(1) AND IT came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem in Judah went to sojourn in the field of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. (2) And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem in Judah. And they came into the field of Moab, and continued there. (3) And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. (4) And they took them wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years. (5) And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband. (6) Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the field of Moab; for she had heard in the field of Moab how that the LORD had remembered His people in giving them bread. (7) And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. (8) And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law: ‘Go, return each of you to her mother’s house; the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. (9) The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.’ Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. (10) And they said unto her: ‘Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people.’ (11) And Naomi said: ‘Turn back, my daughters; why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? (12) Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say: I have hope, should I even have an husband to-night, and also bear sons; (13) would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye shut yourselves off for them and have no husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of the LORD is gone forth against me.’ (14) And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved unto her. (15) And she said: ‘Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god; return thou after thy sister-in-law.’ (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 thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me,and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’ (18) And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her. (19) So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was astir concerning them, and the women said: ‘Is this Naomi?’ (20) And she said unto them: ‘Call me not Naomi, call me Marah; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (21) I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me back home empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?’ (22) So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the field of Moab—and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
(1) And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her: ‘My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? (2) And now is there not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. (3) Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor; but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. (4) And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.’ (5) And she said unto her: ‘All that thou sayest unto me I will do.’ (6) And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her. (7) And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn; and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. (8) And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. (9) And he said: ‘Who art thou?’ And she answered: ‘I am Ruth thine handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.’ (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, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the men in the gate of my people do know that thou art a virtuous woman. (12) And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. (13) Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part; but if he be not willing to do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth; lie down until the morning.’ (14) And she lay at his feet until the morning; and she rose up before one could discern another. For he said: ‘Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.’ (15) And he said: ‘Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it’; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city. (16) And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said: ‘Who art thou, my daughter?’ And she told her all that the man had done to her. (17) And she said: ‘These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me: Go not empty unto thy mother-in-law.’ (18) Then said she: ‘Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.’
1) On your own, look at each of the characters in the story of Ruth. Think of three descriptive words or character traits (positive or negative) that come immediately to mind when thinking of the characters and write them down:
Ruth:
Orpah:
Elimelech:
Naomi:
Boaz:
Boaz's kinsman ("such a one"):
2) Take turns sharing traits of the different characters. If you hear a trait that you did not record, but that resonates with you, go ahead and add it to your list.
3) Middot: measures. Middot is a Hebrew term that evokes the idea of a character trait or a value. When cultivating a Jewish practice that calls upon the middot, we must look as individuals at the middot and do some inner work in order to make choices about which middot each of us need to cultivate (or to tone down). For instance, someone with low self esteem may need to work on incorporating confidence and balancing it with humility in a different way than someone with an enormous sense of self.
4) Look back at the middot that you have discerned in each of the characters in the story of Ruth. Which resonate as middot that you want to cultivate? Are there middot that balance each other in positive ways? Is there one or more characters in the story who epitomize a middah or middot that you want to cultivate?
5) Imagine yourself walking beside that character. Could you imagine turning to this ancestor as a spiritual guide?