Why Do We Read Rut on Shavuot?

(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 if anything but death parts me from you.”

When Naomi set out to return to Eretz Yisrael, Ruth insisted on joining her. The Gemara understands this to mean that Ruth wished to convert. Naomi attempted to dissuade her, but Ruth persisted. The verse states that once Naomi saw Ruth’s resolve to convert, she desisted from her attempts to dissuade her. The Gemara infers from here that the same approach should be taken by a court in all cases of conversion. The Gemara reconstructs the original dialogue in which Naomi attempted to dissuade Ruth from converting:

Naomi said to her: On Shabbat, it is prohibited for us to go beyond the Shabbat limit.

Ruth responded: “Where you go, I shall go” (Ruth 1:16), and no further.

Naomi said to her: It is forbidden for us to be alone together with a man with whom it is forbidden to engage in relations.

Ruth responded: “Where you lodge, I shall lodge” (Ruth 1:16), and in the same manner.

Naomi said to her: We are commanded to observe six hundred and thirteen mitzvot.

Ruth responded: “Your people are my people” (Ruth 1:16).

Naomi said to her: Idolatrous worship is forbidden to us.

Ruth responded: “Your God is my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Naomi said to her: Four types of capital punishment were handed over to a court with which to punish those who transgress the mitzvot.

Ruth responded: “Where you die, I shall die” (Ruth 1:17).

Naomi said to her: Two burial grounds were handed over to the court, one for those executed for more severe crimes and another for those executed for less severe crimes.

Ruth responded: “And there I shall be buried” (Ruth 1:17).

Immediately following this dialogue, the verse states: “And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded she left off speaking with her” (Ruth 1:18). Once Naomi saw Ruth’s resolve to convert, she desisted from her attempts to dissuade her.

(1) How do we accept righteous converts?

A. When one comes to convert from being a Gentile and they examine him and they do not find any ulterior motive,

they say to him: What did you see that made you want to convert? Don't you know that Israel in these times is rejected, swept away, disturbed, and afflictions come on them. (in other words- are you sane?) If he says, "I know, and I am not worthy" they accept him immediately.

(2) And they inform him of the main principles of the religion, which is the unification of God's name, and the prohibition of idol worship, and they dwell at length on this matter. And they inform him of some of the lenient commandments, and some of the stringent commandments. And they do not dwell at length on this.

And they let him know the sin of “gatherings” “forgotten sheaves” “corners of the field” and “second tithe.”

And they tell him of the punishments for not keeping the commandments. How so? They say to him: Know that before this point, if you ate forbidden fate, you would not be punished with karet, if you broke Shabbat, you would not be punished by being stoned. But now, after you have converted, if you eat forbidden fat you will be punished with karet, if you break Shabbat, you will be punished by being stoned. And they do not dwell at length on this, nor do they go into detail, lest this causes him to be troubled and turn away from the good path to the evil path. For at the beginning we do not draw a person except with words of appeasement and gentleness. I drew them with human ties, with cords of love.

(7) Then he took the record of the covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will listen!”

(6) Variantly: "And He said: The L-rd came from Sinai": When the L-rd appeared to give Torah to Israel, it is not to Israel alone that He appeared, but to all of the nations.

First He went to the children of Esav, and He asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not kill" (Shemoth 20:13). They answered: The entire essence of our father is murder, as it is written (Bereshith 27:22) "And the hands are the hands of Esav." And it is with this that his father assured him (Ibid. 27:40) "And by your sword shall you live."

He then went to the children of Ammon and Moav and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered "You shall not commit adultery." They answered: L-rd of the Universe, ervah (illicit relations) is our entire essence, as it is written (Ibid. 19:36) "And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father."

He then went and found the children of Yishmael and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not steal" (Shemoth, Ibid.) They answered: L-rd of the Universe, our father's entire essence is stealing, viz. (Bereshith 16:12) "And he (Yishmael) shall be a wild man, his hand against all."

There was none among all of the nations to whom He did not go and speak and knock at their door, asking if they would accept the Torah...