This is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Ruth Series, with the focus being on midrash. The rest of the material can be found here:
Summary
Ruth has just experienced the extent of the kindness of the Israelite landowner, Boaz. He told her he admires the selflessness and loyalty she showed towards Naomi, told her she is welcome to do all her gleaning in his field, and then invited her to join him and his workers for lunch.
We pick up at the end of the meal...
(15) When she got up again to glean, Boaz gave orders to his workers:
“You are not only to let her glean among the sheaves, without interference, (16) but you must also pull some [stalks] out of the heaps and leave them for her to glean, and not scold her.”
(17) She gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned—it was about an ’ephah of barley— (18) and carried it back with her to the town.
When her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and when she also took out and gave her what she had left over after eating her fill, (19) her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be he who took such generous notice of you!”
So she told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with, saying, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
(20) Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of YHWH, who has not failed in His kindness to the living or to the dead!" For, Naomi explained to her daughter-in-law, “the man is related to us; he is one of our redeeming kinsmen.”
(21) Ruth the Moabite said, “He even told me, ‘Stay close by my workers until all my harvest is finished.’”
(22) And Naomi answered her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is best, daughter, that you go out with his girls, and not be annoyed in some other field.”
(23) So she stayed close to the maidservants of Boaz, and gleaned until the barley harvest and the wheat harvest were finished. Then she stayed at home with her mother-in-law.
Since the TaNaKh's tendency is to be terse and laconic to the extreme, it is always worth noting whenever the narrator makes it a point to give a description of something or someone. In fact, one of the most fascinating things in the TaNaKh to pay attention to its use of epithets.
Take another look through the verses above with this in mind. Are there any? (hint - I wouldn't ask, if there weren't ;- ) . What do you make of them?
How strange is this? What do you make of it?
Below are some thoughts by some of the commentators. In what ways are they agreeing? In what ways do they differ? Do you find any explanation compelling?
ותאמר רות כו'. הנה ראוי לשית לב למה קראה מואביה כי חרפה היא לה עתה לכנות אותה אחר זמן גיותה והנה יש מרבותינו דורשים אותו לגנאי כי בשביל שהוציא' עילה על אותו צדיק שהוא אומר וכה תדבקין עם נערותי והיא אמרה כי אמר אלי עם הנערים אשר לי תדבקין וכו' ע"כ.
Then Ruth the Moabite said...
It is worth noting that the Megillah calls her the Moabite. But why??? For behold, is this not humiliating to her, to mention her non-Israelite background!?
There are some amongst our teachers who say that this is because she spoke falsely and inappropriately about the righteous one. For he said, Stay here and cling to my girls (2:8). But then she went on and quoted him as saying, Stay here with my workers (my men) (2:21)!
ותאמר רות המואביה, ורות לא הבינה ענין היבום רק מ"ש שהוא קרוב ושע"כ יעש עמהם חסד להחיותם, ע"ז אמרה גם כי אמר אלי עם הנערים אשר לי תדבקין באמת הוא אמר לה וכה תדבקין עם נערותי, רק באשר היא היתה מואביה ושם אין מתרחקים מן הנערים לא הבינה לדייק בדבריו וחשבה שכונתו שתדבק עם אנשיו שהנערים היו עיקר אצלה שחשבה שאחד מהם ישא אותה
[וע"ז קראה המואביה כי בת ישראל היתה מבינה בין דבר נעמי שאמרה עם המתים בין דבר בועז שאמר עם נערותי]
Then Ruth the Moabite said...
Ruth did not understand this concept of yibum (Levirate marriage). All she understood was that Boaz was a relative, and that he would therefore act kindly to them and support them. It was in regard to this that she said to Naomi, He told me to cling to his workers.
However, since she is Moabite, and in Moab they do not separate between men and women, she did not realize the importance in repeating his words so precisely, and figured that amongst the people with whom she would associate, the men would be the main ones, since maybe she would marry one one of them.
That is why the TaNaKh calls her a "Moabite," because an Israelite would have understood both Naomi's intent in speaking about the dead (2:20), as well as Boaz speaking about his girls.
ואולי י"ל דהכונה במ"ש בודאי מואביה היא זו ולא ידעה לדבר כן בשפת הקודש ולא הבחינה בין לשון זכר ובין לשון נקבה, אך נעמי הכירה את סלפה בלשון, ותקנה זאת בהמשך דבריה אל רות. .
(שם)
Why does the TaNaKh call her a Moabite? We get it already, of course she's a Moabite!!!
Rather, it is because she mis-quoted Boaz's words, which was shameful. And the term Moabite, at its very root, is also shameful, as we see in Genesis 19.* (see moabite folk etymology below)
As the Arameans say, Throw a rod out to the wind, and it goes back to its roots.
Alternatively, maybe the reason the obvious is stated (that she is a Moabite) is to emphasize that she does not know the Holy Tongue (Hebrew), and she therefore does not distinguish between masculine and feminine. However, Naomi recognized her error, and corrected it as they continued speaking. (See verse 22)
We have now seen three commentators weigh in as to why the TaNaKh is reminding us of Ruth's Moabite status. Here is a summary:
Alshich: This is humiliating, and it is because she spoke falsely.
Malbim: Being a Moabite, she was unfamiliar with yibum, so not realizing that she would marry Boaz, she thought she would marry one of the workers. She therefore used the masculine term.
Torah Temima:
- She spoke shamefully, and the term Moabite hearkens back to a moment of shame. ALTERNATIVELY...
- "Moabite" emphasizes that she was not familiar with Hebrew, and did not know how to distinguish between masculine and feminine.
To reiterate the question above; Do you find any of these compelling? Can you think of any other possibilities?
(לו) וַֽתַּהֲרֶ֛יןָ שְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֽוֹת־ל֖וֹט מֵאֲבִיהֶֽן׃ (לז) וַתֵּ֤לֶד הַבְּכִירָה֙ בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ מוֹאָ֑ב ה֥וּא אֲבִֽי־מוֹאָ֖ב עַד־הַיּֽוֹם׃
(36) Thus the two daughters of Lot came to be with child by their father (m'avihen).
(37) The older one bore a son and named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today.
We've seen a lot about this "redeemer business." Amongst the Israelites, the continuation of the family name through progeny was a huge deal, and cannot be overemphasized.
Let's look a little more into the background:
(ה) כִּֽי־יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו וּמֵ֨ת אַחַ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ וּבֵ֣ן אֵֽין־ל֔וֹ לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֧ה אֵֽשֶׁת־הַמֵּ֛ת הַח֖וּצָה לְאִ֣ישׁ זָ֑ר יְבָמָהּ֙ יָבֹ֣א עָלֶ֔יהָ וּלְקָחָ֥הּ ל֛וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וְיִבְּמָֽהּ׃ (ו) וְהָיָ֗ה הַבְּכוֹר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּלֵ֔ד יָק֕וּם עַל־שֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו הַמֵּ֑ת וְלֹֽא־יִמָּחֶ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ז) וְאִם־לֹ֤א יַחְפֹּץ֙ הָאִ֔ישׁ לָקַ֖חַת אֶת־יְבִמְתּ֑וֹ וְעָלְתָה֩ יְבִמְתּ֨וֹ הַשַּׁ֜עְרָה אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים וְאָֽמְרָה֙ מֵאֵ֨ין יְבָמִ֜י לְהָקִ֨ים לְאָחִ֥יו שֵׁם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א אָבָ֖ה יַבְּמִֽי׃ (ח) וְקָֽרְאוּ־ל֥וֹ זִקְנֵי־עִיר֖וֹ וְדִבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֑יו וְעָמַ֣ד וְאָמַ֔ר לֹ֥א חָפַ֖צְתִּי לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃ (ט) וְנִגְּשָׁ֨ה יְבִמְתּ֣וֹ אֵלָיו֮ לְעֵינֵ֣י הַזְּקֵנִים֒ וְחָלְצָ֤ה נַעֲלוֹ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְל֔וֹ וְיָרְקָ֖ה בְּפָנָ֑יו וְעָֽנְתָה֙ וְאָ֣מְרָ֔ה כָּ֚כָה יֵעָשֶׂ֣ה לָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יִבְנֶ֖ה אֶת־בֵּ֥ית אָחִֽיו (י) וְנִקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בֵּ֖ית חֲל֥וּץ הַנָּֽעַל׃ (ס)
(5) When brothers dwell together and one of them dies and leaves no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married to a stranger, outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall unite with her: he shall take her as his wife and perform the levir’s duty. (6) The first son that she bears shall be accounted to the dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out in Israel.
(7) But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow shall appear before the elders in the gate and declare, “My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name in Israel for his brother; he will not perform the duty of a levir.”
(8) The elders of his town shall then summon him and talk to him. If he insists, saying, “I do not want to marry her,” (9) his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, pull the sandal off his foot, spit in his face, and make this declaration: Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house! (10) And he shall go in Israel by the name of “the family of the unsandaled one.”
The Hebrew term for this ritual is called "yibum" (יבום), which is derived from the noun yavam, which means brother-in-law.
It would become such a major topic in later Jewish-law, that it would have a whole tractate of Talmud dedicated to it, called yebamot.
The Talmud lists the following conditions in order for yibum to be applicable:
- The brothers share a father;
- The deceased brother has no surviving children whatsoever;
- The living brother was born before the deceased brother has passed;
- The living brother must be permitted to marry every widow of the deceased;
- Both the living brother and the widow are deemed capable of having children.
Recall that the Malbim above suggested that the reason Ruth is called the Moabite here is to emphasize that she was unfamiliar with yibum. However, we have since discovered ancient Hittite Laws from the Hittite Empire, between 1600 and 1,100 BCE, written on clay tablets in cuneiform.
Take a look at law number 193:
If a man has a wife, and the man dies, his brother shall take his widow as a wife. (If the brother dies), his father shall take her. When afterwards his fatehr dies, his (i.e., the father's) brother shall take the woman whom he had.
It was mentioned above how terse the narrator tends to be throughout the whole TaNaKh. The commentators sometimes assume that the same is true for the dialogue between characters.
In verse 20, the Malbim seems to think that Naomi seems to ramble on a bit more than necessary. He therefore takes us on a guided tour of her blessing, explaining how each part is necessary and contributes to her overall message.
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, blessed be he of YHWH who has not failed in his kindness to the living nor to the dead! For Naomi said to her, the man is related to us; he is one of our redeemers! (verse 20)
At the beginning, she gave her a blessing that God should not abandon His kindness with the living, for she understood that he would do so in order to provide sustenance for Naomi and Ruth, for they are the living, and are his family!
And with regards to the dead, she understood that he would do kindness for them also by way of yibum, that through this he would do good for the departed.
She then explained her words: Corresponding to He will not abandon his kindness, she then said For the man is related to us, and then perforce he will do kindness for his relatives, who are the living!
And corresponding to and with the dead, she then said he is one of our redeemers!, and a redeemer must do yibum, that by way of this he redeems the departed so that their name should not be forgotten from Israel.
And she said he is one of our redeemers because there are others, and he is one of them.
Does the Malbim add anything important? Is he seeing something differently from what you would have thought?
And with this, we complete chapter 2, being the halfway-point of Megillath Ruth!
As it stands, Ruth has unlimited access to the gleanings in Boaz's field. Next time we will fast-forward to the end of the barley and what harvest, where we will see Naomi put a plan into place which will set the stages for Ruth's (and her own) continued sustenance, security and well-being.
Addendum
As pointed out by Jerry, the Malbim's explanation as to why Ruth's Moabite background is repeated, is difficult. How could Ruth not understand levirite marriage? Naomi has mentioned it before in chapter 1!
(יא) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נָעֳמִי֙ 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־יְהוָֽה׃
(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 YHWH has struck out against me.”
It turns out that the Malbim, in his genius, must have anticipated Jerry's question. (Or, he very well might have assumed that we would do him the courtesy of reading his whole commentary in order, as he intended).
In any case, here is his explanation of Naomi's words in chapter 1.
ותאמר נעמי. ע"ז אמרה נעמי להן עצתה שובנה בנותי למה תלכנה עמי.
ר"ל הלא בני עמי לא יתחתנו עמכם, ואם תקוו שאני אתחתן עמכם אחר שכבר הייתן כלותי, העוד לי בנים במעי,
וכבר התבאר אצלי (התו"ה תזריע סימן ד') ששם בנים בדיוק יבא רק על בנים שנולדו לא על העוברים במעי אמם, ופה אמרה העוד לי בנים במעי שזה סותר כלל זה
אך בכאן דברה בדרך מליצה שתחלה התחילה וכי יש לי בנים גדולים שראוים לנשואין תכף עד כי והיו לכם לאנשים ר"ל שיהיו תיכף לאנשים אך בדרך הלצה אמרה וכי יש לי בנים גדולים כאלה וטמנתים במעי שלכן לא תראו אותם כי הם טמונים ונחבאים במעי ואני אוציאם ממעי ויהיו לכם לאנשים תכף,
וזה בדרך מליצה כי בתחלת הסברא לא יעלה על הדעת שירצו להמתין עד שתנשא ותוליד בנים ויגדלו הבנים שאז יהיו הם זקנות ובלתי ראוים לבנים הצעירים מהם שנים רבות:
Then Naomi said...
This is what Naomi meant:
My people won't marry you. And if your hope is that my sons will marry you, being that you are already in my family as it is, do I have sons within me that you can marry?
And I've already explained that the term "sons" specifically refers to people who have already been born, not on that which has yet to emerge from the womb! When Naomi says, Do I still have sons within me?, this comment is nonsensical!
Rather, Naomi is speaking creatively and poetically. What she means is, Do I have sons who are already of marrying age to be your husbands? And with this, this is what she is saying: Do I have older sons like the ones you have already married that I am hiding within me, completely hidden away that you can't see? That all of the sudden, I'll whip them right out and they will be your husbands immediately?
This is all Naomi being poetic. For at first, she assumed that that they would never agree to wait around for her to marry, to bear children and to rear them, for by the time they are old enough to marry, Ruth and Naomi will themselves be too old for this to be an appropriate match!
And even if it is true that you would be willing to wait around for me to marry, have children, and rear them, there are two major flaws with this plan.
(1) I am too old to marry.
(2) In the midrash, it says that a woman who waits for ten years and doesn't have children will no longer be able to have children.
But the midrash challenges: Wasn't Rabbi Hisda's wife a widow for ten years??? She then had no trouble having children!
The midrash then answers: Her mind was on marrying the whole time, and if your mind is on marrying the whole time, you will be able to have children even if you weren't married for ten years.
And behold! Here, it is written Then Elimelekh died, and they dwelled there for ten years. See, Naomi was there as a widow for ten years! It should therefore be impossible for her to bear children!
Unless, that is, one of the following is the case:
(1) If throughout her entire time as a widow she never despaired on the idea of marrying again, she could successfully marry and have children after ten years.
(2) Even if her mind was not always on marriage, if she would get married that very night(!) since this was her last night of those ten years, she can have children.
Does this help us answer Jerry's question? I think it does. (Hint - Note that there is no mention of levirite marriage!)