~Harold Fisch, “Ruth and the Structure of Covenant History”
The book ends with lineage:
"So Boaz married Ruth; she became his wife, and he cohabited with her. Adonai let her conceive, and she bore a son. And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Adonai, who has not withheld a redeemer from you today! May his name be perpetuated in Israel! He will renew your life and sustain your old age; for he is born of your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons.” Naomi took the child and held it to her bosom. She became its foster mother, and the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi!” They named him Obed; he was the father of Jesse, father of David. This is the line of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, Hezron begot Ram, Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, Nahshon begot Salmon, Salmon begot Boaz, Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David."
It is important to note that it was Tamar and Judah who begot Perez.
Naomi is the granddaughter of Nachshon ben Amminadab.
She is a righteous woman, and through her Israel was blessed throughout the generations. By her merit, say the rabbis, King David and the Messiah will be born. Her leaving Moab is compared with Jacob leaving Beersheva, "The great one in the city is its splendor . . . if the great one left, the splendor departed." Ruth Rabbah 2:12. According to Ruth Rabbah 6:4, Boaz was blessed with a child only after Naomi prayed for him. See JWA.org Naomi: Midrash and Aggadah
The Gemara provides a mnemonic for the ensuing statements that Rav Ḥanan bar Rava said that Rav said: Melech; Abraham; ten years; when he died; and He alone was exalted.
Rav Ḥanan bar Rava says that Rav says: With regard to Elimelech, and Boaz’s father, Salmon, and So-and-so, the unnamed relative who was a closer relative to Elimelech than Boaz (Ruth 4:1), and Naomi’s father, all of these are descendants of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, the head of the tribe of Judah (see Ruth 4:20–21 and Numbers 2:3).
The Gemara asks: What is he teaching us by this statement? He is teaching that even in the case of one who has the merit of his ancestors to protect him, this merit does not stand for him when he leaves Eretz Yisrael to go outside of Eretz Yisrael, as Elimelech died on account of this sin.
וְכֵן הָיָה רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי אוֹמֵר אֱלִימֶלֶךְ מַחְלוֹן וְכִלְיוֹן גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר הָיוּ וּפַרְנְסֵי הַדּוֹר הָיוּ וּמִפְּנֵי מָה נֶעְנְשׁוּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מֵאָרֶץ לְחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַתֵּהֹם כׇּל הָעִיר עֲלֵיהֶן וַתֹּאמַרְנָה הֲזֹאת נׇעֳמִי מַאי הֲזֹאת נָעֳמִי אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמְרוּ חֲזִיתֶם נָעֳמִי שֶׁיָּצָאת מֵאָרֶץ לְחוּץ לָאָרֶץ מָה עָלְתָה לָהּ
And Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai would likewise say: Elimelech and his sons Mahlon and Chilion were prominent members of their generation and were leaders of their generation. And for what reason were they punished? They were punished because they left Eretz Yisrael to go outside of Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated concerning Naomi and Ruth: “And all the city was astir concerning them, and the women said: Is this Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the phrase: “Is this Naomi”? How does this indicate that her husband and sons were punished for leaving Eretz Yisrael? Rabbi Yitzḥak says that the women said: Have you seen what befell Naomi, who left Eretz Yisrael for outside of Eretz Yisrael? Not only did she not escape tribulations there, but she lost her status entirely.
- There was a famine in the Land of Israel when the wealthy Elimelech and Naomi chose to leave.
- Naomi's husband and both of her sons died.
- If Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth family stories, what stories might she have told her?
- Is there anything about Ruth that might remind Naomi of her grandfather?
- This story takes place in the period just after Joshua died. How might that inform the decision to leave the Land of Israel during a famine, and the reaction of the people who stayed?
- What is the significance of Naomi leaving the Land and then returning to it?
". . . . one Bethlehemite who had the courage to be different, to break the mold. Boaz the son of Salmon was his name, a well-to-do middle-aged landowner. He alone takes note of the poor, despised Moabite widow, and does something about it (Babylonian Talmud Tractate Shabbat page 113b). He welcomes her to glean in his field. He defends her from those who would do her harm. He offers her food and drink, and they sit and eat together. During the meal, he speaks kindly to her and praises her fidelity to her mother-in-law. Afterward, he tells his field hands to purposely leave behind some sheaves so that her gleaning will provide an adequate amount of food to bring home. At his behest, throughout the barley and the wheat harvest, she gleans only in his fields (Ruth 2:4-16). Ruth is uplifted, saved from humiliation, and she and Naomi are rescued from starvation.
This is how and this is where redemption begins.
Boaz was somehow able to see an individual human being created in God’s image where others saw just the undifferentiated, dark, grey mass of the enemy. He was somehow able to overcome centuries of animosity, stereotypes, prejudice, and taboos and to simply appreciate and connect to the hunger, the pain, and the goodness of a lonely alienated and despised stranger. He had the courage to be kind where others were cruel.
According to rabbinic lore, Boaz was able to muster the courage to be different because he trusted in God. He opened himself up, allowing God to place in his heart a blessing for Ruth rather than a curse. Social and religious norms were subverted by God’s righteousness working through him (Midrash Ruth Raba 6:1). If you will, he acted prophetically. He did the right thing while all those around him were telling him that it was the wrong thing. He was able to feel and to implement the full import of the Torah’s commands not to vex the stranger and to behave lovingly towards [them] (Leviticus 19:33; Midrash Lekach Tov on Ruth 2:9) while others all around him preached with certainty that the commandment does not apply to the despicable Moabites.
Boaz clearly violated custom and communal norms but didn’t he also violate the law of the Torah? The Book of Deuteronomy says in no uncertain terms never to take any steps to benefit the People of Moab.
Here we come to a difference of opinion among rabbinic homilies. At a certain point in time, the rabbis radically reinterpreted the biblical verses in a fashion that made them inapplicable to the case of Ruth. The question is – when did this innovation occur? Some say that it occurred prior to the meeting between Ruth and Boaz, but was not widely known or accepted (Midrash Ruth Raba 7:7; Pesikta D‘Rav Kahana 16:1). According to this approach, Boaz was an early adopter, a great moral trailblazer, but not a rebel.
However this approach appears to me to be inadequate, for it begs the question – why was the law re-interpreted at this particular point in history such that it just so happened to allow the relationship between Boaz and Ruth? A more logical and comprehensive understanding – although also more challenging – would appear to be that of the Babylonian Talmud which claims that Boaz himself led the charge to change the law, inspired by the transformative experience of his encounter with Ruth (Babylonian Talmud Tractate Ketubot 7b)!
(18) This is the line of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, (19) Hezron begot Ram, Ram begot Amminadab, (20) Amminadab begot Nahshon, Nahshon begot Salmon, (21) Salmon begot Boaz, Boaz begot Obed, (22) Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/naomi-midrash-and-aggadah
About Judge Ibzan, it is taught that all of his sixty children died during his lifetime because he did not invite Manoah, Samson's father, to any of the marriage festivities in his house because Manoah did not have children. Baba Batra 91a explains that Boaz thought that he need not invite a childless man who could not pay him back in kind (B. B. 91a).
- Right away, Boaz sees something in Ruth while she is gleaning and takes note.
- Boaz is the grandchild of Nachshon.
- Boaz has a lot of social power and a lot of social standing. He came through the famine in the Land and is wealthy.
- How might Boaz's own family tragedies inform his response to Ruth and Naomi?
- Rabbi Schlesinger called his article The Scroll of Boaz. Why might it matter to Boaz that this book is called The Book of Ruth?
- The rabbis think that Boaz was about 80 when he and Ruth met. How does that inform his choices and his actions?
- What if Boaz didn't die on the night of his wedding? What are the possibilities of what the relationship might have been between Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi?
(ל) וַיַּעַל֩ ל֨וֹט מִצּ֜וֹעַר וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב בָּהָ֗ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤י בְנֹתָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א לָשֶׁ֣בֶת בְּצ֑וֹעַר וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ בַּמְּעָרָ֔ה ה֖וּא וּשְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֹתָֽיו׃ (לא) וַתֹּ֧אמֶר הַבְּכִירָ֛ה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָ֖ה אָבִ֣ינוּ זָקֵ֑ן וְאִ֨ישׁ אֵ֤ין בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ לָב֣וֹא עָלֵ֔ינוּ כְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (לב) לְכָ֨ה נַשְׁקֶ֧ה אֶת־אָבִ֛ינוּ יַ֖יִן וְנִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה עִמּ֑וֹ וּנְחַיֶּ֥ה מֵאָבִ֖ינוּ זָֽרַע׃ (לג) וַתַּשְׁקֶ֧יןָ אֶת־אֲבִיהֶ֛ן יַ֖יִן בַּלַּ֣יְלָה ה֑וּא וַתָּבֹ֤א הַבְּכִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב אֶת־אָבִ֔יהָ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע בְּשִׁכְבָ֖הּ וּבְקׄוּמָֽהּ׃ (לד) וַֽיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַתֹּ֤אמֶר הַבְּכִירָה֙ אֶל־הַצְּעִירָ֔ה הֵן־שָׁכַ֥בְתִּי אֶ֖מֶשׁ אֶת־אָבִ֑י נַשְׁקֶ֨נּוּ יַ֜יִן גַּם־הַלַּ֗יְלָה וּבֹ֙אִי֙ שִׁכְבִ֣י עִמּ֔וֹ וּנְחַיֶּ֥ה מֵאָבִ֖ינוּ זָֽרַע׃ (לה) וַתַּשְׁקֶ֜יןָ גַּ֣ם בַּלַּ֧יְלָה הַה֛וּא אֶת־אֲבִיהֶ֖ן יָ֑יִן וַתָּ֤קָם הַצְּעִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב עִמּ֔וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע בְּשִׁכְבָ֖הּ וּבְקֻמָֽהּ׃ (לו) וַֽתַּהֲרֶ֛יןָ שְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֽוֹת־ל֖וֹט מֵאֲבִיהֶֽן׃ (לז) וַתֵּ֤לֶד הַבְּכִירָה֙ בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ מוֹאָ֑ב ה֥וּא אֲבִֽי־מוֹאָ֖ב עַד־הַיּֽוֹם׃
(30) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. (31) And the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth. (32) Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ (33) And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (34) And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto the younger: ‘Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.’ (35) And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (36) Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. (37) And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab—the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
(ד) לֹֽא־יָבֹ֧א עַמּוֹנִ֛י וּמוֹאָבִ֖י בִּקְהַ֣ל ה' גַּ֚ם דּ֣וֹר עֲשִׂירִ֔י לֹא־יָבֹ֥א לָהֶ֛ם בִּקְהַ֥ל ה' עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃ (ה) עַל־דְּבַ֞ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־קִדְּמ֤וּ אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּלֶּ֣חֶם וּבַמַּ֔יִם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֣ם מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַאֲשֶׁר֩ שָׂכַ֨ר עָלֶ֜יךָ אֶת־בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּע֗וֹר מִפְּת֛וֹר אֲרַ֥ם נַהֲרַ֖יִם לְקַֽלְלֶֽךָּ׃ (ו) וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֞ה ה' אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ֩ ה' אֱלֹהֶ֧יךָ לְּךָ֛ אֶת־הַקְּלָלָ֖ה לִבְרָכָ֑ה כִּ֥י אֲהֵֽבְךָ֖ ה' אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (ז) לֹא־תִדְרֹ֥שׁ שְׁלֹמָ֖ם וְטֹבָתָ֑ם כָּל־יָמֶ֖יךָ לְעוֹלָֽם׃ (ס)
(4) An Ammonite or a Moabite may not enter into the assembly of Adonai; even to the tenth generation - none of them may enter into the assembly of Adonai for ever;
WHY NOT?
(5) because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when you came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse you. (6) But Adonai wouldn't listen to Balaam; Adonai your God turned the curse into a blessing because Adonai your God loved you. (7) You will not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days for ever.
"They married Moabite women (Ruth 1:4)": The tannaim taught in the name of Rabbi Meir that they did not convert them nor did they immerse them and the new halakhah has not been made and they were not unpunished on account of them: [the halakhah being] Ammonite and not Ammonitess; Moabite and not Moabitess. "The name of the one was Orpah" because she turned her back (oref) on her mother-in-law. "The name of the other was Ruth" because she looked (ra'atah) to the words of her mother-in-law. Rabbi Beivai in the name of Rabbi Reuben said: "Ruth and Orpah were the daughters of Eglon, as it is said: "I have a secret message for you.” The king thereupon commanded, “Silence!” (Judges 3:19)". And it is written: "and when Ehud approached him...Ehud said, “I have a message for you from God”; whereupon he rose from his seat. (Judges 3:20)", and he said to him: "The Holy One, blessed be He said: "You stood from your throne for my glory, as you live I will cause to rise from you a son sitting on the throne of Hashem"". "And they lived there about ten years": like 30 or 40, more or less.
וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה אֶל נָעֳמִי אֵלְכָה נָּא הַשָֹּׂדֶה וַאֲלַקֳּטָה בַשִׁבֳּלִים אַחַר אֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינָיו (רות ב, ב), רַבִּי יַנַּאי אָמַר בַּת אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה הָיְתָה, וְאֵין קוֹרְאִין בַּת אֶלָּא לְבַת אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה. (רות ב, ג): וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא, עַד כַּדּוּן לָא אֲזַלַת וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ וַתָּבוֹא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּרַבִּי סִימוֹן אָמַר הִתְחִילָה מְסַיֶּמֶת לְפָנֶיהָ הַדְּרָכִים. (רות ב, ג): וַיִּקֶר מִקְרֶהָ, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן כָּל הָרוֹאֶה אוֹתָהּ מֵרִיק קֶרִי. (רות ב, ג): חֶלְקַת הַשָֹּׂדֶה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ, שֶׁנִּתַּן לָהּ מִמִּי שֶׁהוּא רָאוּי לִפֹּל בְּחֶלְקָהּ.
"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi: 'Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find favor (Ruth 2:2)". Rabbi Yannai said "she was forty years old ("a daughter of forty years") and they did not call her a "daughter" but rather "a daughter of forty years".
As was noted above, according to Zohar Hadash on Ruth 79a, Chilion gave Ruth her name; this was not her original name, and therefore is Hebrew and not Moabite.
Ruth Rabbah (2:9) accentuates her loyalty to Naomi: “[She was named] Ruth, because she saw [ra’atah, i.e., heeded] the words of her mother-in-law.”
BT Berakhot 7b stresses her importance as the progenitor of David: “Ruth—what is the meaning of Ruth? R. Johanan said: Because she merited to have issue from her David, who saturated [she-rivahu] God with song and praises.”
Ruth Zuta (1:2) examines Ruth’s religious character, as a God-fearing woman who decided to convert: “[She was named] Ruth, because she would shake with fear [meratetet] at transgression, to do the will of her father in Heaven.”
All these suggestions indicate the exceedingly positive manner in which the Rabbis perceived Ruth.
https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/ruth-midrash-and-aggadah
(יד) אמר רבי זעירא מגילה זו אין בה לא טומאה ולא טהרה, ולא איסור ולא היתר. ולמה נכתבה? ללמדך כמה שכר טוב לגומלי חסדים.
(14)Rabbi Zeira says, "This scroll does not have anything in it concerned with impurity or purity nor what is forbidden and what is permitted. So why is it written? To teach us the greatness of the reward for acts of lovingkindness (chasadim)."
~Frederic Bush, Ruth/Esther, Word Biblical Commentary 9 (Word Books, 1996), 30
"Meanwhile, Boaz had gone to the gate and sat down there. And now the redeemer whom Boaz had mentioned passed by. He called, “Come over and sit down here, So-and-so!” And he came over and sat down (Ruth 4:1)": so was he waiting behind there and then he appeared? Rabbi Samuel the son of Nachman said: "Even if he was at the ends of the earth, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have flown him and brought him there so that a righteous man would not be upset sitting there". Rabbi Berachya: "So expounded the two great men of the world, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua: Rabbi Eliezer said: "Boaz made his thing and Ruth did her thing, and Naomi did her thing, and the Holy One, blessed be He said: "So I will do my thing". And he said "Hey, so and so, go there". Rabbi Joshua said: his name was Ploni Almoni ("so and so")". Rabbi Samuel the son of Nachman said that he was ignorant of the words of the Torah. He said: "the first ones did not die but rather because they took her and I am going to go and take her? I certainly am not going to take her. I will not pollute my seed and I am not going to create unfitness for my children". And he did not know that the halakhah had been changed "Ammonite and not Ammonitess; Moabite and not Moabitess".
וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ שְׁפֹ֣ט הַשֹּׁפְטִ֔ים וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ אִ֜ישׁ מִבֵּ֧ית לֶ֣חֶם יְהוּדָ֗ה לָגוּר֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב ה֥וּא וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנָֽיו׃
She started out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab; for in the country of Moab she had heard that Adonai had taken note of God's people and given them food.
But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Turn back, each of you to her mother’s house. May Adonai deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me!
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may Adonai do to me-b if anything but death parts me from you.”
וַתֵּלַ֣כְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶ֔ם עַד־בּוֹאָ֖נָה בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם
and the two went on until they reached Bethlehem.