(א) וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ שְׁפֹ֣ט הַשֹּׁפְטִ֔ים וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ אִ֜ישׁ מִבֵּ֧ית לֶ֣חֶם יְהוּדָ֗ה לָגוּר֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב ה֥וּא וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנָֽיו׃ (ב) וְשֵׁ֣ם הָאִ֣ישׁ אֱֽלִימֶ֡לֶךְ וְשֵׁם֩ אִשְׁתּ֨וֹ נָעֳמִ֜י וְשֵׁ֥ם שְׁנֵֽי־בָנָ֣יו ׀ מַחְל֤וֹן וְכִלְיוֹן֙ אֶפְרָתִ֔ים מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֖חֶם יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ שְׂדֵי־מוֹאָ֖ב וַיִּֽהְיוּ־שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיָּ֥מָת אֱלִימֶ֖לֶךְ אִ֣ישׁ נָעֳמִ֑י וַתִּשָּׁאֵ֥ר הִ֖יא וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנֶֽיהָ׃ (ד) וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ לָהֶ֗ם נָשִׁים֙ מֹֽאֲבִיּ֔וֹת שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָרְפָּ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית ר֑וּת וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָׁ֖ם כְּעֶ֥שֶׂר שָׁנִֽים׃ (ה) וַיָּמ֥וּתוּ גַם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם מַחְל֣וֹן וְכִלְי֑וֹן וַתִּשָּׁאֵר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה מִשְּׁנֵ֥י יְלָדֶ֖יהָ וּמֵאִישָֽׁהּ׃
(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.
Why is the word Ish repeated so many times?
Why is the word Shem repeated so many times?
What can we learn about this book based on these five opening verses and the repetition of these two words?
Study Guide by Noam Zion
(a) Beit Lehem is ironically the home of the famine. It is a barren house (beit) contrasted with a field (sdei Moav)
(b) Mo-av is ironically about descendants of a father, yet here the three potential fathers of Ruth 1 all die leaving no descendants.
(c) Naomi is sweetness, but ironically her trajectory in life so far is bitterness. So she renames herself to fit the plot of her life as she reads it – Mara (Ruth 1:20). The Rabbis explicated her name by her moral qualities – “Her actions were beautiful and pleasant” (Ruth Rabbah 1).
(d) Eli-Melech means “my God is king” yet ironically God is absent and there is no king in Israel and Eli-Melech shows no leadership abilities and his decision to emigrate does not contribute to his family’s survival or his people’s well-being. The midrash of Ruth Rabbah suggests that Elimelech was a ruler, a leader that betrays his flock, however it is also a hint that from him will come a king –David.
(e) David’s grandfather is called Oved, servant of God, which is also the honorific appellation for David - “God chose David, his personal servant” (Psalm 78:70) reflecting the religious commitment of his parents Ruth and Boaz who refer to God throughout the Megillah.
(f) Mahlon and Chilyon – disease and destruction – are not long for this world, just as Hevel was transitory like breath. (Judah’s two sons – Er = ariri, childless and Onan = mourning also died childless one after the other leaving Tamar in need of yibum).
(g) Orpah will turn away as hinted by the back of her neck.2
(h) Ruth is an elusive term that keeps the reader guessing. What might Ruth mean?
Rivayah – overflowing abundance, wet and fresh, satisfied and full? Reut- friendship? (Syriac Christian translation suggests Reut).
(ד)....למה נענש אלימלך? ע"י שהפיל ליבן של ישראל עליהם. לבוליטין שהיה שרוי במדינה, והיו בני המדינה סבורין עליו ואומרים, שאם יבואו שני בצורת והוא יכול לספק את המדינה עשר שנים מזון. כיון שבאת שנת בצורת יצתה לה שפחתו מעילת בסידקי וקופתה בידה. והיו בני המדינה אומרים: זהו שהיינו בטוחים עליו שאם תבא בצורת הוא יכול לפרנס אותנו עשר שנים, והרי שפחתו עומדת בסידקי וקופתה בידה. כך אלימלך היה מגדולי המדינה ומפרנסי הדור, וכשבאו שני רעבון אמר עכשיו כל ישראל מסבבין פתחי, זה בקופתו וזה בקופתו. עמד וברח לו מפניהם הדא הוא דכתיב: וילך איש מבית לחם יהודה:
“Why was Elimelech punished? Because he struck despair into the hearts of Israel. He was like a prominent and prosperous man who dwelt in a certain country and the people for that country depended on
him and said that if famine should come, he could supply the whole country with food for ten years.
So Elimelech was a notable of his town and a leader of the generation. But when the famine came, he said, ‘Now all Israel will come knocking at my door for help, each one with a basket.’ Therefore he fled from them. This is the meaning of the verse in Ruth 1:1 “An ish/ prominent man of the House of Bread in Judah went to live in the fields of Moav” . (Ruth Rabbah 1:4).
(ב) וילך איש . עשיר גדול היה ופרנס הדור ויצא מארץ ישראל לחוצה לארץ מפני צרות העין שהיתה עינו צרה בעניי' הבאים לדוחקו לכך נענש :
and a man went: He was very wealthy, and the leader of the generation. He left the Land of Israel for regions outside the Land because of stinginess, for he begrudged the poor who came to press him; therefore he was punished.