Ruth Chapter 2

He thought that she was a married woman. Perhaps he asked the young man because he saw that her dress was like the dress of her country. Also, [people's] appearances are different because of the climate.

(1) To whom does this maiden belong. Was it the practice of Bo’az to inquire about women? Rather, [because] he saw her modest and wise behavior [he was curious about her. He observed that] two ears she would glean but three she would not glean; and she would glean the standing ears while standing and the lying ones while sitting, in order to avoid bending over.

(3) Boaz answered and said to her: It has been told [huged hugad] to me.” Why [is the term “told” stated] twice; “huged hugad to me”? I have been told [what you have done] in the house and I have been told [what you have done] in the field. “Everything that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband,” and, it goes without saying, during the life of your husband. “And you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth,” – your country.

At first, [Naomi] blessed him for not having abandoned his kindness to the living, because she understood that [Boaz] did this [gave Ruth food] to support Naomi and Ruth in a dignified manner... "And from the dead." For she understood that he also would do kindness with the dead by doing yibbum, for with this he would do kindness to the dead soul.

"He also said to me, 'With the lads that are mine you should cleave." Truly he said to her, "And so, you shall cleave to my young women." But because she was a Moabite, and there they do not distance themselves from the young men, she did not understand to be precise with his words, and she thought that his intention was that she should cleave to his men. [This was] because the lads were primary for her and she thought that one of them would marry her. And for that she is called a Moabite, because a daughter of Israel would understand... the words of Boaz when he said "with my young women"