(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!
(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?
(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.”
רבות בנות עשו חיל ואת עלית על כולנה
"Many daughters have done well, but you exceed them all"
This is Ruth, who entered the wings of the Shechina
שקר החן והבל היופי
"Charm is deceit and beauty is vane"
That she left her mother and father and her riches and went with her mother in law and accepted the mitzvot. Therefore Ruth merited, and from her came David who praised God through songs and praises Therefore it is said
תנו לה מפרי ידיה ויהללוה בשערים מעשיה
"Give her the fruit of her hands and let her actions praise her in the gates"
(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?”
(א) וַתֵּלַכְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶם. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ, "בֹּא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה חֲבִיבִים הַגֵּרִים לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנָּתְנָה דַעְתָּהּ לְהִתְגַּיֵּר, הִשְׁוָה אוֹתָהּ הַכָּתוּב לְנָעֳמִי":
(1) So the two of them went on. Rabbi Abahu said, “Come and see how dear the proselytes are before the Holy One, Blessed Is He. As soon as she decided to convert, Scripture compared her to Naomi [by stating, “the two of them...”].28Despite leaving her home and family, Ruth's determination was so strong that Scripture ranks her equally with Naomi.
(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 the LORD, 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.”
(י) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּרוּכָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ לַֽה' בִּתִּ֔י הֵיטַ֛בְתְּ חַסְדֵּ֥ךְ הָאַחֲר֖וֹן מִן־הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן לְבִלְתִּי־לֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵי֙ הַבַּ֣חוּרִ֔ים אִם־דַּ֖ל וְאִם־עָשִֽׁיר׃
Ruth 3
(10) And he said: ‘Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter; thou hast shown more kindness in the end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou didst not follow the young 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.”
(14) And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not withheld a redeemer from you today! May his name be perpetuated in Israel! (15) He will renew your life and sustain your old age; for he is born of your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons.” (16) Naomi took the child and held it to her bosom. She became its foster mother,
Reb Ze'era said: The Scroll of Ruth tells us nothing of the laws of cleanness or uncleaness, of what is prohibited or what is permitted. Why then was it written? To teach you how great is the reward of those who do deeds of kindness.
Therefore we read Ruth on Shavuot, on the day of the giving of the Torah, to suggest that the Torah alone, without deeds of kindness, is not sufficient. Anyone who says, “I have nothing but Torah” – he does not even have Torah.
(ט) אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (י) טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃ (יא) לְעָבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית ה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם׃ (יב) לְמַ֣עַן הָקִֽים־אֹתְךָ֩ הַיּ֨וֹם ׀ ל֜וֹ לְעָ֗ם וְה֤וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹקִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לָ֑ךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (יג) וְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ (יד) כִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֙נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י ה' אֱלֹקֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם׃
(9)You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, (10)your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to waterdrawer— (11)to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is concluding with you this day, with its sanctions; (12)to the end that He may establish you this day as His people and be your God, as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(13)I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone, (14)but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here this day.
(יא) אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם (אַהֲבָה רַבָּה) אֲהַבְתָּנוּ ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ, חֶמְלָה גְּדוֹלָה וִיתֵרָה חָמַלְתָּ עָלֵינוּ. אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ, בַּעֲבוּר שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל וּבַעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁבָּטְחוּ בְּךָ וַתְּלַמְּדֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן תְּחָנֵּנוּ וּתְלַמְּדֵנוּ, אָבִינוּ אָב הָרַחֲמָן הַמְרַחֵם, רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ, וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּנוּ בִּינָה לְהָבִין, וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל, לִשְׁמֹעַ, לִלְמֹד וּלְלַמֵּד, לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּים אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַּלְמוּד תוֹרָתֶךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: וְהָאֵר עֵינֵינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ וְדַבֵּק לִבֵּנוּ בְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ, וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הַבּוֹחֵר בְּעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה:
With abundant love have You loved us, HaShem our God; with overwhelming compassion have you dealt with us. Our Father, our Ruler, for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in You, and to whom You therefore taught the laws of life, may you be gracious to us and teach us as well. Our Father, merciful Father, have mercy upon us, instilling in our hearts the will to understand and to elucidate, to listen, to learn and teach, to observe and fulfill all the words of Your Torah’s teaching with love.
Enlighten our eyes with Your Torah, attach our hearts to your commandments, and unify our hearts to love and revere Your Name.
Blessed are You, Adonai, who chooses Your people Israel in love.
(16) And Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy 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 if anything but death parts me from you.”
(כב) ותאמר רות אל תפגעי בי לעזבך לשוב מאחריך מהו אל תפגעי בי? אמרה לה: לא תחטא עלי, לא תסבין פגעיך מני לעזבך לשוב מאחריך. מכל מקום דעתי להתגייר. אלא מוטב על ידך ולא על ידי אחרת. כיון ששמעה נעמי כך, התחילה סודרת לה הלכות גרים. אמרה לה: בתי אין דרכן של בנות ישראל לילך לבתי תיאטראות ולבתי קרקסיאות שלהם. אמרה לה: אל אשר תלכי אלך. אמרה לה: בתי אין דרכן של ישראל לדור בבית שאין שם מזוזה. אמרה לה: באשר תליני אלין. עמך עמי אלו עונשין ואזהרות. ואלקיך אלקי שאר מצות.
(22) "And Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you, to turn and not follow after you' (Ruth 1:16)." What does it mean, 'do not urge me'? She said to her, "Do not sin against me, do not turn your misfortunes from me." "To turn and follow after you." It has been my intention in every instance to convert, but it is better at your hands than at the hands of another. When Naomi heard this she began to expound to her the laws of converts. She said to her, "My daughter, it is not the custom of daughters of Israel to go to their theaters and their circuses. She replied to her, "Where you go, I will go." She said to her, "My daughter, it is not the custom of Israel to dwell in a house that does not have a mezuzah." She replied to her, "Where you lodge I will lodge." "Your people will be my people," these are the punishments and the warnings. "And Your God will be my God," the other commandments.
(Regarding one who wishes to convert) "We don't go into great detail for him, and we don't investigate him." Rabbi Elazar asked: "What is the source for this." It is written: "And she (Naomi) saw that her (Ruth's) resolve was strengthened to go with her, and she stopped speaking to her." (Ruth 1:18).
- She (Naomi) said to her (Ruth) "We have a prohibition of Sabbath Borders" (Ruth replied) "Wherever you go I will go."
- (Naomi said to Ruth) "Yichud (privacy between an man and a woman outside of matrimony) is forbidden to us."
(Ruth Replied) "Wherever you lie, I will lie." (Ruth 1:16)
-(Naomi said to Ruth) "We concern ourselves with 613 commandments."
(Ruth Replied) "Your nation is my nation."
- (Naomi said to Ruth) "Idol worship is forbidden to us." (Ruth Replied)
"Your G-d is my G-d." (Ruth 1:16)
- (Naomi said to Ruth) "four forms of the death penalty were given to our courts." (Ruth Replied) "As you die, so shall I die."
- (Naomi said to Ruth) "Two graves were given to the court."
(Ruth Replied) "And there I shall be buried."
Immediately (after this conversation) "And Naomi saw that Ruth's resolve was strong."
"And they took them wives of daughters of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth" (Ruth 1:4) Orpah, because she turned her back (o'ref) on her mother in law; and Ruth, because she understood (ra'atah) her mother in law's true wish.
Ruth and Orpah, so said R. Bebai in the name of R. Reuben, were the daughters of Eglon [King of Moab], to whom the Holy One said: Rising from your throne in deference to me.(Judges 3:20, Right before Ehud slaughtered him...) you accorded Me honor. As you live, I shall cause to rise out of you a son whom I will seat on My throne.
(ו) כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּךָ בָּחַר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. (ז) לֹא מֵרֻבְּכֶם מִכָּל הָעַמִּים חָשַׁק ה' בָּכֶם וַיִּבְחַר בָּכֶם כִּי אַתֶּם הַמְעַט מִכָּל הָעַמִּים. (ח) כִּי מֵאַהֲבַת ה' אֶתְכֶם וּמִשָּׁמְרוֹ אֶת הַשְּׁבֻעָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם הוֹצִיא ה' אֶתְכֶם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וַיִּפְדְּךָ מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים מִיַּד פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם.
(6) For you are a holy people unto the LORD your God: the LORD your God has chosen you to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. (7) The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people—for you were the fewest of all peoples— (8) but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
(כז) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם. אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים. וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת תּוֹרָתוֹ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה:
Blessed are You, HaShem our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who chose us from all the other nations and gave us His Torah. Blessed are You HaShem, giver of the Torah.
"(Ruth said to her) One way or another I intend to convert, and so why would I abandon you and leave you? Better that [I convert] through you then with someone else. Since [Naomi] heard this, she began to teach Ruth the laws, saying, 'We do not leave the Shabbat area on Shabbat,' as we see Ruth says 'Where you go, I will go'...It is forbidden to live in a home without a mezuzah, and Ruth says, 'Where you lodge, I will lodge.' 'We have 613 mitzvoth', Naomi said, which corresponds (by the sounds of the letters of am'ech) to [610 - 'ch' chamesh me'ot/500, a'yin/eser/10, mem/me'ah/100], so we have 613 mitzvoth and Ruth says, 'Your people are my people, and Your God my God', she is referring to the whole Torah.
'For where you go, I will go' - That is to say, 'Don't think that the purpose of my journeying [with you] is different from your reason for going there, [which is] so that you can fulfill the mitzvot that are tied to the Land, for Torah and for mitzvot whereas I [Ruth] am going for some other purpose...do not think I hope for some temporary success that I will marry a rich man or the like...I already have studied the Torah of your God and the customs of your people, and I am like one of you."
'To abandon you, to turn away from you' - and you alone, but not from God, even if I were to go away from you.
ספרי על ספר דברים, פרשת וזאת הברכה, שמג
כשנגלה הקדוש ברוך הוא ליתן תורה לישראל, לא על ישראל בלבד הוא נגלה אלא על כל האומות.
תחילה הלך אצל בני עשיו, אמר להם: מקבלים אתם את התורה? אמרו לו: מה כתוב בה? אמר להם: 'לא תרצח'. אמרו: כל עצמם של אותם האנשים ואביהם רוצח הוא...
הלך אצל בני עמון ומואב, אמר להם: מקבלים אתם את התורה? אמרו לו: מה כתוב בה? אמר להם: 'לא תנאף'. אמרו לו: כל עצמה של ערווה - להם היא...
הלך אצל בני ישמעאל, אמר להם: מקבלים אתם את התורה? אמרו לו: מה כתוב בה? אמר להם: 'לא תגנוב'. אמרו לו: כל עצמם אביהם ליסטים היה...
וכן לכל אומה ואומה שאל להם אם מקבלים את התורה... לא דיים שלא שמעו אלא אפילו שבע מצוות שקיבלו עליהם בני נח לא יכלו לעמוד בהם, עד שפרקום.
כיון שראה הקדוש ברוך הוא כך, נתנם לישראל.
Sefri on Devarim, Parshat V'Zot HaBracha 343
When the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself to give the Torah to Israel, He did not only reveal himself to Israel, rather he revealed to all the nations. First He went to the children of Esau and said to them, "Will you receive the Torah?" They said, "What is written in it?" He said, "You shall not murder." They replied, "This is the inheritance which our father left us ..." He then revealed Himself to the children of Amon and of Moab and asked them, "Will you accept the Torah?" They responded, "What is written in it?" He said, "You shall not commit adultery." They replied, "We all spring from an adulterer ... "Then He revealed Himself to the children of Ishmael and said, "Will you receive the Torah?" They responded, "What is written in it? He said, "You shall not steal." They demurred saying, "Our father was destined to be a robber ... " Finally, when God came to Israel they all proclaimed together, "All that the Lord has said we will do whatever we are commanded." (loose translation)
The essence of receiving the Torah is that Israel's souls were drawn near to their own 'place' and source, as in [the verses:] 'Face to face the Lord spoke to you' (Deut 5:4) and 'I am the Lord your God'. (Ex 20:2), when each one saw and understood the divine power that God had placed within each soul of Israel.
On Shavuot there are two sorts of drawing near. The hearts of Israel draw near to God, and the Ever-present draws close to Israel. These two forms of closeness are the two loaves that are waved on this day...God, in the Torah, delights in the closeness of Israel's hearts to heaven, so there this day is called 'the day of offering the first fruits.'
(ו) דבר אחר: וידבר אלקים את כל הדברים האלה לאמר אמר רבי יצחק: מה שהנביאים עתידים להתנבאות בכל דור ודור, קבלו מהר סיני, שכן משה אומר להם לישראל (דברים כט): כי את אשר ישנו פה עמנו עומד היום ואת אשר איננו פה עמנו היום. עמנו עומד היום אין כתיב כאן, אלא עמנו היום, אלו הנשמות העתידות להבראות, שאין בהם ממש, שלא נאמרה בהם עמידה, שאע"פ שלא היו באותה שעה, כל אחד ואחד קבל את שלו.
(6) As Moshe said to Israel (Deuteronomy 29:14), 'But with those here with us standing today and with those not here with us today.' It is not written [in the end of the verse], 'with us standing today,' but rather, 'with us today:' these are the souls that will be created in the future, that do not have substance, about which standing is not said. As even if they were not [existing] at that time, each and every one of them received that which was his."
כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם. תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ: עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ. וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר: דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם:
I give you good counsel; forsake not My Torah.
It is a Tree of Life to them that hold fast to it, and everyone who upholds it is happy.
It's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.