Ruth: The Torah of Hesed

(14) ...Rabbi Zeira says, "This scroll [of Ruth] does not have anything 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 hesed."

(4) No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of Hashem; none of their descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall ever be admitted into the congregation of Hashem, (5) because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt, and because they hired Balaam son of Beor, from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse you.

No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted [into the congregation of the Hashem] — i.e. he shall not marry an Israelite woman (Yevamot 77b).

(16) But Ruth replied [to Naomi], “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.”

(19) When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow—in order that Hashem your God may bless you in all your undertakings.

And overlook a sheaf — but not a stack of corn (Sifrei Devarim 283:1). Hence they said, “A sheaf that contains two Seahs of grain which one has forgotten in the field, does not come under the term of שכחה (a forgotten sheaf)” (Mishnah Peah 6:6).

In the field — [The redundancy of the word "field" is meant] to include forgotten standing corn, part of which one has forgotten to cut down (Sifrei Devarim 283:2).

In order that [Hashem your God] may bless you — Even though it came into his hand without him (the owner) intending it; it follows a fortiori that (he will certainly receive a blessing) if he does this intentionally! You must therefore say that if a Sela fell out of one’s hand and a poor man found it and supports himself by it, then he will surely be blessed on that account (Sifrei Devarim 283:6; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 5:17 end).

(8) Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen to me, daughter. Don’t go to glean in another field. Don’t go elsewhere, but stay here close to my girls. (9) Keep your eyes on the field they are reaping, and follow them. I have ordered the men not to molest you. And when you are thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of [the water] that the men have drawn.” (10) She prostrated herself with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why are you so kind as to single me out, when I am a foreigner?” (11) Boaz said in reply, “I have been told of all that you did for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you had not known before. (12) May Hashem reward your deeds. May you have a full recompense from Hashem, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge!” ... (14) At mealtime, Boaz said to her, “Come over here and partake of the meal, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” So she sat down beside the reapers. He handed her roasted grain, and she ate her fill and had some left over. (15) When she got up again to glean, Boaz gave orders to his workers, “You are not only to let her glean among the sheaves, without interference, (16) but you must also pull some [stalks] out of the heaps and leave them for her to glean, and not scold her.”

You must also pull some [stalks] out — you must forget. Pretend as though you are forgetting. The Targum for שְׁגָגָה [=oversight] is שְׁלוּתָא (Numbers 15:25) and similarly, “because of this error.” (II Samuel 6:7) Another explanation: as in “your olive tree will cast off.” (Deuteronomy 28:40)

(23) But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me. (24) Throughout the land that you hold, you must provide for the redemption of the land. (25) If your kinsman is in straits and has to sell part of his holding, his nearest redeemer [alt. a near redeemer; a redeemer who is his relative] shall come and redeem what his kinsman has sold.

(1) 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. (2) Then [Boaz] took ten elders of the town and said, “Be seated here”; and they sat down. (3) He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, now returned from the country of Moab, must sell the piece of land which belonged to our kinsman Elimelech. (4) I thought I should disclose the matter to you and say: Acquire it in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you are willing to redeem it, redeem! But if you will not redeem, tell me, that I may know. For there is no one to redeem but you, and I come after you.” “I am willing to redeem it,” he replied

(5) Boaz continued, “When you acquire the property from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you must also acquire the wife of the deceased, so as to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his estate.” (6) The redeemer replied, “Then I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own estate. You take over my right of redemption, for I am unable to exercise it.” (7) Now this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel. (8) So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Acquire for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. (9) And Boaz said to the elders and to the rest of the people, “You are witnesses today that I am acquiring from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. (10) I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, so as to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his estate, that the name of the deceased may not disappear from among his kinsmen and from the gate of his home town. You are witnesses today.”

Lest I impair my own estate — my offspring, as in “the inheritance of Hashem is children.” (Psalms 127:3) To give my offspring a stigma, for it is stated, “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter [into Adonoy’s community],” (Deuteronomy 23:4) but he erred [by not interpreting it as] “an Ammonite but not an Ammonitess.”

Lest I impair my own estate — He had a large estate. And some say it hints at his wife.