖רֶד הַגֹּ֑רֶן וַתַּ֕עַשׂ כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוַּ֖תָּה חֲמוֹתָֽהּ׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֨אכַל בֹּ֤עַז וַיֵּשְׁתְּ֙ וַיִּיטַ֣ב לִבּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֕א לִשְׁכַּ֖ב בִּקְצֵ֣ה הָעֲרֵמָ֑ה וַתָּבֹ֣א בַלָּ֔ט וַתְּגַ֥ל מַרְגְּלֹתָ֖יו וַתִּשְׁכָּֽב׃ (ח) וַיְהִי֙ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד הָאִ֖ישׁ וַיִּלָּפֵ֑ת וְהִנֵּ֣ה אִשָּׁ֔ה שֹׁכֶ֖בֶת מַרְגְּלֹתָֽיו׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אָ֑תּ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אָנֹכִי֙ ר֣וּת אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֤ כְנָפֶ֙ךָ֙ עַל־אֲמָ֣תְךָ֔ כִּ֥י גֹאֵ֖ל אָֽתָּה׃ (י) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּרוּכָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ לַֽיקוק בִּתִּ֔י הֵיטַ֛בְתְּ חַסְדֵּ֥ךְ הָאַחֲר֖וֹן מִן־הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן לְבִלְתִּי־לֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵי֙ הַבַּ֣חוּרִ֔ים אִם־דַּ֖ל וְאִם־עָשִֽׁיר׃ (יא) וְעַתָּ֗ה בִּתִּי֙ אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאמְרִ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ כִּ֤י יוֹדֵ֙עַ֙ כָּל־שַׁ֣עַר עַמִּ֔י כִּ֛י אֵ֥שֶׁת חַ֖יִל אָֽתְּ׃ (יב) וְעַתָּה֙ כִּ֣י אָמְנָ֔ם כִּ֥י אם גֹאֵ֖ל אָנֹ֑כִי וְגַ֛ם יֵ֥שׁ גֹּאֵ֖ל קָר֥וֹב מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ (יג) לִ֣ינִי ׀ הַלַּ֗יְלָה וְהָיָ֤ה בַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ אִם־יִגְאָלֵ֥ךְ טוֹב֙ יִגְאָ֔ל וְאִם־לֹ֨א יַחְפֹּ֧ץ לְגָֽאֳלֵ֛ךְ וּגְאַלְתִּ֥יךְ אָנֹ֖כִי חַי־יקוק שִׁכְבִ֖י עַד־הַבֹּֽקֶר׃ (יד) וַתִּשְׁכַּ֤ב מרגלתו [מַרְגְּלוֹתָיוֹ֙] עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וַתָּ֕קָם בטרום [בְּטֶ֛רֶם] יַכִּ֥יר אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַל־יִוָּדַ֔ע כִּי־בָ֥אָה הָאִשָּׁ֖ה הַגֹּֽרֶן׃ (טו) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הָ֠בִי הַמִּטְפַּ֧חַת אֲשֶׁר־עָלַ֛יִךְ וְאֶֽחֳזִי־בָ֖הּ וַתֹּ֣אחֶז בָּ֑הּ וַיָּ֤מָד שֵׁשׁ־שְׂעֹרִים֙ וַיָּ֣שֶׁת עָלֶ֔יהָ וַיָּבֹ֖א הָעִֽיר׃ (טז) וַתָּבוֹא֙ אֶל־חֲמוֹתָ֔הּ וַתֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אַ֣תְּ בִּתִּ֑י וַתַּ֨גֶּד־לָ֔הּ אֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָֽשָׂה־לָ֖הּ הָאִֽישׁ׃ (יז) וַתֹּ֕אמֶר שֵׁשׁ־הַשְּׂעֹרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה נָ֣תַן לִ֑י כִּ֚י אָמַ֣ר [אֵלַ֔י] אַל־תָּב֥וֹאִי רֵיקָ֖ם אֶל־חֲמוֹתֵֽךְ׃ (יח) וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ שְׁבִ֣י בִתִּ֔י עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּֽדְעִ֔ין אֵ֖יךְ יִפֹּ֣ל דָּבָ֑ר כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִשְׁקֹט֙ הָאִ֔ישׁ כִּֽי־אִם־כִּלָּ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר הַיּֽוֹם׃
(1) Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “Daughter, I must seek a home for you, where you may be happy. (2) Now there is our kinsman Boaz, whose girls you were close to. He will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor tonight. (3) So bathe, anoint yourself, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not disclose yourself to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. (4) When he lies down, note the place where he lies down, and go over and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you are to do.” (5) She replied, “I will do everything you tell me.” (6) She went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. (7) Boaz ate and drank, and in a cheerful mood went to lie down beside the grainpile. Then she went over stealthily and uncovered his feet and lay down. (8) In the middle of the night, the man gave a start and pulled back—there was a woman lying at his feet! (9) “Who are you?” he asked. And she replied, “I am your handmaid Ruth. Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman.” (10) He exclaimed, “Be blessed of the LORD, daughter! Your latest deed of loyalty is greater than the first, in that you have not turned to younger men, whether poor or rich. (11) And now, daughter, have no fear. I will do in your behalf whatever you ask, for all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are. (12) But while it is true I am a redeeming kinsman, there is another redeemer closer than I. (13) Stay for the night. Then in the morning, if he will act as a redeemer, good! let him redeem. But if he does not want to act as redeemer for you, I will do so myself, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.” (14) So she lay at his feet until dawn. She rose before one person could distinguish another, for he thought, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” (15) And he said, “Hold out the shawl you are wearing.” She held it while he measured out six measures of barley, and he put it on her back. When she got back to the town, (16) she came to her mother-in-law, who asked, “How is it with you, daughter?” She told her all that the man had done for her; (17) and she added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying to me, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” (18) And Naomi said, “Stay here, daughter, till you learn how the matter turns out. For the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.”
Ruth 3:4. Uncover his feet — Remove the clothes which are upon his feet; thereby to awake him; and lay thee down — She was not to lie down by his side, for that would have been immodest, but at his feet, in the posture of an humble supplicant. Had Ruth acted in any respect that in those days was judged indecent or immodest, it is most likely she would have highly displeased such a grave person as Boaz appears to have been. What she did, however, seems to us indecent, and would certainly be a very improper conduct in any woman in our days; but the general character of both Naomi and Ruth forbids us to suppose that they had any sinful intentions.
“Some might think this was a provocative gesture, as if Ruth was told to provocatively offer herself sexually to Boaz. This was not how this gesture was understood in that day. In the culture of that day, this was understood as an act of total submission.” If the reader accepts the literal meaning for the story, the source explains that Ruth was to uncover and lay by Boaz’s feet, just his feet, in an act of submission, lying at the foot of his bed as a servant would lay at a masters feet. The source also says that Ruth is able to be confident that Boaz will marry her, because he is her kinsman-redeemer so he has the responsibility of caring for her and giving her offspring. “Ruth came to claim a right. Boaz was her goel, her kinsman-redeemer, and she had the right to expect him to marry her and raise up a family to perpetuate the name of Elimelech. But Naomi wisely counseled Ruth to not come as a victim demanding her rights, but as a humble servant, trusting in the goodness of her kinsman-redeemer. She said to Boaz, “I respect you, I trust you, and I put my fate in your hands.””
This cannot possibly be Naomi's intention, for how would this provide the "security" that she so sincerely wished for Ruth? Necessarily, then, Naomi figured that an intimate relationship at the threshing floor would lead to marriage. Knowing Boaz as she did – "For the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today" (3:18) – Naomi was convinced that Boaz would not allow his encounter with Ruth to remain an illicit relationship. Understanding Ruth's motives and acknowledging his responsibility as a goel (redeeming kinsman), he would marry Ruth.
No story in the Bible demonstrates more fully than the Book of Ruth the extraordinary power of love, channeled as hesed--kindness or generosity--that goes beyond the expected obligation. No book better models what it means to love the stranger and what it means to demonstrate hesed in a way that not only repairs a ruptured family history but also creates a community into which one wants to bring a child...Megilat Ruth, “the Scroll of Ruth” is a book about kindness and audacity--about kindness that propels people to act audaciously for the sake of others. It is a book filled with hesed and hutzpah. Such actions bring about redemption, a notion that in the Book of Ruth expands from the personal fortunes of specific individuals to the larger thematic arc of biblical narrative, in which reconciliation reverses legacies of conflict and alienation (as between Israel and Moab).
If the prophets express on a national scale what Abraham Joshua Heschel describes as “spiritual audacity and moral grandeur,” then Ruth situates these powerful virtues in the domestic sphere and in the lives of ordinary people, who, facing more circumscribes choices, likewise grow to such audacity and develop moral grandeur. Moreover, the book illustrates, through its depiction of Ruth, her actions and influence, just how one can cultivate such virtues so as to bring about personal and even national transformation. The book’s concluding genealogy weaves this transformation into the larger tapestry of Israel’s epic narrative by tying Ruth to David, Israel’s illustrious king.
Dr. Esther Altmann, Director of Pastoral Education, Maharat
Naomi and Ruth’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is a refreshing counterpoint to our contemporary portrayal of the in-law relationship as fraught with toxic conflict and the object of caustic humor. Psychological research supports the view that mother-in-law – daughter-in-law relationships are, indeed, amongst the most challenging of familial pairs and can be a major factor in marital discord. Unfortunately, our cultural discourse does little to reimagine this relationship’s great potential for loving engagement and mutual respect. Naomi overturns the archetype of the overbearing mother-in-law and provides us with a model that is both more nuanced and more appealing. For her part, Ruth as a daughter-in-law remains loyal and loving in both anguish and good fortune.
Why are mother and daughter-in-law relationships thought to be so challenging? Why does popular culture often portray them as a tug of war? For mothers, the marriage of a child, no matter how joyful, can still entail a profound, inchoate sense of loss. Daughters-in-law, in turn, hope to secure an intimate relationship with their new spouse in part by establishing boundaries. These burgeoning intimacies may take the form of newlyweds distancing from the “overbearing” mother-in-law. Inherently complex, triangular relationships often leave one person feeling excluded. Perhaps, therefore, it is no accident that Ruth and Naomi’s loving relationship unfolds and is forged as a twosome.
Notably, Orpah and Ruth do not enter Megilat Ruth’s narrative as daughters-in-law. Rather, they are the Moabite wives of Naomi’s sons, “They married Moabite women...” The text introduces us to Naomi and Ruth’s relationship as a mother and daughter-in- law pair only after tragedy has struck. While the death of Ruth’s husband leaves her a young and childless widow, Naomi must bury both her husband and her two sons. One wonders how Naomi felt about her two foreign daughters-in-law prior to these devastating losses. Were Machlon and Chilion, Naomi’s sons, princes who could do no wrong in the eyes of their mother? Did Naomi welcome Ruth and Orpah as the partners of her noble sons? Or was she threatened by the different customs they brought to the family? Did she complain about their housekeeping? Compete with them for her sons’ attention and affection? The text omits how difficult it may have been for Machalon and Chilion, intensely pulled between their recently widowed, Jewish mother and their young, foreign wives.
This certainly seems like an all too familiar, modern story. In fact, Naomi may not have always been the exemplary mother-in-law our tradition praises. The Megillah actually suggests that her relationship with her daughters-in-law began with deep ambivalence. Naomi’s voice is first heard when she says, “Turn back each of you to your mothers’ house....” She pleads with Ruth and Orpah to reverse course after the three women were already on the road. Why start the journey together and then have a change of heart? The very reason Naomi gives Ruth and Orpah, that she cannot provide them with husbands, was surely known before the three women packed up and set out. Midrash Ruth Zuta wonders whether Naomi told Orpah and Ruth to return because she was embarrassed by their Moabite origins. Perhaps she loved them dearly, but with each step closer to Bethlehem, her discomfiture with their foreignness, and anxiety about what others might think overpowered her.
Alternatively, another interpretation suggests that Naomi argued for Ruth and Orpah to return out of love. Like every good parent, Naomi wanted what was best for them. By urging Ruth and Orpah to retrace their steps, Naomi was sacrificing her own need to hold the last link to her sons close. This internal struggle within Naomi ceases with Ruth’s unwavering, renowned declaration, “Wherever you go, I shall go,...” And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell. But Ruth clung to her....” When Naomi saw how determined Ruth was to remain with her, Naomi ceased to plead. Ruth’s words mediated Naomi’s worries with empathy, and provided fortitude for the challenges ahead.
Naomi left Bethlehem to Moab with a husband and two sons and returns through the city gates with only one Moabite daughter-in-law. As she arrives home she tells the women who have gathered around her, “Do not call me Naomi...call me Mara, for Shaddai has made my lot very bitter”. It is within the bitterness of grief and poverty that the deep, mutually protective bond between mother and daughter-in-law unfolds.
The nature of Naomi and Ruth’s new connection is reflected when Naomi next speaks to Ruth. Instructing her to glean in the fields she says, “Go my daughter”. There is no ambiguity in this statement. Ruth is not just a daughter. For Naomi, she has become uniquely her daughter. While the third person text continues to refer to Ruth as “the Moabite”, Naomi’s nomenclature, biti, my daughter, is unambiguous. Naomi’s bond with her adopted daughter only emerges over time and place. Significantly, it also crystallizes when Naomi is in her own home, in Bethlehem, and not Moab. Now, as mother and daughter, they unite around their vulnerability, mobilize their partnership, and spring into action. First, they set out to secure food, and then a new husband for Ruth.
Ruth’s marriage to Boaz resumes the triadic matrix. Yet this time there are no harshly delineated boundaries. Naomi and Ruth remain partners. The endpoint of their joint venture is the birth of Ruth’s son, Obed. He is a triumph of life over death. Obed is undoubtedly the beneficiary of the love of both women. “Naomi took the child and held it to her bosom.” It is in the embrace of this newly created threesome that the future is secured and enshrined, for Ruth, Naomi, and future generations.
Ruth and Naomi serve us best not as icons of idealized women, but rather in their all too human lived experience. Both with their men and in their absence, it is their dogged determination and sense of common purpose that sustains them. They prevail because they have the capacity to reconfigure their relationship. In light of new realities, they adapt and embrace each other.
(יח) וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְד֣וֹת פָּ֔רֶץ פֶּ֖רֶץ הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־חֶצְרֽוֹן׃ (יט) וְחֶצְרוֹן֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־רָ֔ם וְרָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־עַמִּֽינָדָֽב׃ (כ) וְעַמִּֽינָדָב֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־נַחְשׁ֔וֹן וְנַחְשׁ֖וֹן הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־שַׂלְמָֽה׃ (כא) וְשַׂלְמוֹן֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־בֹּ֔עַז וּבֹ֖עַז הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־עוֹבֵֽד׃ (כב) וְעֹבֵד֙ הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־יִשָׁ֔י וְיִשַׁ֖י הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־דָּוִֽד׃
(א) אלו דברים שאין להם שעור. הפאה , והבכורים, והראיון, וגמילות חסדים, ותלמוד תורה.
(1) These are the things that have no measure: The Peah [corner of the field that must be given to the poor], the Bikurim [first-fruits that must be given to the Kohen], the appearance-sacrifice [at the Temple in Jerusalem on Pilgrimage Festivals], acts of kindness, and the study of the Torah.
(ט) וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ לִקְצֹר וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט.
(9) And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap the corner of thy field, neither shall you gather the gleaning of your harvest.