Source sheet for Tikun Leil Shavuot - discussing the importance of character that we attain through learning Torah, including using Biblical figures such as Ruth to help us develop our kindness.
1)
רות רבה ב:יד
אמ"ר זעירא המגילה הזאת אין לה לא טומאה ולא טהרה לא איסור ולא היתר ולמה נכתבה ללמדך כמה מתן שכרן לגומלי חסדים.
1)
Rabbi Zeira says, “This scroll does not have content in it concerned with impurity or purity nor what is forbidden and what is permitted. So why was it written? To teach us the greatness of the reward for acts of lovingkindness.”
2)
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן וְשַׂמְתֶּם סַם תָּם נִמְשְׁלָה תּוֹרָה כְּסַם חַיִּים מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁהִכָּה אֶת בְּנוֹ מַכָּה גְּדוֹלָה וְהִנִּיחַ לוֹ רְטִיָּה עַל מַכָּתוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ בְּנִי כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁהָרְטִיָּה זוֹ עַל מַכָּתְךָ אֱכוֹל מַה שֶּׁהֲנָאָתֶךָ וּשְׁתֵה מַה שֶּׁהֲנָאָתֶךָ וּרְחוֹץ בֵּין בְּחַמִּין בֵּין בְּצוֹנֵן וְאֵין אַתָּה מִתְיָירֵא וְאִם אַתָּה מַעֲבִירָהּ הֲרֵי הִיא מַעֲלָה נוֹמֵי כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּנַי בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין וְאִם אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה אֵין אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִים בְּיָדוֹ
2)
The Sages taught: “And you shall place [vesamtem] these words of Mine in your hearts” (Deuteronomy 11:18). Read this as though it stated sam tam, a perfect elixir. The Torah is compared to an elixir of life. There is a parable that illustrates this: A person hit his son with a strong blow and placed a bandage on his wound. And he said to him: My son, as long as this bandage is on your wound and is healing you, eat what you enjoy and drink what you enjoy, and bathe in either hot water or cold water, and you do not need to be afraid, as it will heal your wound. But if you take it off, the wound will become gangrenous. So too the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, I created an evil inclination, which is the wound, and I created Torah as its antidote. If you are engaged in Torah study you will not be given over into the hand of the evil inclination, as it is stated: “If you do well, shall it not be lifted up?” (Genesis 4:7). One who engages in Torah study lifts himself above the evil inclination.
3)
ואתה יודע שתיקון המדות הוא רפואת הנפש וכחותיה, וכמו שהרופא אשר ירפא הגופות צריך שידע תחילה הגוף אשר ירפאהו כלו וחלקיו מה הם, ר"ל גוף האדם, וצריך שידע איזה דברים יחלוהו וישמר מהם, ואיזה דברים יבריאוהו ויכון אליהם, כן רופא הנפש והרוצה לתקן המדות צריך שידע הנפש בכללה וחלקיה ומה יחלה אותה ומה יבריאה:
3)
Thou knowest that the improvement of the moral qualities is brought about by the healing of the soul and its activities. Therefore, just as the physician, who endeavors to cure the human body, must have a perfect knowledge of it in its entirety and its individual parts, just as he must know what causes sickness that it may be avoided, and must also be acquainted with the means by which a patient may be cured, so, likewise, he who tries to cure the soul, wishing to improve the moral qualities, must have a knowledge of the soul in its totality and its parts, must know how to prevent it from becoming diseased, and how to maintain its health.
3a)
Ruth: The Scroll of Kindness
R' Yosef Ze'ev Lipowitz, 2001
4)
רות רבה ב:ט
שֵׁם הָאַחַת עָרְפָּה, שֶׁהָפְכָה עֹרֶף לַחֲמוֹתָהּ. וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית רוּת, שֶׁרָאֲתָה בְּדִבְרֵי חֲמוֹתָהּ.
4)
“The name of one was Orpa,” because she turned her back [oref] to her mother-in-law. “And the name of the second was Ruth [Rut],” because she saw [ra’ata] truth in the words of her mother-in-law.
4b)
The Call of Sinai: A Deeper Look at Torah, The Omer and The Festival of Shavuos
Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein, 2019
5)
וּבַתִּקּוּנִים פֵּרְשׁוּ (בַּהַקְדָּמָה) "אֵיזֶה חָסִיד הַמִּתְחַסֵּד עִם קוֹנוֹ". לְפִי שֶׁגְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים צָרִיךְ שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן בָּהּ הַתִּקּוּן הָעֶלְיוֹן דֻּגְמָתוֹ, וְהוּא שֶׁגּוֹמֵל חֶסֶד עִם קוֹנוֹ.
5)
And in the Tikkunim (in the Introduction), they explained, "Who is [the] pious one (chasid)? One who is kindly (mitchased) with his Maker." [That is] since a person must intend, in the acts of kindness that he does with the lower ones (other people), the Highest reparation that is its model - and that is bestowing Kindness with his Maker.
6)
שפתי חיים- מועדים ג- קסה
זכו בועז ורות שהצתיינו כ"כ במעלת החסד במסירת שבודאי השרישו והורישו זאת לבניהם אחריהם
6)
Because Ruth (and Boaz) had an earnest quality of Chessed- toward Hashem and toward people- it was inevitable that their children would take after them in this Middah. Since he was a "child of Chessed," Dovid already had this great trait in him before he was even born. Dovid inherited the traits necessary to become king from his great-grandmother, Ruth.
7)
Though Ruth’s path included many undeniable difficulties, the eternal reward that she received far outweighs all the troubles that led her to them. Ruth left her family, left her heritage, left her wealth, left her identity, and clung to her mother-in-law, to Hashem and to her beliefs. There is no possible way to belittle these actions, except to maybe compare them to the ultimate goodness this brought into her world and ours.
Hashem blessed Ruth with a child who would help bring Dovid HaMelech and Moshiach into this world.
Hashem blessed Ruth with having her descendants follow in her pathways of Chessed and ideas, giving them their own merit.
Hashem blessed Ruth and her descendants with the ability to teach so many people about the importance of Chessed.
And Hashem blessed Ruth with the honor of having her Megillah read on Chag HaShavuout.