(9) And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field, neither shall you gather the gleaning of your harvest. (10) And you shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
These verses describe Levirite Marriage:
(5) If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her. (6) And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel.
These verses describe Chalitza:
(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!
(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;
R. Joseph Soloveitchik, 1956, translated by David Z. Gordon
Classic text of religious Zionist philosophy
The formula for conversion in the Book of Ruth contains these two aspects, and their essence lies in the four final words of Ruth to Naomi: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16, emphasis added).
What "natural" reasons might such a young woman have for leaving her birthplace? Surely there is nothing advantageous in Ruth's clinging to Naomi. Everything socially rational is on the side of Ruth's remaining in her own country...But even if Ruth happened to think beyond exigency-even if she were exceptional in reaching past common sense toward ideal conduct- she need not have thought in the framework of the largest cosmic questions...
...here is what Ruth might have replied:
Mother in law, I am used to living in your household, and have become accustomed to the ways of your family. I would no longer feel at home if I resumed the ways of my own people. After all, during the ten years or so I was married to your son, haven't I flourished under your influence? I was so young when I came into your family that it was you who completed my upbringing. It isn't for nothing that you call me daughter. So let me go with you.
Mother in law, you are heavier in years than I and along in a strange place, whereas I am stalwart and not likely to be alone for long. Surely I will have a second chance, just as you predict, but you - how helpless you are, how unprotected! If I stayed home in Moab, I would be looking after my own interests, as you recommend, but do you think I can all of a sudden stop feeling for you, just like that? No, don't expect me to abandon you - who knows what can happen to a woman of your years all by herself on the road? And what prospects can there be for you, after all this long time away, in Bethlehem? It's true I'll seem a little odd in your country, but I'd much rather endure a little oddness in Bethlehem than lose you forever, not knowing what's to become of you. Let me go and watch over you.
...Your God shall be my God: Ruth's story is kindled into the Book of Ruth by the presence of God on Ruth's lips, and her act is far, far more than a ringing embrace of Naomi, and far, far more than the simple acculturation it resembles. Ruth leaves Moab because she intends to leave childish ideas behind. She is drawn to Israel because Israel is the inheritor of the One Universal Creator.
by Merle Feld
From essay collection Reading Ruth: Contemporary Women Reclaim A Sacred Story
So much is contained in this moment at the crossroads. First, it seems like such a gift that Ruth recognizes this as a crossroads, that she sees it as a moment of choice, that she sees she has some power to exercise over her future. So much of the time we can't see that about our lives - that in a given moment lies the possibility for change, for taking control, for claiming one's life as one's own. And then Ruth is blessed with further vision: she discovers an organizing principle on which to base her choice. Until this moment on the road, we know nothing of the life she came from, nothing of her life with her husband or his family. We can only imagine what it is she has chosen. Her words are so full of love, animated by a tender yet powerful passion. She doesn't know what's in store for her if she returns to her mother's house, what's in store for her if she veers from that course to walk with Naomi. What she does know is that she cannot ignore the strength of her instinct.