Ruth · Chapter 3

"Rest" — for a woman has no rest until she is married. And the word "moda'tanu" (our kinsman) is an unusual form, and the tav is superfluous.

"And she said," etc. — One should consider: who does not know that her name was Naomi, and that she was [Ruth's] mother-in-law? And what purpose is there in telling us that she called her "my daughter"? There is no doubt that Samuel the Prophet, by his holy spirit, did not intend to write for us a multitude of words that serve no purpose for the narrative. Furthermore, his saying "halo" ["shall I not"/"behold"] seems to come to exclude something else, for it would have been more fitting to say, "And she said to her, behold, I will seek for you," etc. [without "halo"]. And likewise his saying "a resting place, that it may be well for you" — for as to one who has a resting place, who does not know that it will be well for her? However, [the explanation is this]: earlier, Naomi said to her daughters-in-law two blessings, one greater than the other. The first: that each should "build a house" [find a husband] in her mother's house, and there they would be blessed that Hashem should deal kindly (chesed) with them, as they had dealt with the dead. And greater than this, she blessed them that Hashem should grant them, and that they should "find rest, each in the house of her husband." And in these two blessings a diminution is hinted: in the blessing of their being in their mother's house, the heh is missing from the word "ya'aseh" ["He shall do"]; and in the blessing "a woman in the house of her husband," it is written "u-metza'an" ["and they shall find"] without a heh at the end of the word — to hint that only in one of them would each of these blessings be fulfilled, and she is Ruth, as discussed above. Now, at this point, after the completion of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest — when the days for distinguishing between seed and seed were completed, as is the law for every convert, which is three months — one sees that neither the blessing of "a woman in her mother's house" nor "the rest of a woman in her husband's house" had been fulfilled in her; rather, she was like a poor woman, storm-tossed, in her mother-in-law's house. There is no doubt that some troubling thought did not fail to arise in her heart. Therefore Naomi came to speak to her heart and to bring her second, greater blessing into actuality — namely, "Hashem shall grant you that you find rest," etc. And this is the point of the verses: "and she clung to the maidens of Boaz," etc., "until the completion of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest" — which are the three months, as discussed by our Sages of blessed memory, above. And instead of being "in her mother's house" as in the first blessing, or "in her husband's house" as in the second blessing — on the contrary, "she dwelt with her mother-in-law," and neither the one nor the other had been fulfilled in her. Therefore Naomi — pleasant (ne'imah) in her deeds — said to her, "My daughter" — meaning: if you are troubled about the first blessing, that of "a woman in her mother's house," whereas you are in your mother-in-law's house — this is nothing, for "my daughter" are you, since I converted you, and you are like a newborn child through me, all the more so now that you are a Jewess (Yehudit). But I do not wish this alone, but rather: "Shall I not seek for you a resting place, that it may be well for you" — the second blessing that I blessed you, namely, "that you find rest, a woman in the house of her husband." Or one may explain "And Naomi said to her," etc., by prefacing it with the statement of the Zohar, parashat Mishpatim, that the matter of yibbum (levirate marriage) is this: the first [husband] left a spirit from his spirit in his wife, and afterward, through the yibbum, from that spirit is formed the spirit of the fetus (ha-over) — and it is the first man himself. And that spirit churns within her innards (me'ah), and it has no rest except through the yavam (levir). We also wrote above, from the Kabbalists (lit. "the sages of truth"), that the matter of Boaz with Ruth was likewise similar to yibbum — for the spirit of Machlon was churning within her innards, and through Boaz, Oved was formed from that spirit — he is Machlon [reincarnated]. Furthermore, it is stated a second time in the Zohar there, that the first man who comes into the world through reincarnation (gilgul) is lost and diminished from his [former] standing, while his wife rises — for she who was his wife becomes his mother, for she rises while he descends. Now let us come to the matter: it is known from our Sages of blessed memory that she was called Naomi because she was pleasant (ne'imah) in her deeds. We also know that a mother-in-law is always found reluctant to do good for her daughter-in-law, and therefore [the Sages] disqualified her from testifying concerning her. With this, the meaning of the verse comes out correctly: "And Naomi said," etc. — this is to remove from the heart of a mistaken and deluded person [the thought] that he might say it was not out of love for Ruth that Naomi married her off to an extremely aged man, who died a day or two after taking her — and how much more so now, in a situation where she nearly came to disgrace and anger, since Naomi instructed her to lie at his feet. For one might therefore say that this was nothing but that she, too, had the way of women, namely, not wanting her daughter-in-law to be well-married after the death of her son, and that therefore she did this only so that her son's soul should find rest, by means of what resembled yibbum, to bring him back into the world; or [she did it] for the benefit of Boaz, a relative, to give him a righteous wife like her. Therefore the Holy Spirit came to establish us in the truth, and it states: "Va-tomer Naomi" ["And Naomi said"] — meaning that she, who is pleasant in her deeds, acted true to her name, even though she was a mother-in-law, whose way is not to pursue the benefit of her daughter-in-law. And this is: "And Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her" — and by this she instructed her, in the pleasantness of her words, by saying to her, "My daughter," etc. And one should also note precisely that there is a zakef gadol [a strong cantillation pause] on the word "my daughter" (beti), hinting to her, regarding her, with this title — meaning: "Let me not be in your eyes as though I am instructing you the way a mother-in-law does with a daughter-in-law, for you are not, in essence, my daughter-in-law, but my daughter" — meaning, since the spirit of my son is within you, you are considered as a daughter to me; why should I not seek your benefit? Yet it would still be possible to say that her main intent was for the benefit of her son, that he should come into the world, and not for Ruth's benefit, except that, incidentally, she too was benefited. Therefore it says to her, "Shall I not seek for you," etc. — meaning: the matter is not as it might have occurred to your mind, but rather: behold, all my aspiration and all my desire is that I seek for you rest from the spirit that churns within your innards, that you find rest from that suffering, for my main concern is for you. And indeed you shall see that this is so, for behold, it is that which will be good for you yourself even more than for my son — for behold, you rise through this match that I am seeking for you, more than my son [rises] — for you, who were his wife, will now become his mother. And this is [the meaning of] "that it may be well for you."

"My daughter, shall I not seek [rest] for you" — meaning, the three months of havchanah have already ended, and now it is incumbent upon me to seek rest for you, that is, that you should have a husband, as it says, "and find rest, each in the house of her husband" (Ruth 1:9). "That it may be well with you" — for sometimes you will find rest in your husband's house, but it will not be well for you if your husband is not one who keeps Torah and mitzvot, for then it will not be well for you in the good of the soul, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning the woman who married a tax collector and would tie the tax collector's knots on his hand. And I seek that it be well for you in this rest, in the true good.

Our kinsman. Our relative. Behold, he will be winnowing. The chaff, vraner in O.F. Tonight. Because the generation was unrestrained in theft and robbery; he would sleep in his granary to guard his granary.

'And now,' etc. — Regarding the whole matter, one ought to apply the mind and understand this: Naomi, of whom it is said that she was the epitome of wisdom, fear of Hashem, and modest conduct — what did she see in this, and what happened to her, that she gave Ruth such reckless advice: 'Go, go by night, in the evening, to the place where Boaz lies down, and uncover his feet and lie beside him, to be with him'? Woe to her for the shame — why should onlookers say that she wishes to chase after a man in the streets? Such a thing should not be done! And regarding Naomi herself it is astonishing: would she act like a harlot toward her daughter-in-law, whom she loved, and for whom she suffered all that she suffered, and not consider what would happen if Boaz arose from his sleep and found a woman lying at his feet? Perhaps his anger would flare up against her, and he would cry out a great, bitter cry: 'Come near me, you young men around me! See, a woman has come to me and uncovered my feet and lain down!' They would chase her, seize her, trample her, drive her out, dismiss her, banish her from that whole place — 'do to her according to the law, do to her according to custom, do to her as is proper' — an open rebuke before the eyes of all Israel, so that all the women would be chastened and would not do such an evil thing, for the deed is evil in my sight. And what if instead he — old as he is, of an age like my own — found his heart stirred that day? What then would she do, fleeing from the young men? They too would jeer after her impudently, would not withhold spit from her, and she would be filled with disgrace. And even granting that no mishap would befall her at Boaz's own hand, is it not so that from her house to the barley threshing-floor, in the darkness of the evening, she would encounter any number of worthless and reckless men, who under cover of darkness would seize hold of her and not release her until they had committed an outrage against her, with no one to save her? And is it because there are no matchmakers in Israel that one should have to speak to Boaz, saying: 'Have you not seen this girl who was with your maidens? Have you not taken note of her modesty and her worthiness? Has it not been told to you all that she has done for her mother-in-law since the death of her husband — that she left her father and mother and came to take shelter under the wings of Hashem? Who is like her? Spread your own wings over her as well, for she is a good match for you, to build your house through her.' Or Naomi herself could have spoken — she herself could have spoken with Boaz, since he is a close relative of hers, and he would not turn away from her. However, I say that she did this out of great wisdom and a spirit of God within her. For it is true that had a different convert's soul been in Ruth's place, she would not have been fit to marry a prince and great man of Israel, head of the Sanhedrin, such as Boaz. But Ruth was one of a kind — there was none like her among the other converts. For she was the one destined by Him, blessed be He, to bring forth from herself the crown of the kingdom of the House of David, from long before, when the daughter of Lot lay with her father in her youth in the cave for the sake of Heaven, thinking to sustain the world — for it occurred to her that there was no man left on earth besides her father to keep seed alive over the whole face of the earth. All the more so according to the saying of the Sages, of blessed memory, that when she said 'that we may preserve seed from our father' (Genesis 19:32), this refers to the Messianic king — meaning that she intended: that seed destined to come from another source would come through us. For from that time it was destined that two good branches would come forth, to build from them the kingdom of the House of David, until the Messianic king — namely, Ruth the Moabite and Naomi the Ammonite. This is [the meaning of] what the Sages, of blessed memory, said: that He, blessed be He, said, 'I have found David My servant' (Psalms 89:21) — where did I find him? In Sodom. All the more so according to what we said previously, that they are indeed the daughters of Lot, for Hashem caused them to come around again to receive a good reward — their intent being fulfilled through the elder, Ruth, and the younger, Naomi. So that Ruth, the woman whom Hashem chose to bring from Moab, in order to bring forth from her great good for the house of Israel, was fitting for Boaz — which would not be so had a different convert been in her place, even though she too would be worthy. Now, Naomi had seen some indication in Boaz's manner, and in what he had said to Ruth, that in his eyes she was utterly righteous and modest. But she said: who knows whether, in Boaz's heart, this is indeed the good branch destined to come from Moab, or whether it is someone else — for outwardly there is no sign of good other than that she is worthy. And [she reasoned that] if his heart were wholly convinced that this is indeed the one destined to come, he would not be repelled by her, whereas if it were someone else, he might be. Naomi herself, too, had this doubt in her own heart. So what did she do? She said to herself: if I speak to Boaz [asking] that he take her, or if I send matchmakers to him, and he is uncertain about her, he will neither listen nor consent. Therefore her inward reasoning [lit. 'her kidneys'] counseled her to have Ruth do this deed — that she go to Boaz's sleeping place and uncover his feet, for the sake of Heaven, since he is the redeemer (goel) — and that this be after he had finished eating and drinking, and that he not know she was there, as she said, 'let not the man know you' (Ruth 3:3), so that he would not recognize her; and also that she come stealthily so that he would not perceive her lying there. Then there would be no doubt that Boaz would conclude: this can only be one who comes from the daughters of Lot, for 'a ewe follows a ewe' [like mother, like daughter] — and as the mother's deeds were, so are the daughter's deeds. For just as, after Lot had finished eating and drinking, [his daughter] came stealthily, and he did not know of her lying there, and she lay with her father for the sake of Heaven, having uncovered his feet and lain with him — so did Ruth do the same. And thus it would surely be established that this is she, and no other — so that thereby he would hold fast to her and not let her go, for there is none like her to bring forth from her the root of Jesse that stands as a banner for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10). All the more so, since the good branch was herself — the very elder one herself — for her own soul desired it, and she did again what she had once begun to do, repeating it for herself. So that when Naomi, after speaking to her, heard Ruth's reply — 'all that you say to me I will do' (Ruth 3:5) — the matter was immediately confirmed in her heart, that this was indeed the branch that Hashem had chosen. All the more so when Boaz, seeing the deed mirror in fact what the mother had done, took the matter to heart and had no rest and no peace until the matter was concluded that very day, as is made explicit in the verses. Thus we see that Naomi acted with wisdom, and Hashem brought it to completion through her. Now, in order still to sweeten the matter for her, so that it would not seem strange to her, Naomi spoke words that would settle it in Ruth's mind — as will be explained in resolving the verses, with the help of Heaven. Now, to come to the matter itself: let us first note her saying 'and now' — is not Boaz our kinsman? For the word 'and now' does not quite fit, since nothing new is happening now. On this point we have already written an approach following the Sages, and we will further raise a hand toward it by way of the plain sense (peshat). Second, her saying 'with whose maidens you were' — why need she mention now that Ruth had been with his maidens? What does this contribute, and what does it add to the advice she was about to give her? Third, her saying 'behold, he winnows,' etc. — what need was there to tell her that he winnows the barley? It would have sufficed to tell her to go and hide from his sight until he finished eating and drinking, and then, 'when he lies down, you shall note the place,' etc. Fourth, her saying 'and you shall wash and anoint yourself' — what need was there for the anointing? Fifth, her saying 'and put on your garment' — was it even necessary to tell her to put on her clothing? But in fact, [Naomi's] intent was to remove faintheartedness from Ruth's heart about doing this deed. For Ruth could have answered her: 'What is this deed you are commanding me to do — do you wish to disgrace me?' For indeed there are several things that could deter [women] from honor. First: lest I appear in Boaz's eyes as one who toys with him deceitfully, and thereby bring a curse upon myself — as the Sages, of blessed memory, said, that David used to give thanks to Hashem for having guarded Boaz's mouth from cursing Ruth. Second: because of onlookers — for the fields are typically a level, open place, and even though those who lie there at night keep their beds apart from one another, it cannot be avoided that one might come within another's sight. So then, if she lay at Boaz's feet, who knows whether the eyes of the young men around him — who were assisting him in winnowing the barley — might fall upon her lying at his feet, and she would become an object of scorn, shame, and disgrace. Third: that he would distance himself from her out of concern regarding immersion (tevilah), lest he suspect she was not ritually pure (tehorah). Fourth: even granting that neither of these applied, might not Boaz say to himself, 'Why should I attach myself to a convert? Surely it is better that I take a daughter of Israel rather than a Moabite woman' — even though she is worthy and fit? Fifth: lest, on her way, passersby set their eyes on her and molest her. Therefore, to remedy these five concerns, she addressed the first by saying: 'Is not Boaz our kinsman' — that is to say, from what we have now observed, it appears that there is a certain kinship of soul between you and Boaz. Note her wording 'our kinsman [modaatenu]' in the plural — for indeed he was known as a relative to her [Naomi] alone; yet she said: from what I have now observed, it appears that he is known to both me and to you. This is what we wrote above: that the spirit of Machlon was within her, so as to establish a name for Machlon in Israel by way of levirate marriage (yibbum) performed through Boaz. And behold, he is known to Machlon as well, for Boaz and Machlon were sons of two brothers; so that, since the spirit of Machlon was within her, he is known to both of them — hence she said 'our kinsman,' meaning that the matter is therefore all the more likely, that Boaz's soul is drawn to her, to take her. And should you ask, how did I now recognize that he is known to you as well? — behold, this is [proven by] 'with whose maidens you were.' This is what she meant: for no reason at all, he set aside his own maidens — who were designated to serve a prince and great man such as himself — to be with the mistress [i.e., Ruth as a future mistress]; these esteemed maidens he assigned to be with Ruth from the beginning of the barley harvest until the beginning of the wheat harvest — three months of heat — on days when scorching wind and sun beat down, to attend a poor, wandering, Moabite convert. Why should he have shown such solicitude toward her, all that solicitude? There can be no reason but that this shows his heart and his eyes are upon her, to make her queen in place of his first wife. This is why the maidens who had belonged to his wife who died, when she was mistress, he now trains together with Ruth — for this shows that his heart is with her, to make her queen in place of the first one, because his soul desires her, in order to repair the soul of his kinsman [Machlon]. Regarding the second, she said, 'behold, he winnows,' etc. — for at night there is a fixed heap [on the threshing floor], and he lies beside it, while the young men are far off, as the Sages, of blessed memory, said: that he was guarding the threshing floor lest [thieves] take from it to pay as hire for harlots. By this the second concern was remedied, for the heap, which forms a mound, stands between them and him, so that their eyes could not reach the place where Boaz was. Regarding the third, she said, 'and you shall wash' — that is, immersion (tevilah). Regarding the fourth, she said, 'and anoint yourself' — this was meant to hint to him, when he saw her skin anointed with oil, that from her would come forth kings anointed with oil, and there is no comparing this preciousness and greatness, such that he should never let go of her. And regarding the fifth, she said, 'and put your garment upon you' — for she did not say 'and dress,' but rather 'and put,' meaning that she should place them over herself — over her head and face — so as to disguise herself, so that she would be taken for someone else and not be desired; and she should disguise herself not only from the common people, but even from Boaz himself. This is [the meaning of] 'let not the man know you,' for the reason stated above, likening the matter to the deed of Lot's daughter, as discussed. And Naomi opened Ruth's eyes further still, telling her 'and put your garment' — meaning that, although these were indeed Sabbath garments, as the Sages, of blessed memory, said, there is no doubt that they were not garments of silk and embroidery, since she and her mother-in-law had come down in the world to glean in the fields; so that she would have had to ask her relatives and neighbors for fine garments. And had she done so, the neighboring women would have given her a bad name, saying, 'Why is she asking for festive, embroidered garments — it is neither a new moon nor a Sabbath?' — and she would be under suspicion in their eyes. Therefore she told her, 'and put your garment' — your own, as they are, and not someone else's. And in the Midrash: 'and you shall wash' — from idolatry (avodah zarah) that is your own; 'and anoint yourself' — these are the commandments (mitzvot) and acts of charity (tzedakot); 'and put your garment upon you' — was she then naked? Rather, these are Sabbath garments. Now, one ought to attend carefully to this teaching. First: would it ever occur to the mind that, since she had already converted, she had not yet been purified from idolatry? Second: their statement 'and anoint yourself — these are the commandments and acts of charity' — for the harvest season is the time to perform commandments and acts of charity. Third: what did they see that led them to remove 'washing' and 'anointing' from their plain sense? Fourth: their statement 'these are Sabbath garments' — for surely it was not good advice to wear Sabbath garments, since, on the contrary, this was a time for stealing away in the dead of night, not for wearing festive Sabbath garments as one who is haughty and celebrating — all the more so if Boaz should then shame her for coming to lie at his feet. Woe to her for that shame, were he to say to her: 'Is this an occasion of glory and splendor, that you should dress up for it — for such a scandalous act?' However, to arrive at the explanation, let us recall the teaching of the Sages, of blessed memory, concerning the red heifer (parah adumah) — their parable of the maidservant's son who soiled the king's palace; the king said, 'Let his mother come and clean it up.' So too the calf is the offspring of the cow (parah); let the cow come and atone for the deed of the calf. Now, we have explained elsewhere that the matter is this: the stain of the sin of idolatry, even when a person repents of it, is not purified all at once, but only after he repents a second time, through the washing of repentance, once or even twice. Therefore, even regarding the [golden] calf — although those who transgressed were punished, some by death at the hands of the court through the sons of Levi, some tested like sotahs (suspected wives), and some by plague — those who remained, who had repented for what had not brought them death, nevertheless could not avoid the fact that the defilement of the serpent's filth, which had ceased from them [at Sinai], returned with the sin of the calf, and remained even after the calf's sin was repaired. This is a defilement that predisposes a person to sin, and clings to a person until his death — for it will bring about his death — and it attaches to him like one who has touched a corpse, defiling him. Therefore, let his mother come and repair the defilement caused by the calf, which clings like the touch of one slain by the sword, or of a corpse generally. The point of all this is that the defilement of having sinned through idolatry does not quickly detach and depart from one who repents of it, for some residue of defilement remains — since, along with his spirit, his very body remains disposed to be close to sin — until he repents again, washing through reflections of repentance and remorse, and feels shame between himself and his Maker for having sinned against his own soul. A further, second introductory point, which is a teaching of the Zohar that we mentioned above: that on the night of Shabbat, when souls ascend above their [ordinary] boundary in the upper world, the souls of the righteous become clothed in the souls of converts. Along these lines, we wrote above that this applies to a righteous woman: in her ascent, she becomes clothed in the soul of a female convert. This is what we wrote — that this was Naomi's blessing to Ruth, when she said to her, 'May Hashem deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead' (Ruth 1:8) — meaning, that you should merit to convert; and further, 'may Hashem deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead' — namely, that you clothed them [your deceased husbands] in shrouds of your own — so, as a kindness corresponding to that, may Hashem deal kindly with you, that you [converts] should become garments for righteous women; and with me, [in particular,] that the bond formed by your becoming a garment will be with me, for you will become a garment for me. A further, third introductory point, likewise from the book of the Zohar: that every soul that ascends above, before its ascent, is infused, by virtue of the holiness of Shabbat, with a supernal holy influence from above, and the neshamah becomes clothed in the ruach, and the ruach in the nefesh, and afterward they ascend together. It follows that the soul of a male or female convert first becomes clothed in precious garments of supernal influence — the neshamah becoming clothed in the ruach, and the ruach in the nefesh — and afterward, through the whole flow of their holiness, these become Sabbath garments that serve as a garment for the soul of the righteous man or woman. A further, fourth introductory point: that just as on Shabbat the influence spreads of itself, comprehensively, with the clothing and ascent of souls extending to all Israel, so too on weekdays, for those who perform a commandment — and all the more so when it is a commandment of union for the sake of Heaven — this too draws down a supernal unification, brought about by the one performing the commandment, according to his own spiritual level. This is comparable to the reason we do not put on tefillin on Shabbat: because what is accomplished on a weekday through the commandment of tefillin is accomplished on Shabbat of itself, by virtue of the Sabbath. With this we come to the matter, applying the mind to understand the teaching of the Sages, of blessed memory, on the words 'and you shall go down [veyaradet] to the threshing-floor' — it is written 'veyaradeti' [and I shall go down]: 'my merit will go down with you.' For does this not seem strange — how could her merit go down with her? And furthermore, why does the verse attribute the matter to Naomi herself so literally, saying 'and I shall go down to the threshing-floor,' as though she herself were literally the one going down? Furthermore, following their method, her saying 'and I shall put [vesamti] your garments' likewise deserves to be expounded, for 'vesamti' is written with a yod — so why did they pass over it in silence? However, the Sages, of blessed memory, found it difficult to explain why this anointing was necessary at all, since washing alone would have sufficed, given that immersion was in any case required. Second, they found difficulty in what they explicitly expounded regarding her saying 'and I shall put your garments,' etc. — was she then naked? — as well as in the matter of the yods in the word 'vesamti' and in the word 'veyaradeti.' However, they did not fully explain the matter except with regard to the word 'veyaradeti,' for regarding the word 'vesamti' it is easy enough to answer that Naomi would be helping Ruth press the matter forward. It was also difficult for them [to explain] her saying 'upon you [alayich],' which is a superfluous word, since she could have shortened it and simply said 'and put on your garments,' remaining silent about the word 'alayich.' Therefore they explained as follows: Naomi saw that Ruth's heart would truly tremble and recoil at this, thinking that the advice being given her this time was not good — for who would listen to such a thing, and would not his ears recoil from it? — that she should wash and anoint herself and go in the dead of night to a place full of bands of young reapers and lads, and go stealthily, and uncover the feet of a man who is a prince and a great one in Israel, and be so bold as to tell him to lie beside her, to be with him? For surely she would be exposing herself to evil mishaps and unpleasant occurrences, and it would become for her a source of reproach, shame, and even disgrace. Therefore Naomi anticipated this and said to her: 'Do not fear, for behold, I am binding my soul with your soul through this commandment, in a manner resembling what is destined to bind us together after our death, on the night of Shabbat' — as we have written, that just as Shabbat brings about unification and ascent through precious garments, so does a commandment [generally] — and all the more so a commandment of union for the sake of Heaven such as this one, which involves a union resembling levirate marriage (yibbum), and which brought the kingdom of the House of David into the world. But you must first make preparation to receive this influence within your own soul — first to purge the defilement of idolatry, which is the defilement that remains, predisposing a person toward [the pull of] desire — and this requires a reflection of repentance and an acceptance to separate, with a whole heart, from anything resembling such repulsiveness. This is [the meaning of] 'and you shall wash' — from idolatry — and this is the first introductory point. And after purging all the repulsiveness of sin and guilt, then 'and anoint yourself' — meaning that you should accept, with a whole heart, to observe and perform all the commandments of Hashem. And since, by removing with a whole heart the defilement of all sin, and accepting the yoke of all the commandments and acts of charity — a good intention — the Holy One, blessed be He, joins that intention to the deed; therefore, 'and put your garment upon you,' which are Sabbath garments. This is because, before your soul itself becomes a garment [for mine], it first becomes clothed from above with a supernal influence, in all three components: the ruach becomes a garment for the neshamah, and the nefesh for the ruach. For in addition to her acceptance of the negative and positive commandments, also through this commandment which you are about to perform — a union for the sake of Heaven — you will bring about a supernal unification and become clothed in Sabbath garments. All this is [the meaning of] 'upon you [alayich]' — referring to the roots of the parts of your soul that lie above your body, which are called 'Sabbath garments,' since they are produced on Shabbat by the power of Shabbat; now, through this commandment, you will attain these — the two intentions she had prefaced, namely, those garments. And the intention is that, thereby, my own soul-root above will also, through the performance of this commandment, as it were, be clothed in your Sabbath garments — resembling what will be for me after my passing, when you will be a garment for me. This is [the meaning of] her saying 'and I shall put your garments' — for I shall wear your garments, which are Sabbath garments, which serve as a garment for me, as discussed above. And the sense of the verse is: 'and I shall put your garments' — the Sabbath garments that are upon you, above you — and it does not say 'and you shall wear,' because this pertains only to the soul that is above her [physical self], which is to place the garments one atop another — neshamah in ruach, ruach in nefesh — above her, higher than her own [ordinary self]. And it is written with a yod to hint that the Sabbath garments which Ruth places upon herself, Naomi's own spirit will become clothed in. And through this, 'and I shall go down to the threshing-floor' — meaning that she herself goes down with Ruth, since her spirit became bound to Ruth's spirit, having become clothed in her, so that it was as though she herself were literally going down. This is [the meaning of] what the Sages, of blessed memory, said: 'my merit will go down with you' — for it is my merit, engaged in this commandment, that brings about this clothing at this time. Therefore they expressed the matter in terms of 'merit,' and also in order to conceal the matter, as is their way in matters of secret [mystical] teaching. And this is why they passed in silence over the secret of the yod in 'vesamti' — since it is a difficult matter to put into words without revealing the secret, in its own manner.

"behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor" — winnowing is [the act of] separating the chaff and straw from the grain; "vanter" in the vernacular [Old French].

"And now, is not Boaz our kinsman" — meaning, the threshing floor was at the edge of the field, and the winnowing, in which they winnowed the barley, was not done at the threshing floor itself but in the field before the threshing floor, where the wind would blow; and certainly all the workers, the young men and the young women engaged in the work, were to be found there, and when she came into the field, it was impossible that they would not see her. Regarding this she said to her that there was no concern at all in the fact that they would see you in the field before the threshing floor, for is not Boaz our kinsman, and everyone knows that you are close to this household by virtue of the kinship, and they will say that you came to see the threshing and the winnowing, in the manner of a relative who rejoices in the joy of his relative; and also, since you were with his maidens, they will think that you came to visit the maidens whom you had not seen since the end of the harvest. And behold, he is winnowing the barley threshing-floor tonight, and they will say that this is why you came at night — to see the winnowing and your companions, the maidens.

[And you shall] bathe. From the contamination of your [past] idolatry. — Notes: (1) Rus, obviously does not have to be told to do such a basic thing (i.e., to bathe), therefore it must allude for her to remove the contamination of her past idolatry. And scent yourself. These are the [Torah’s] precepts. Dress [yourself] in your finest garb. Shabbos garments. — Notes: (2) Maseches Shabbos 113b. The word שמלה rather than בגד or לבוש indicates especially fine clothing of Shabbos or Yom Tov. Malbim Alternatively, the mere mention to put on clothes is superfluous, it therefore must refer to Shabbos clothing. (Sifsei Chachomim) And go down to the threshing floor. It is written וְיָרַדְתִּי [=and I will go down]; [i.e.,] my merit will go down with you. — Notes: (3) And protect you from any mishap. But do not identify yourself to the man. To Bo’az.

"And anoint yourself" — [with] oil that has a pleasant fragrance, for such was the custom of the great ones of Israel, men and women alike. "And put your garments upon you" — the good ones, [namely] the ones she had not been reaping in. "At his feet [margelotav]" — like "raglav" (his feet), and so too in Daniel [a similar form there]. Therefore the commentator erred who explained it as a cushion placed under the feet, on the analogy of "merashotav" (at his head), which means [a cushion] placed under the head.

"make not yourself known to the man" — meaning, let no man know of your coming there, but hide yourself until he has finished eating and drinking.

"And you shall wash" — that is to say, the essence of the preparation is that you shall ready yourself by washing and anointing, and put on the simlot (garments), which are Sabbath clothes [as I have already explained in Mishpatim 2:187, that there simlah is distinguished from beged, levush, and the like, indicating that it denotes the precious garments of Sabbath and festivals]. This preparation is to be made so that you may go down to the threshing-floor. Now, she did not explain to her when she should put them on, for that she would understand on her own, from her own intelligence. The essential instruction is that after she remains there until the winnowing work is finished, at the time when the workers begin to go home and Boaz sits down to eat, then she should go down in secret to the threshing-floor itself, in such a way that from then on she makes herself known to no one, so that everyone will think she has gone home, and she should sit there concealed until he finishes eating and drinking. Also, what is said, "and put your garments upon you," does not mean that she should wear the garments — for then it would have had to say "and you shall wear your garments" — rather its meaning is that she should place them on her shoulder, so that they be with her to put on at the threshing-floor, not beforehand; for wearing Sabbath garments beforehand would bring her under suspicion.

"And it shall be when he lies down," etc. — Behold, the word "vayehi" (and it shall be) is devoid of meaning, for what will "be" regarding his lying down? For if she says "and you shall know," what new event is there in the lying down? For her knowing the place is not something that newly comes into being, and it would have been fitting to say, "and you shall know the place where he lies," etc. Also she says, "and you shall come and uncover," etc. — why does it use the language of "coming" (bi'ah) rather than say "and you shall go and uncover," etc., which would be the more precise language? And furthermore it says "his feet" and not "and uncover him," nor "the feet" alone. And furthermore, "and he will tell you [what you shall do]," etc., which indicates that it was not her intention for him to come upon her in the way of all the earth, but that she intended only that he tell her what she should do — and if so, then why did she command her to do that deed, since she would be shamed for nothing? And furthermore she says "ve-shachavti" (and I shall lie down) with a superfluous yud, for so it is written [ketiv]. And furthermore she says "ta'asun" (you shall do) with a superfluous nun. Now, we have written just above that there was a tradition in their hands that a good offshoot (peridah — literally "a separation") was destined to come from Moab, from which the kingdom of the House of David would be built. We also wrote that this woman's situation was in the manner of yibbum (levirate marriage), for the spirit of Machlon was within her, and through the redeemer who would take her, the child she would bear would arise in the name of the dead Machlon, as is learned from the sages of truth [the kabbalists]. And regarding this, out of the merit of her worthy deeds, both Boaz and Naomi were taking to heart [the thought]: perhaps this is the woman whom Hashem ordained to come forth from Moab. But for Naomi the matter was more firmly fixed in her heart, for she was certain that Ruth was this one; yet she feared that perhaps the matter was not so firmly established in the heart of Boaz himself. Therefore she said: "I will act with wisdom and send her, after his eating and after his drinking, to lie beside him, to be with him" — so that Boaz would take to heart that it is this one, and not another, who is destined to come from Moab. For he would see the deed and recall the deed of Lot's daughter, which followed the very same pattern, and he would agree and say: this is nothing other than "one ewe following another ewe," and as the mother's deeds, so the daughter's deeds. And all the more so, according to what we wrote above, that Ruth herself is the elder daughter of Lot, and He, blessed be He, brought her [back] into the world in order to grant her the reward for the good intention that she directed when she lay with her father. And this indeed was in Naomi's mind: that through Boaz's witnessing this deed, the matter would be strengthened in his heart, and the man would not rest until the matter was brought to completion. Now let us come to the matter itself, which is this: she said to her, "and it shall be when he lies down," etc., so that Boaz's heart would understand that this is the woman whom Hashem ordained to be the one from whom the ruler of Israel would emerge. Therefore she should act as in the first deed, to uncover the feet of the old and venerable one (shav gam yashish), so as to cleave to holy, abundant, and exalted seed. And she [Naomi] hinted to her, through her own choice of wording, that she [Ruth] herself is the daughter of Lot, and has returned to her original character; for just as it is said there, "and the elder [daughter] came and lay with her father," so now, "and you shall come and uncover," etc. And this is why it says "ba't" (you shall come) and does not say "and you shall go" — to say: just as then it says "vatavo vatishkav" (she came and lay down), so now "u-va't" a second time, "and uncover his feet and lie down" — so that thereby he would take it to heart. And should it happen that he does not come upon you immediately, it is certain that he will tell you what you should do. And this is because Naomi was concerned about the matter of there being a closer redeemer, and it was proper to approach him first, [to see] whether he desires [to redeem]. And this is [the meaning of] "ve-shachavti" with a yud — as if Naomi herself were lying down, saying: "and he will tell you what you should do" — with a superfluous nun, which is a plural form — meaning that it is not certain he will come to you immediately; and do not fear, for the doubt is not whether you are the woman destined to come from Moab, but only concerning the matter of the spirit of Machlon within you. And this is [the meaning of] "ve-shachavti" with a yud: for Machlon, who is a part of me, is with you, and it is necessary first to approach the closer redeemer, in order to establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And this is [the meaning of] "asher ta'asin" in the plural — to say that you, though one, are [in fact] two: you, and with you, the spirit of Machlon. Therefore it is necessary that he tell you to wait until he sees whether he will redeem you, or not, etc. And the sense of the verse — what I [Naomi] am saying, "and he will tell you," etc. — concerns your being comprised of the spirit of Machlon; for "ve-shachavti" [means] that the spirit of my son is within you, and this requires the way of yibbum. And this is [why it says] "ta'asin et" — that is, [you] and the spirit that stirs within you; and therefore it is necessary to take counsel with the closer redeemer, as has been said, to resolve [the matter] through that spirit, if he so desires — for he takes precedence. Furthermore, she cautioned her regarding two things. First, that she should not fail to keep watch on the place he chooses to sleep, until after he lies down, lest — when she comes to seek his sleeping place — she mistake it, [going] from him to someone else, and go to the place of one of the young men, who might seize her or suspect her [of impropriety]. Therefore she commanded her, saying, "and it shall be when he lies down" — meaning: let it be that you find yourself present at his lying down; for it is quite possible that you would be unable to see the place where he lies, and would then need, after he has lain down, to search for where his place of honor is — lest you first encounter one of the young men, which would be a disgrace. Rather, let it be that [you are present] when he lies down, and thereby "you shall know the place where he lies" from beforehand. And this is [the meaning of] "and you shall know the place where he lies," which indicates that the knowledge will be acquired before he lies down. Second, she taught her proper conduct (derech eretz), that she should not uncover his side to lie beside him, to be with him at his bosom; for behold, it would indicate, had she done so, that she deemed herself his equal in standing — and this must not be done, for he is a great man, and who is like him in Israel, while she is a foreign woman, a convert. Therefore she said to her, "and uncover his feet and lie down" — beside the feet, like the afflicted, storm-tossed one beside the soles of his feet, as if to say: let his handmaid draw near to him, and if he desires to redeem you, he will draw you near to him, for it is good — say to her, "come up here." And there is also a second reason she hinted to her, in saying "and he will tell you what you should do" — meaning: it is not certain and clear to me that he will come upon you in the way of all the earth; rather, it is certain only that he will guide you in a good way, and this could happen in one of two manners: either he will come to you tonight, or he will declare concerning you, "If there is a closer redeemer, let him redeem you" — and he will not rest until he seeks out for you a resting place that will be good for you. Now, had it been clear and certain to him [that he must marry you], he would not have put off your presence now, and no shame would befall you were you to come and lie in his bosom; but if he follows the second path, it would be a disgrace [to lie in his bosom]. Therefore, place yourself nowhere but at his feet — and the reason is: it is not clear to me except that he will tell you what you should do, and you would be shamed by having placed yourself in great readiness to come to him. Or, in another manner, she said: through this he will guide you and tell you what you should do; but if you go to lie at his side, he might perhaps find you repugnant, for he would take you to be, in essence, a licentious woman, pursuing after the bed of lovers; therefore, my daughter, this way is best. It is also possible that she hinted to her two further things. First, that she should not strip herself naked, out of modesty, so that she not appear desirous and pursuing to bring her own pleasure near — and this is [the meaning of] "and you shall come and uncover and lie down": that as you come, so shall you uncover — [remaining] in all your garments. Second, she should uncover and lie beside his feet, but not go back and cover what she had uncovered, so that it be done in a modest manner — to speak in delicate language — and "spread your wing" meaning: let him spread the wings of his garment over the two of them. And this is [the meaning of] "and uncover and lie down" — to say, do not add to this. And by this it is possible that what Ruth later said, "and spread," etc., were not words of her own, but the words of Naomi, hinted at here.

"and uncover his feet" — this is the part of the resting-place which is at the foot-side, at the edge of the heap, at the edge of the stack of grain.

"And it shall be, when he lies down" — that is to say, Boaz certainly would not lie down in the open field, but would lie down at the threshing-floor, which is enclosed by partitions; and since you will be hiding at the threshing-floor, you will surely know the place where he lies down there. "And you shall go in and uncover his feet, and lie down" — meaning, since they were ashamed to demand of Boaz outright, in speech, that he should marry her, she advised her to make this demand of him through signs, like one who hints by gesturing with a compass. As we have already explained elsewhere, on the authority of the Kabbalists, concerning yibbum (levirate marriage) and chalitzah (removal of the shoe): the body is a "shoe" for the soul, for the spiritual soul cannot stand in the world of bodies without a body, just as a delicate and tender person cannot stand in a place of mud and mire without shoes, lest his feet be soiled. It is with this mystery in mind that Hashem said, "Take off your shoe from your foot." Now, a man who dies childless — his soul has no rest, and it still clings to his wife, with whom he produced no fruit, and his name is blotted out from Israel. When his brother performs yibbum with her and gives seed to his brother, it is as though the soul of the dead man comes into the world a second time, for the child who is born is himself the dead brother, and is called by his name, and rises in his stead for the inheritance — as it is written, "a son was born to Naomi," for Oved the son of Boaz was, in essence, himself Machlon the son of Naomi. Then the soul of the dead man has a "shoe" — that is, a body in which it can stand a second time in the world of bodies. But if the brother does not wish to perform yibbum, the soul of the dead man remains without a "shoe," and cannot stand a second time in the world of bodies. This is therefore hinted at by her drawing his shoe off his foot, and his name being called in Israel "the house of him whose shoe was removed" (beit chalutz ha-na'al) — for so he removed the shoe of his dead brother, meaning that his brother's soul is "removed of its shoe," that is, lacking a body and physical form. This is what she hinted to Boaz by uncovering his feet and lying down — that is, she hinted to him: since you are the redeemer (goel) who should perform yibbum, then either you uncover your feet, to be without a shoe, and be called "the house of him whose shoe is removed," or I shall lie at your side to establish a name in Israel for your kinsman, and then you shall cover your foot with a shoe. "And he will tell you what you shall do" — meaning, either he will instruct you to make this demand of the closer redeemer, or he himself will speak with the redeemer.

"And she said to her," etc. — Now, it would have been proper to say "all that you have said (amart) to me," and not "that you will say (tomri)," which is future tense; and moreover, the word "to me" (elai) is one that is read but not written [in the text]. It is possible that she said two things: there was no need to say what you have already told me, even though, [taken by itself], that would be regarded as though [said only] to a stranger; rather, she adds even beyond this: "and what you will say [in the future], I will also do" — not merely because, standing before you, I would be ashamed to transgress your words, but even if I should go out of your presence and you command me through a messenger, I will do it. And this is why the word "elai" exists in the vocalization (i.e., is supplied in the reading) but not in the writing — to say that whether I am present or not present before you, I will not depart from doing your bidding. Or, it may be said: Have you not told me that I should lie at his feet, and he will tell me what I should do — which implies that I am to conduct myself according to his word, in whatever he says, even though you yourself did not so instruct me? Therefore I say: even then, whatever you tell me, I will do, for I will take counsel with you, and I will be governed by your word, whether I return to you to be with you, if he should reject me, or whether I remain there with him. And this is why the word "elai" is both hidden and revealed [i.e., unwritten yet read] — to say that whether I am before you or hidden from you, so that your word does not reach me directly, even there, whatever you say, I will do, just as I have been while under your care. And this is what she [Naomi] says afterward: "And she said: Sit, my daughter, until," etc. — for although these are [really] the words of Boaz to her, she [Ruth] went back and related them to Naomi, for she had taken counsel with her; and that is what is stated.

"And she said to her" — in response to what was said, "and he will tell you what you shall do," she said that even then she would not do anything without asking her advice, but rather, "all that you say to me, I will do."

So she went down to the threshing floor and she did. She [Naomi] said to her, “Bathe and scent yourself, dress yourself in the finest garb,” and afterwards, “and go down to the threshing floor.” But she [Rus] did not do so, but [instead] she said, “If I go down when I am dressed up, whoever meets me or sees me will think that I am a harlot.” She therefore first went down to the threshing floor and afterwards adorned herself, as her mother-in-law had instructed. — Notes: (4) Maseches Shabbos 113b.

"[All that] she bade her [tzivvatah]" — [a form] like "ve-kha'asatah tzaratah" (and her rival provoked her, 1 Samuel 1:6).

"And she went down to the threshing-floor," etc. — Now, in saying "and she did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her," her going down to the threshing-floor was [already] included; and likewise, its saying "according to all" (ke-khol) with the kaf of comparison [is notable], for it would have been fitting to simply say "all that her mother-in-law had commanded." And Rashi, of blessed memory, explained: she [Naomi] said to her, "and you shall wash, and anoint, and put on," etc., "and afterward you shall go down to the threshing-floor" — but she [Ruth] did not do so; rather, she said: "If I go down while adorned, whoever encounters me and sees me will say that I am a harlot." Therefore she went down to the threshing-floor first, and afterward adorned herself, as her mother-in-law had commanded her — end of quote. And in this way, what we had raised is resolved. It is also possible [to explain this] by the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, who said: [when Naomi said] "and I will go down (ve-yaradeti) to the threshing-floor" — "my merit shall go down with you" — this is based on the extra yod written in "ve-yaradeti" [in place of "ve-yaradet," "you shall go down"]. And it is fitting to take note: behold, the essential need for her merit to accompany her was in the matters between him [Boaz] and her — whether she would be accepted by him willingly or not; but regarding the [mere] descent to the threshing-floor, it is not so remarkable that she should need merit to assist her. But indeed, the main source of her fear and dread lay in the descent to the threshing-floor [itself]. For, once she had arrived at the threshing-floor where Boaz was, there was no fear that could overtake her, since Boaz was a shield for her, and there was no fear, only doubt as to whether she would find favor in his eyes or not. But before her arrival at the threshing-floor, in the twilight of evening, there her fear was that improper young men — who swarmed like locusts over all the threshing-floors of grain — might accost her and seize her, with no one to save her; and how much more so according to the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, who say that the people of that generation were steeped in licentiousness, and that this is why Boaz would lie at the edge of the grain-heap, lest [thieves] steal from the threshing-floor to pay a harlot's hire. Therefore, concerning this, Naomi said to her: Do not fear the terrors on the way down to the threshing-floor, for [when I said], "and I will go down to the threshing-floor" — my merit shall go down with you. And by this, it says "and she went down to the threshing-floor," etc., meaning that she acted by way of a sign, reasoning: "If God is with me and guards me on the way as I go down to the threshing-floor, by this I will know that all the more so, God will be with me to make me succeed with Boaz, and then I will prepare myself according to all my mother-in-law's command; but if not, I will know [otherwise]." And this is [the meaning of] "and she went down to the threshing-floor" — and then, seeing that things had gone well for her, she said: "Now I know that my mother-in-law's merit is great, for it went down with me and saved me." And if so, I will also not depart from all her commands regarding the matter between myself and Boaz, for she will help me in that matter as well. And this is [the meaning of] "and she went down," etc., "and she did," etc.

"And she went down" — that is, after everyone had finished their work and gone home, she stole down in secret to the threshing-floor. "And she did" — that is, there at the threshing-floor she did all that her mother-in-law had commanded her: to anoint herself and to put on Sabbath garments.

And his heart was jubilant. Because he engaged in Torah [study]. — Notes: (5) Alternatively, he was happy that his prayers were accepted and the famine ended. (Targum) And she came in softly. בַלָּט =] silently. — Notes: (6) Alternatively, slowly. (Radak)

"And Boaz ate," etc. — In the Midrash: "And Boaz ate and his heart was merry" — why was his heart merry? Because he recited a blessing over his food. Another interpretation: "his heart was merry" — because he ate sweet foods, which accustom the tongue to Torah [study]. Another interpretation: "his heart was merry" — because he occupied himself with words of Torah, as it is said, "The teaching of Your mouth is better to me" (Psalms 119:72). Another interpretation: "his heart was merry" — because he was seeking a wife, as it is said, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing" (Proverbs 18:22). End of quote. It is fitting to consider what led [the Sages] to abandon the plain sense of the verse — that his heart was made merry simply because he ate and drank — and go expound matters outside the plain meaning of the verse. Second [question]: what is the difference between these interpretations? Third: did the verse [need to] praise him for merely reciting a blessing over his food? Surely even the most simple of the simple blesses, merely by virtue of being a Jew. And in our way [of study], let us pay attention to its saying "his food" rather than saying "over the food." Fourth: from where is the allusion in "his heart was merry" that he blessed over his food? Fifth: as for its statement that he ate sweet foods — what does the verse come to teach us by this, that he made a preparation for Torah [study]? It would have been better for it to teach us that he occupied himself with Torah, rather than that he ate something that prepares the tongue for it. Sixth: the verse says "his heart," yet [the Midrash] explains it as referring to his tongue — and also, how is this alluded to in the verse? Seventh: why does it bring proof from the verse "The teaching of Your mouth is better to me" rather than from the verse "For I have given you a good doctrine" (Proverbs 4:2), as our Sages of blessed memory cited from there regarding the saying, "let the good one come and take the good from the Good One, for the good ones"? Eighth: as for its statement that he was seeking a wife for himself — this seems to detract from his piety, [suggesting] that after he ate and drank he was contemplating a woman, and all the more so since he did not yet "have bread in his basket" [i.e., was not yet provided with a wife], so that it would be as though he were deliberately putting himself to the test. And who would think such a thing of a wise man, a holy man of God, such as he — who, on the contrary, took an oath against his [evil] inclination, even though he was unmarried and she was unmarried and pure? However, we know that a righteous man eats to satisfy his soul, in order to sustain it within his body so as to serve Hashem — not like the wicked, who, only for the pleasure of their bodies, gladden their hearts with their delicacies and their wine, and their heart is lifted up, and they forget the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth — Heaven forfend. Now, from the wording of the verse, "and he ate and drank and his heart was merry," it appears that his heart was made merry by the eating and drinking in and of themselves — and this is not the way of a righteous man, who eats [only] to satisfy his soul. And this is the Midrash's puzzlement in asking, "why was his heart merry?" — for it is not a good thing for a righteous man to rejoice in eating and drinking, especially since it was neither a New Moon nor a Sabbath nor a festival, [occasions] for rejoicing by eating rich foods and drinking sweet things. Therefore it said that he blessed over his food. And this is also the rendering of the Targum [Aramaic translation], which translated: "And Boaz ate and drank and his heart was made merry, and he blessed the Name of Hashem, who accepted his prayer and removed the famine from the land of Israel." And the intent of the matter is that, since this was the first grain-heap that he had set up after the famine which had departed in the merit of his prayer, he blessed Hashem in a general way regarding the matter. And along these lines is the intent of the author of the [Midrashic] statement, as we shall explain, with Hashem's help. The matter is this: we know that the table at which a righteous man eats is called an altar, which is a form of [Divine] service (avodah), as though eating from the table of the Omnipresent. And we also know that the world stands on three things: on Torah, on [Divine] service, and on acts of loving-kindness (gemilut chasadim). Now, Boaz, after he ate and after he drank, his heart was made merry — why was his heart merry? Because he blessed over his food — meaning that he rejoiced because he recited the Blessing after Meals over the fact that this was his own food, [food] by which all of Israel was sustained in his merit, as though everything came through his prayer alone — [as in] "Hashem remembered His people" — that he was glad and good of heart over the fact that he merited to bless Hashem and to say the blessing "[Blessed are You...] who sustains all," acknowledging the good and blessing Hashem, for He is the One who sustains — even though the food was then Boaz's own food, since it had been given on account of his merit; it follows that he rejoiced over having done a kindness for all of Israel, who were sustained in his merit. And why did he do this specifically when he ate and drank? Was it not in order to support two of the pillars on which the world stands — [Divine] service, which is the table at which he ate, and acts of loving-kindness, in that he rejoiced in his heart that he had also fed all of Israel, having done them a kindness, for they all ate by virtue of his merit? Now, so far there are only two [pillars] here. Therefore it said, another interpretation: that he ate sweet food to accustom his tongue to Torah — meaning that since he intended to lie down after these two things, which induce sleep, and in order to spur his tongue to review a chapter or two in a brief moment before sleep overtook him, he ate sweet food, which accustoms the tongue to Torah, and reviewed his chapter, and lay down. Behold, [now there are] three pillars: one, [Divine] service; then the pillar that stands on its own, namely that all of Israel was then eating through his acts of loving-kindness; and Torah, to which he had accustomed his tongue. Now, according to this, what he ate that accustoms the tongue applies only to the Oral Torah; it would be better still if a portion were also given to the Written Torah. Therefore it said, another interpretation: that he occupied himself with Torah, as it is said, "The teaching of Your mouth is better to me" — that is, what we heard from His blessed mouth, "I [am Hashem your God]" and "You shall not have [other gods]," which is the Written Torah, for that too is necessary, and not the Oral Torah alone, which pertains to the tongue. And therefore it brought proof from this verse, in which it speaks of "the teaching of His blessed mouth," which is the Written [Torah]. Another interpretation, a different consideration: after he ate and drank — which is [the pillar of Divine] service — he saw that even this was lacking in him, since he was living without a wife; and the essence of [Temple] service depends on the priest not being unmarried, as is known. And also the pillar of Torah is missing, for one who lives without a wife lives without Torah. Therefore it said, another interpretation: that he was seeking a wife — meaning that, seeing himself lacking in the two pillars on account of having no wife, a worry followed from this, now that he had begun [work] at the barley threshing-floor — for this signified that the provision of bread had begun in Israel, and while there was famine in the city it was forbidden to engage in marital relations. Therefore, "his heart was merry" — for he set his worried heart at ease by resolving in his heart to seek a wife for himself and not rest until he found her, and so find ease, as though he already had "bread in his basket." And all the more so if his heart was set on Ruth, as discussed above. And the verse relates that [Hashem] fulfills the will of those who fear Him, and brought her to him upon the bed on which he was lying, for "she came softly," etc. Now, to come to the exposition of the verse, let us pay attention. First: it says "And Boaz ate, and drank" — placing his name between the eating and the drinking — why does it place his name there, rather than saying, "and he ate and drank, Boaz," with his name only at the end? Second: it says "and he went to lie down," etc. — why does it mention the going to lie down rather than the lying down itself? It would have been fitting to say only, "and he lay down at the end of the heap," for it is understood that he had gone there in order to lie down. Moreover, it would have been proper for it to say "and she came softly" [only afterward], for she did not come softly at the time he went to lie down, but only after he had lain down. Therefore it should properly have said, "and he lay down," etc., "and she came softly," etc. Third: it says "and it came to pass at midnight" — what trouble was there here, that it uses the word "vayehi" ["and it came to pass," a term the Sages associate with distress]? Fourth: why did it inform us that it was at midnight? Fifth: it would have been proper to say first that he saw a woman lying at his feet, and only afterward say "and the man was startled," etc. And this is resolved according to our Sages of blessed memory, who say that at first he suspected it was a demon, and therefore it says "and he was startled" first, and only afterward "he perceived that it was a woman." Indeed, Ruth had intended in her heart to uncover his feet while he was still awake, before sleep would overtake him, and to say to him, "Spread your wing [garment] and take me, for you are a redeemer." Therefore, from the moment he went to lie down, before he lay down, she had already begun to come from the place where she was, so that she would reach him and uncover his feet before he fell asleep. And this is [the meaning of] "and he went to lie down" — before [he actually lay down] — "and she came softly," etc. — for before he lay down she had already begun to come; and nevertheless, [by the time she arrived] she uncovered his feet and lay down, and he sensed nothing at all, for sleep overtook him immediately upon his lying down. Now, there was room to say that this was only because wine had overcome him, so that he lay down and fell asleep at once. To [forestall] this, it stated first, "And Boaz ate," placing his name before the drinking, to say — lest it occur to you that he made the wine his main concern — no: "And Boaz ate," meaning that he made only the eating his main concern, befitting the fact that he is Boaz; but afterward, "and he drank and his heart was merry," meaning that he drank, but there was no intoxication in it beyond the degree needed for "his heart" to be "merry" alone. And despite this, she came at once and uncovered his feet and lay down, and nothing disturbed him until midnight. This can only be because Hashem was casting the bonds of sleep upon his eyes until that time, for it was a time of favor, so that that righteous man would not become angry. This is because, behold, our Sages of blessed memory said that he was greatly startled, [fearing] perhaps it was a demon or an evil spirit terrifying him. If so, is it not astonishing that he was able to restrain himself from crying out to his men, who were, without doubt, not far from him? Therefore it opened its account by saying, "and it came to pass at midnight" — for behold, our Sages of blessed memory taught us in many places that from midnight onward, the powers of impurity have no power to cause harm, as stated in Bereishit Rabbah, on "they send forth their little ones like a flock" (Job 21:11): that in the generation of the Flood, a woman would give birth and send the newborn child out among the cutting-tools to cut its umbilical cord. And it once happened that a woman sent her newborn out at night, and it went along with its umbilical cord dragging on the ground, and it encountered a power of impurity, which said to it: "Go mock your mother — the rooster crowed; had it not crowed, I would have harmed you." And the child answered: "Go mock your mother — my umbilical cord was still dragging on the ground; had it not been so, I would have killed you." Behold, from midnight onward the power of impurity is taken away from causing harm. And this was the situation with Boaz, who resolved in his heart to restrain himself from raising his voice. And this is [the meaning of] "and it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled and turned himself" — for "vayehi" denotes distress, as if to say, "see the deed of Hashem, for it was" — and the distress was at midnight; and because it was at midnight, it followed that his heart could then be confident and secure from harm, for [the powers of impurity] have no dominion from midnight onward. Therefore, even though he was startled upon sensing [something], nevertheless he "turned himself" and did not cry out. And the meaning of the verse is: "and it came to pass at midnight" — therefore, even though the man was startled, nevertheless he "turned himself," as stated, even though he saw "and behold, a woman was lying," etc. — but this was for the reason [just] stated. It further intended [to teach the following]: is it not the way of people, when startled — and all the more so when a spirit comes upon them, [whether] an evil spirit terrifying them or coming to harm them, or, according to the plain sense, that at the very start of seeing her he was startled because he thought her a harlot — that their fright does not quickly release its hold on them, but persists for an hour or two after the matter has been revealed to them, [until they are convinced] that what had occurred to their mind [as a fear] never happened? [But here] it says: see, now, how He, may He be blessed, wrought wondrous kindness for her! For "and it came to pass at midnight" — literally within the very occurrence of midnight — he was startled, and turned, and saw "and behold, a woman was lying," and asked her, with a calm heart, "Who are you?" — all of this at midnight, one thing after another without a pause. For had it been with him according to the ordinary way of people, whose fright persists, would it not have been inevitable that he grow angry at her and rebuke her, [saying,] "What are you doing here, that you have come to startle me and terrify me?" — all the more so right after his fright, when his heart was not with him, so that he would have leapt from his place. But he did not do so; rather, while he was still startled, he calmed his heart and spoke to her words of peace and truth. And it is possible that the verse alludes to this for three reasons. First, in saying "and it came to pass at midnight" — for God arranged that he would not awaken from his sleep until midnight, since that is a time of favor from Him, may He be blessed, for a person to awaken in order to help, [so] that Hashem would do kindness with her, and also so as to protect the shield of David — who was destined to arise at midnight to give thanks to Him, may He be blessed. And all the more so according to our Sages of blessed memory, who say that because Boaz did not curse her — which was through the kindness of God — [his descendant, David,] would arise at midnight to give thanks to Him, may He be blessed; therefore He, may He be blessed, would likewise, from then on, act so as to preserve, for the future, a store of goodness on behalf of Him, may He be blessed. Second, it further intended [something] by saying "the man," rather than saying "Boaz" — meaning, the complete/whole man, for this is the meaning of the term "ish" (man) wherever it occurs in Scripture, as is known from our Sages of blessed memory in numerous places; thus his righteousness led him to conduct himself with piety. Third, he saw that there was no doubt that her heart was not inclined toward evil, for he saw that "and behold, a woman was lying at his feet" — and not at the feet of one of the young men; but this can only be because she was fleeing from the young men, and she was virtuous. Moreover, she was lying quietly, and not like one seeking and demanding her own pleasure, for this reason she did not lie in his bosom. Therefore he said in his heart that her heart was sound, and his fright was quieted in an instant, and he asked her, "Who are you?" And this is [the meaning of] "and behold, a woman was lying at his feet, and he said," etc. Or it may be said, paying attention, that it would have been proper to say [only] "and behold, a woman," etc. — for the verse does not come to inform us of [an objective] reality, but only to inform us of what was made known to him. Now, we know from the sages of truth [the Kabbalists] that midnight is a time of the stirring of holiness. Therefore, when He, may He be blessed, arranged for the woman to come to him — the woman whom He had proven/chosen, in order to bring forth from her the root of Jesse, which stands as a banner for the nations — He caused a holy power to pass by there. Hence, "and the man was startled" — similar to the matter [elsewhere], "and the men that were with him did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them" (cf. Daniel 10:7) — which was on account of the holiness. And, correspondingly, he also perceived "and he turned himself" [va-yillafet] — according to the interpretation of Rav in the Gemara, that he became like the heads of turnips, meaning a hardening/rigidity, according to Rashi's interpretation — even though "and behold, a woman," etc. indicated that this was from an external power seeking to make him rigid in order to defile him. Therefore he was confused, and asked, "Who are you?" — either for the sake of Heaven, as would seem from the fright, or the opposite, as would seem from the "turning," which is the rigidity. Then she said, "I am Ruth your handmaid," etc. — for the sake of Heaven.

"softly [ba-lat]" — in secret.

"And he ate" — and at that time Boaz ate, and came to the threshing-floor to lie down, and spread his bed at the end of the heap [of grain], and she came softly, etc.

The man was startled. He thought it was a demon and wanted to scream, but she held him and encompassed him with her arms. And [he] turned about. וַיִּלָּפֵת =] and he was seized, as in, “And Shimshon grasped וַיִּלְפֹּת.” — Notes: (7) Shoftim 16:29. Alternatively, “his skin Hardened [like a turnip= לפת] from fright.” (Maseches Sanhedrin 19b) And behold there was a woman. He placed his hand on her head and recognized that it was a woman [and not a demon]. — Notes: (8) Because demons have no hair. Alternatively, he realized from her voice that she was a woman, or he saw her by the light of the moon.

"Vayyillafet" (he turned/was startled) — from the nif'al construction, like "yillafetu orchot darkam" (the paths of their way wind about, Job 6:18), meaning "to twist, to turn." And likewise "vayyillafet Shimshon" (and Samson twisted [the two pillars], Judges 16:29). But it is not like [the pattern of] "mashosh" (to grope about). The matter is that he turned from side to side. "And behold, a woman" — it is possible that she said to him, "do not be afraid," and a woman's voice is always recognizable; or the moonlight was abundant and he saw that she had no beard; he could also have recognized her by her garments.

"the man was startled, and turned himself" — meaning, that when he sensed there was someone else in his bed besides himself, he was startled, and then he shifted his position and turned it toward the side of the feet, in order to know who it was that lay with him, and then he knew that a woman was lying at his feet. And as for its saying "vayilafet," this is of the same sense as "yilafetu orchot darkam" — "the paths of their way wind aside" (Job 6:18).

Spread your mantle. The corner of your garment to cover me with your cloak; and this is an expression of marriage. — Notes: (9) An expression taken from birds who spread their wings [כנף] when they mate. (Malbim) For you are a near kinsman. To redeem my husband’s inheritance, as it is stated, “and a close relative comes and redeems, etc.” And my mother-in-law and I must sell our inheritance, and now it is incumbent upon you to buy it. Acquire [i.e., marry] me also, along with it, so that the name of the deceased be remembered upon his estate, so that when I come to the field they will say, “this is Machlon’s wife.” — Notes: (10) Vayikra 25:25. (11) The Torah requires only that he redeem the relative’s property, but it does not require that he redeem his relative’s wife. She therefore asked him to marry her.

"And spread" — an allusion to taking her as a wife. "For you are a redeemer" — for such was the law of all Israel, since Naomi had told her this.

"And he said: Who are you?" etc. "And she said:" etc. — Behold, his saying "your handmaid" [amatekh] twice appears redundant, and it also appears that she departed from her mother-in-law's instructions — for Naomi had told her, "and lie down, and he will tell you what you should do," but not that she should tell him what to do, as if she had said to him, "spread your skirt." But behold, in telling her what to do, Naomi was afraid lest Ruth uncover his feet while he was asleep, and he might be startled and bring upon her a curse instead of a blessing, for dread of man lays a snare. Therefore, with the sweetness of her lips, Ruth saw fit to amend this by saying [to herself], "and it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall know the place, and you shall go in and uncover his feet," etc. — meaning: when he comes to lie down, you will know the place, and immediately, as soon as he lies down, before he falls asleep, you will come and uncover his feet, for then he will not be startled like a man who wakes trembling from his sleep. And Ruth reasoned that then, upon seeing her, he would understand what was in her heart, and would also take to heart that as the deeds of the mother are, so are the deeds of the daughter — like mother, like daughter — as was written above, that she acted like the daughter of Lot did toward her father — and by this he would take to heart that this is the one destined to descend from her, and he would see that she too intended for the sake of Heaven in not going after the young men. And so she would not need to say anything. But afterward, even though she did act this way — for from the moment he came to lie down, she came there, as it says, "and he came to lie down at the end of the heap of grain, and she came softly and uncovered," etc. — the verse revealed to us why it was not done as Naomi had said. This is because it happened that from his eating and his drinking, his heart became merry, and being near his grain-heap, as in the joy of the harvest — all of these induce sleep — so in a moment he lay down and fell asleep. Moreover, she too, out of her modesty, came softly, so that in his light doze he did not feel her lying down — or perhaps it was from Hashem that he lay down and fell into a deep sleep — and therefore she remained lying at his feet until midnight, which is a time of favor, and he did not feel her. This is the meaning of "and Boaz ate and drank and his heart was merry," and also that "he came to lie down at the end of the heap," and also that she came softly — therefore "she uncovered his feet and lay down," and he did not feel it until afterward, when "it happened at midnight, he awoke and the man trembled," etc. So, since Boaz did not recognize her, he was forced to ask her, saying, "Who are you?" — and she was forced to answer and say, "I am Ruth your handmaid." And she said in her heart: even if I merely inform him that I am Ruth, this will not suffice, as it would have sufficed had he recognized me while I lay there before he fell asleep — in which case I would not have needed to say anything, and he would have told me what to do. For then, in the goodness of his heart, and whatever occurred to him, he would have concluded that I intended for the sake of Heaven, as I said, and I would not have needed to sweeten my words, for he would have understood — and then my silence would have been better than my speech. But now, after all this great alarm, he might, on the contrary, regard me as a worthless woman [bat beliya'al], or speak ill of me — would that I might sweeten my words so that they enter his ears! And so she said, "and spread," etc. And the substance of her words is this: that besides informing him who she is, with the sweetness of her lips she would remove the possible objections that could stand against her before him. First, perhaps she would not be considered fit/proper in his eyes. Second, lest he pay attention to her being a Moabite. Third, that she is of the destitute, while he is the great man of the generation, of a distinguished lineage. Fourth, concerning her having done this shameful deed of coming at night to lie at his feet. Therefore she opened by saying, regarding the first: "I am Ruth" — meaning, I am the Ruth about whom you spoke at length in praise, saying, "It has indeed been told to me all that you have done," etc., "may Hashem repay," etc. — so that I am indeed fit/proper in your eyes. And regarding the second, she said "your handmaid" [amatekh] — meaning: I am not as I described myself to you some time ago, when I said, "though you have spoken to the heart of your maidservant [shifchatekh]" — where I likened myself to one of the maidservants whose immersion and Jewish status are not complete, but are only for the sake of servitude, and who are forbidden to enter the congregation. But I am truly like a Hebrew woman, for I am a convert and a righteous woman, essentially like a Jewish woman — for a Moabite woman is called a shifchah [maidservant], while a Jewish woman sold into servitude is called an amah [handmaid]. And this is the meaning of "I am your amah" — meaning, do not regard my humbling myself as that of a mere servant to you, but rather as an amah who is essentially a Hebrew woman — for it is written "Moabi" (masculine) and not "Moaviyah" (feminine), in the verse barring Moabites from the congregation. And note that she did not say, "spread your wings over your amah," but rather "u-farasta" [and you shall spread], which comes to add something similar to it — namely, that he had told her that she had come to take shelter under His (God's) wings; and if a Moabite woman is repugnant, barred from entering the congregation like a Moabite man, then where indeed would be my shelter under His wings, if I am repugnant, barred from entering His congregation? But surely you have shown that you know I am close before Him, blessed be He, and take shelter in the shadow of His wings — so may you too "spread your wings" likewise, just as His wings, blessed be He, are spread over me, as you said, and may you not be repelled by me. And regarding the third, she returned and said "amatekh" [your handmaid] — meaning: even though, in relation to you, I stand like an amah before her master, see that you are a redeemer [go'el], and consider the commandment of our God in your doing kindness with the dead, to establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And even the fourth difficulty she remedied by saying, "for you are a redeemer" — and not only that, but by this she also bore witness to everything we wrote above concerning Naomi's intention in this act — meaning: "behold, I have set my face upon a matter of mitzvah, for you are a redeemer, so as not to withhold from my husband a redeemer, and to establish his name upon his inheritance" — that is, you may understand from what is before you that these are the very ways of my ancestress, the daughter of Lot, who lay with her father in order to establish seed in the land, and you may deduce from the outcome of the matter that perhaps I am the one destined to descend from her, to cleave to holiness. And it is possible that she hinted to him the necessity of this intention of hers by saying "u-farasta kenafekha" [and you shall spread your wings] — meaning: since I have chosen you, spread your wings, though you are advanced in age, and I did not go after the young men — know that all my salvation and all my desire is because you are a redeemer. Furthermore, it is possible, close to this same intent, that she hinted — in returning to call herself "amah" [handmaid] a second time — her purpose being to give two reasons for having set her face like flint into this shame. This is because He, blessed be He, commanded that one who acquires a Hebrew maidservant [amah ha'ivriyah] must marry her, either he himself or his son, as it is said: "whom he has designated for himself, then he shall have her redeemed" — so that she not go out in disgrace from his house after having been degraded to serve in it. Let us come to the matter: as giving a reason for this act of hers, degrading herself before him, she said, "and spread your wings over your handmaid," etc. — meaning: behold, in this act of mine there are now two reasons. First, that I resemble an amah, for so that she not go out in disgrace from before her master, he spreads his wings over her — so am I with you: since I have degraded myself, it would not be fitting for you to be repelled by me. This is the meaning of "and spread," etc., "over your amah" — for the aspect of the amah applies to me as well. And second, that you are a redeemer, as stated previously. Or one may say that upon hearing "Who are you," she reasoned: if the intent of his question was to know who I am — she answered, "I am Ruth." And if it was whether I am fit/proper — she said "amatekh" [your handmaid], as explained. And if the intent was whether I am pure through immersion — her intent was answered by her saying "and spread your wings," for defects in the preparation for conversion do not invalidate it. And she returned to say "amatekh" [your handmaid] to hint: do not turn your face away from me after I have shamed myself, as in the matter of the amah, whom her master designates for himself precisely so as not to shame her. And should you ask: would it not be better to accomplish this through betrothal [kiddushin] and the seven wedding blessings? — to this she said, "for you are a redeemer" — for through yibbum [levirate marriage] only intercourse is required, which is what effects the union with the yevamah (the widow requiring levirate marriage), since kiddushin is a rabbinic institution instituted afterward. And this is the meaning of "for you are a redeemer" — by the law of yibbum, where only "and spread" is required. Or one may say, [regarding] "Who are you," etc., taking note that the word "amatekh" [your handmaid] the first time is vocalized with a segol, and the second time with a sheva. This is because Boaz's heart perceived that this is the woman destined to come from Moab to establish a name in Israel, and thus he informed her that Solomon was destined to descend from her — and this was in the merit of the daughters of Lot, who intended for the sake of Heaven; therefore from them descended — from the first, Ruth, and from the second, Naamah the Ammonite. We also wrote above that it appears, from the words of the sages of truth and righteousness, that Ruth is the elder daughter of Lot, and Naamah is the younger, for they were reincarnated to come and receive their reward. We also wrote above that the matter of Ruth belongs to the category of yibbum, for the spirit of Machlon was rattling within her womb until she conceived from Boaz, for it was from that spirit that Oved was established, as discussed above. Now let us come to the matter. When Boaz saw this deed she had done — setting her face firmly into the danger of disgrace and anger from various directions: whether from the bad occurrences that stir up frights along the road, lest worthless and reckless men encounter her and seize her; or in her going to Boaz's sleeping place and uncovering his feet — woe to her for that shame, if he should be repelled by her and think her a harlot, and shame and disgrace her, or call out about her to all those around him — his young men and his harvest-reapers — in a loud voice, saying, "Have you seen — this woman has come to me, to lie beside me, to be with me!" — and he might call out loudly, and they would come to see: has such a thing happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers, whether to an old man or even to a venerable elder — what then of the young men, and what would all who heard his words answer, if not curses and reproaches, disgraces and spit — and they would leave her stunned and terrified, and she would weep bitterly, with her tears on her cheek, and no one to comfort her — how much more so now, if in the heat of his anger he were to curse her! And Boaz saw that she had not set her heart on any of these dangers. Then he said in his heart: it can only be that this is the woman destined to come from the elder daughter of Lot, and like the mother, so the daughter — for just as she (Lot's daughter), for the sake of Heaven, lay with her father, so too this one, coming from her root, her soul drew her, and she too acted likewise. But he took it to heart to say: perhaps it is not merely that, being of her root, she acted according to her deeds — for perhaps that would not suffice for so great a matter as this — but rather, that she herself is the very elder daughter of Lot, from Moab, and therefore she changed what she had originally intended to do, for she is she (i.e., the very same soul). And this is what Boaz included in his question when he said, "Who are you?" Now, we wrote above that this was a matter between Naomi and Ruth, who were concerned about it — and how much more so according to our Rabbis, of blessed memory, who said that this was Naomi's intent when she said, "May Hashem grant that you find rest," which refers to the future coming of Solomon, king of Israel, as discussed above. Therefore Ruth, in her answer, opened her mouth with wisdom, and said, "I am Ruth your amatekh" — and she did not say "amatekh" with a chataf-vowel under the tav, but rather with a segol, to hint to him that three points are contained in her being the daughter of Lot: for in her there is a part of Lot's daughter's soul, and she is also a separate body, and in her is also the spirit of Machlon — and this she hinted with the three dots of the segol, meaning that she is literally the daughter of Lot herself. And if she is not literally the daughter of Lot but only of her seed, then it cannot be otherwise but that there are two dots in her: herself, and the spirit of Machlon — and it is not on this account that you should hold back from me, but rather, "u-farasta kenafekha al amatekh" (and you shall spread your wings over your handmaid) with a sheva, which is two dots, namely, Ruth and the spirit of Machlon. And that which I hint of two aspects, do not apply to my own aspect, but rather to the aspect of Machlon, for you are a redeemer, and so you shall establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And in response to the pleasantness of these words of hers, Boaz answered and said, "Blessed are you of Hashem, my daughter," etc. — meaning: behold, first I speak to your heart and say that you should not worry over having set your face like flint and having been in danger of bringing a curse upon yourself, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, that David used to give thanks to Hashem that Boaz did not curse Ruth in the alarm that seized him — for behold, he said, "Blessed are you of Hashem," and so He, blessed be He, protected you from a curse. And this is the meaning of "for you are my daughter" — meaning, you are a young woman, and in relation to my old age you are considered to me like a daughter, and you disdained the young men. And as for your uncertainty whether you are the daughter of Lot or not — I decree and declare that you certainly are her in essence, and not merely a woman descended from her seed. And the reason is: behold, you have made your latter kindness better than the first. For if what you did now were only because, by virtue of coming from her seed, her character had attached itself to you, this would make sense only if what you did now were a lesser matter than that former deed, or comparable to it — but to do something greater than the first, mere descent from her seed has no power to produce that surpassing quality of what she herself did. This can only be because you are, in truth, the daughter of Lot herself, and you have improved your kindness performed now — which is later than the first kindness you yourself performed with your father, namely, not going after the young men, etc. For the kindness you performed then was for the sake of the world, as they said, "and there is no man on earth to come upon us," etc. — so that the world would not perish, you acted; but then, when you clung to your father even though he was old, it was because you thought there was no man on earth, and therefore you did not go after the young men, for there were none. But now there are, and despite this you did not go after them — for that former deed would have been justified on practical grounds had you not been intending for the sake of Heaven, whether the old man you chose was poor or rich. And if we come to explain according to the plain sense of the verses, it is said: when Boaz heard these words of hers, and saw the deed she had performed, which relate to the matter of the deed of the daughter of Lot, he said in his heart: this can only be she, and no other, whom Hashem had designated to come from the daughter of Lot — as we wrote above, that it was not beyond him to know, at the very least, that a good offshoot was destined to emerge from the daughter of Lot, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, expounded concerning "the two finds" (shetei metzi'ot), etc. — for greater than this, our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that he told her that King Solomon was destined to descend from her, and in the six measures of barley he hinted to her of six righteous descendants, etc. Therefore he spoke to her heart and said to her: behold, you said, "I am Ruth your handmaid," hinting that you are permitted to enter the congregation — and behold, this is not all, for it need not be said merely that she was not of the category, "an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter," but rather, "you are blessed of Hashem" — for you, of her seed, are the one blessed of Hashem, destined of old to emerge from Moab, and none other than you. This he understood from seeing her act in the manner of her ancestress's deed, indicating that the matter was for the sake of Heaven, like her, and also from the goodness of the expression of her speech. And the proof is that "your latter kindness is greater than your former" — for behold, you have magnified your kindness — meaning, the kindness unique to you, in that you are an exceedingly beautiful young woman, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, that whoever saw her would experience a seminal emission — and despite all this, you refrained from going after the young men, for this is for you a trial greater than all your former kindness. And so that no man should say that perhaps you set your eyes on my wealth — this is not so, for behold, a woman like you, were it not for your intention toward Heaven, would not have set her face toward an old man, whether he were poor or rich, so long as he were a young man among the people. And in saying "the latter," he hinted lest someone say that she intended to marry this one so that, through his money, she would afterward marry a young man of her choosing with the money from his estate — for behold, this is the final act in which you shall perform such kindness, and you shall not marry again — for you set your face toward this one only for the sake of Heaven, absolutely. And as for his saying "than the first," the commentators explained it as referring to her conversion, for she came to take shelter under His wings, blessed be He — but would this not then be considered like the deed of a stranger to the mitzvah of kindness? For behold, both the latter and the former she performed with God in mind, and one who performs a mitzvah should not, God forbid, be classed as one who performs an optional kindness. It is also possible to answer that he meant she performed a kindness with her own soul, in the manner of "one who deals kindly with his own soul is a pious man." And the matter is this: he said to her, "you have done this tonight with both God and man" — meaning, even though mere people would attribute this deed of yours to something improper, nevertheless in the eyes of Hashem, who knows truth and righteousness, "blessed are you" — for God knows that your intention was for the sake of Heaven, that you came to bring merit to your husband's soul; and with people, too, you have done a great kindness. This is because — to preface with the words of the sages of truth — this was by way of yibbum, to complete the soul of Machlon, to establish his name in Israel; and we know that a person's benefiting the soul of his fellow is greater than benefiting his body. And he said: "see now, that you have indeed done kindness with Naomi and with your husband," as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, that she attended to the burial shrouds of her husband, and waived her ketubah to Naomi — for concerning this it is said, "as you have done with the dead, and with me," as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said. And he told her: you have improved the kindness you performed with your husband and with his mother, in attending to restore the soul of her son — this being your improved, latter kindness, which pertains to the soul, surpassing the first, in which you benefited their bodies. And who can say that you did so for this reason, and not out of longing for marriage, in not going after the young men, etc.

"And she said, I am Ruth your handmaid" — that is to say, do not think this brazen conduct, that a woman should approach a man, for I am your handmaid — for just as there is a bond between the Hebrew maidservant (amah ha'ivriyah) and the master, who is obligated to designate her [for marriage], so there is a bond between me and you by virtue of the commandment of yibbum (levirate marriage). Therefore, "spread your skirt over your handmaid" — this is a figure of speech taken from birds, which spread their wings over their mates at the time of mating. She also hinted that this is not intercourse contrary to the commandment of the Torah, for the corners of the garment, which bear tzitzit, save one from this [forbidden] intercourse — as in the incident mentioned in the Sifrei, end of Shelach, concerning the harlot in the coastal cities who would take four hundred zuz as her fee. For, to the contrary, in this act you shall spread over me the corners (kanfei) of your garment, since it is an act of intercourse that fulfills a commandment (mitzvah), for you are a redeemer (goel).

[Your] earlier [kindness]. That you did for your mother-in-law. — Notes: (12) When you abandoned your home and fortune to stay with your mother-in-law. Your last act of kindness, i.e., your willingness to marry an older man to perpetuate your late husband’s name is a greater sacrifice on your part.

"Your latter kindness [greater] than the former" — that she had done kindness with her husband, as Naomi had said; for it is far-fetched to reach all the way back to her conversion [as the reference point for "the former kindness"]. "Whether poor or rich" — for everyone loved you on account of your beauty.

"you have shown more kindness in the end than at the beginning" — meaning, to render good to her own soul, for she did not choose to attach herself to one of the eminent and perfect young men, and therefore she went to Boaz despite his being old. Now, as for the "first kindness," according to what I think, it is that she heeded Boaz's voice not to go to another field; or perhaps he means by "kindness" the kindness that she performed with the dead. And behold, her first kindness was that she did not want to part from Naomi, and her second kindness was that she chose to attach herself to the redeemers of her husband — and this is the correct explanation.

"And he said, Blessed are you of Hashem" — for he saw that her intention was for the sake of Heaven. "You have made your latter kindness better than the former" — that is, the first kindness that you performed with your husband, at the time he married you, was that you chose to take a man of the seed of Israel; still, then you at least chose a young man, and it is possible you did so because you desired his beauty. But the latter kindness that you wish to perform for the soul of your husband, by means of yibbum, whereby you have chosen to take an old man rather than go after the young men — for even a poor young man would have been better than taking an old man, and how much more so had you found a wealthy young man, who would have taken you for your beauty — yet you chose an old man, in order to establish a name for your dead husband. This is a great kindness that you are doing for your husband.

"A woman of valor [eshet chayil]" — I will explain it in [my commentary on] Proverbs. The mem of "ve-omnam" (and indeed) is extra, like the mem of "chinnam" (for nought).

"And now, my daughter," etc. — One should pay attention to his saying "and now," which is a superfluous word. Second, his saying "fear not" — what fear did she have, that he should tell her not to fear it? Third, his saying "all that you say" is in the future tense, and he did not say "all that you have said I will do for you." Fourth, how is this [next clause] a reason for the matter, when he says "for all the gate of my people know," etc.? Fifth, his saying "and now, for indeed," etc. — for this word "and now" is likewise superfluous. Sixth, his saying "for indeed there is a redeemer," etc., which is cumbersome and unordered and contains superfluous words — and also, what is the sense of the word "im" [if], which is written but not read [ketiv without keri]? Seventh, that the vav of the word "and also" is superfluous, which indicates that he had not yet finished his statement, but rather [was about to add] a second reason — meaning he had not yet finished stating a first reason to which a second would be added afterward. And on the contrary, what preceded is the opposite of this: for from his saying "for I am a redeemer" it follows that he would take her, whereas from his saying "and also there is," etc., it follows that he is exempted from redeeming. Indeed, Boaz took care to speak to her heart, lest — even though he had given force to her plea, which she made in saying "spread your wings," etc., and [spoken] with the sweetness of his lips in saying "blessed are you of Hashem," etc. — she nonetheless be swept away by fear, and now say in her heart: "Woe is me, for I have been ruined, for I took foolish counsel, for I took shameful counsel, and I set my face to go in the dead of night to uncover the feet of a man on his bed and tell him to spread his wings, take me as a wife, and be willing to lie with me. And woe to me for that shame, for now I have spread a net for my own feet, for who knows whether, because of this, his soul will find me repulsive? For he may think to himself: Have all the matchmakers indeed perished, are they all gone, that she could not find a man or a woman to speak to me on this woman's behalf? Had the matter been pleasing in my eyes, I would have spread my wings and taken her, marrying her to myself in a dignified manner, and not in such a brazen way — for has a woman ever dared to come and take for herself a man from within his own bed, at dusk, in the evening of the day, in the darkness of night and gloom, while he lay there alone, to uncover his feet and tell him, 'lie with me'? Such a thing should not be done — and how much more so in a field, at the edge of the pile at the barley threshing floor, in a place where there are men reaping and young men, who upon hearing of it would be filled with reproach." In this way, perhaps through this deed I have become repulsive and rejected in his eyes. And even granting that I am pleasing in his eyes, since he saw that I intended it for the sake of Heaven, still he might find me repulsive because of the multitude of gossiping tongues — for he alone will judge me favorably, but the rest of the people will not; on the contrary, they will say that I acted wrongly and spoke like one of the degenerate women in saying "spread your wings," etc. And therefore, even though what I did is good in his eyes, it will keep me distant from him, for my reputation will be held in contempt in the eyes of the people. The sum of the matter is that, because of these two fears, her heart was consumed with the thought that she had become repulsive in his eyes, and that his flattering words, "blessed are you of Hashem, my daughter," were mere flattery and not from his heart, but only because he was ashamed to reject her with harsh words, for he was ashamed before her. It is further possible that she feared a third thing: that even granting that Boaz would not be troubled by the impropriety of the deed, since it is not displeasing in his eyes, and that he is also unconcerned about the mocking talk of the masses, and it would not remove her from his heart entirely — would not that unseemly deed nonetheless be enough to make him strive with all his strength and might to have Tov, the redeemer, complete the redemption, until the matter was finished, and Boaz would push her away from himself? This is unlike what would have happened had the match been made through a matchmaker, for then her worth and her modesty would have been precious in his eyes, and he would not have handed her honor over to another. Therefore, regarding these three fears, Boaz, in all his righteousness, wisely spoke to her heart, and removed the weight of all three from her heart, one after another. Regarding the first, he said "and now, my daughter, fear not" — meaning: behold, as for what you did just now, you see that I did not act against your request when you said "spread your wings," etc. Fear not lest I find you repulsive, and that my intent, despite the pleasantness of my speech, is to reject you because the deed is displeasing to me — for behold, fear not, since I have done what you asked just now, so I will also do in the future whatever you say; for my intent is not to reject the matter, but only to delay it a little, since your deeds and your intent are pleasing to me. And also regarding the second consideration, namely the mocking talk — that in the eyes of the masses what you did is not proper — of this too I am not concerned, for behold, those who will sharpen their tongue against you will not be the wise and holy people of understanding in the land, but rather the empty and reckless mockers of the generation, and of these I am not concerned, since all the gate of my people know that you are a virtuous woman. And so, since all the gate of my people — who are the Sanhedrin and their like, men of standing — know that you are a virtuous woman, you need not worry about the empty and reckless ones, who are not of that same class. And regarding the third fear as well, do not worry — for behold, what you thought, that because of this deed I would devise a plan to bring about the redemption through Tov and not through myself — behold, it is the very opposite. This can be seen by paying attention to what happened: that the primary and preceding reason for the redemption he mentioned only in passing, at the end of his words, when he said "and there is also a redeemer," etc., whereas it would have been proper to begin with this and say, "there is a redeemer closer than I, and I too am a redeemer; lodge here tonight, and if he will redeem you... but if he does not wish to, then I will redeem you." Rather, he tells her: let it not enter your mind that because of this deed I will distance myself from you — for "and now," meaning: because of what happened to you just now through your deeds, by which I recognized that you are the one destined to bring forth good, even more than the daughter of Lot, as a reward for her deeds done for the sake of Heaven, and you are following her example for the sake of Heaven in this — now know that, on the contrary, your deeds bring you closer to me. This is unlike if you had sent a matchmaker to me to arrange your marriage to me, for then I would not have recognized the secret of your soul as I have through this deed. For behold, "and now," referring to what you did just now, leads to the fact that what was in doubt — whether I would take you or leave you — has become certain. For now, indeed and in truth, I am certainly a redeemer, since now I have come to desire your deeds; and indeed, you should know that I am intrinsically a redeemer, and Tov is only a matter added on beyond me. And this is [the meaning of] "there is also a redeemer closer than I" — meaning: what is indeed certain is that I am a redeemer, for this is what I will strive for; and in the wording "and also," [the sense is] that there is a redeemer, even though he is closer than I, since through what you did, I have recognized the truth. And this is why the word "im" [if] is written but not read — to hint that although it cannot be avoided that there be some doubt in the matter as to whether I will redeem or Tov will, nevertheless this doubt becomes as though it flies off into the air, while the certainty remains in its place: that I am a redeemer. This is because, when Tov comes to redeem the field, he [Boaz] will say to him, "on the day you acquire the field from the hand of Naomi, it is to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance" — and he [Boaz] knew that Tov, not knowing her worth, would find her repulsive, as indeed he did. For when he [Boaz] said to him "on the day you acquire it," etc., "to raise up," etc., at the very mention of marrying Ruth, he found her repulsive, and the field as well, and he said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my inheritance." In such a way, the more certain reading is "for I am a redeemer," apart from [the clause] "and also there is a redeemer closer than I," which is only close to certain, whereas it is fully certain that "I am a redeemer." And it is also possible, in this vein, that his saying "go'el anochi" ["I am a redeemer"] functions as a verb and not as a noun.

"And now, my daughter" — but since he was unable to come to her and perform yibbum with her at once, until he inquired of the other redeemer, he was concerned lest she fear that he did not wish to perform yibbum with her. He therefore said to her, "and now, my daughter, fear not," lest you think that I am putting you off with mere straw and do not desire you, for "all that you say I will do for you" — that is, I promise you that I will perform yibbum with you, as you said, "spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a redeemer" [meaning: if it becomes clear that I am the redeemer, in that the other, nearer redeemer does not wish to redeem, I will do all that you say]. And do not fear lest, when I take counsel tomorrow with the men of the city, they dissuade me from performing yibbum with you, and say to me that it is not befitting my honor to marry a young Moabite woman — of this too do not be afraid, for the entire gate of my people knows that you are a woman of valor (eshet chayil), and they will all agree to this.

Now, though it is true that. אִם [=if] is written but not read, i.e., it conveys uncertainty [who will be the actual redeemer], for there is surely a redeemer closer than I. (Another version: “כִּי אִם” conveys doubt, but it is certain [that he was a definite redeemer]). Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Leivi said, “Salmone, Elimelech, and Tov were brothers. Then what is the meaning [of the statement by Bo’az], “which belonged to our brother, to Elimelech”? A person always refers to his uncle as his brother, as the matter is stated, “And Avrom heard that his brother was captured.” Now was not Avrohom his [Lot’s] uncle? So was Bo’az, Elimelech’s nephew, a relative of Machlon, but Tov was more closely related. — Notes: (13) The kinsman was Elimelech’s brother whereas Bo’az was only his nephew. (14) I.e., without the word אם to indicate that there was actually no uncertainty, i.e., that Bo’az knew that he would indeed be the one to redeem her. (15) Bereishis 14:14. (16) Lot’s father Haran, was Avrohom’s brother; see Bereishis 11:27. Even closer than I. For he [Tov] is a brother, and I am a brother’s son [i.e., nephew]. — Notes: (17) And therefore he has priority.

"And now" — that is to say, indeed, to perform yibbum with you right now, immediately, is impossible; for although it is true that I am a redeemer, nevertheless I cannot perform yibbum with you now, since there is also a redeemer nearer than I, and he takes precedence over this. And therefore...

Stay the night. Stay over [one more night] without a husband. As Hashem lives. She said to him, “You are dismissing me with words [i.e., excuses].” He jumped up and swore to her that he would not dismiss her with words. Some of our Rabbis said that he swore to his evil inclination, for his evil inclination was inciting him [by saying], “You are not married and she is not married; be intimate with her.” So he swore that he would not be intimate with her except with marriage. — Notes: (18) ‘חי ה is the Biblical form of an oath, as in I Shmuel 19:6.

"If he will redeem you, good [tov]" — some say that "Tov" was the name of the redeemer. But if that were so, why does the text later in the scroll say, "Turn aside, sit down here, such a one" [ploni almoni]? Rather, its meaning is: if the redeemer redeems you, it will be good for you that he redeem [you], for he is a distinguished man.

"Tarry this night, etc." — One should take note: his saying "tarry this night" and his saying "lie down until morning" appear to express one and the same idea — why then is this said twice? Furthermore, his saying "and it shall be in the morning" appears superfluous, for it would have sufficed to say, "Tarry this night, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, etc." Also the word "yig'al" ("he will redeem") is superfluous, and he could have shortened it and said, "and it shall be in the morning: if Tov does not wish [to redeem you], I will redeem you, etc." Furthermore, are these not empty consolations with which he comforted her — for she had been shamed by lying at Boaz's feet, and now another man would take her? Furthermore, what is this oath, "As Hashem lives, lie down until morning" — what need was there to swear about this? Indeed, there is no doubt that the reason he prolonged his words to her was that he was waiting to see whether Tov [the closer kinsman-redeemer, here read as a proper name] — who had precedence over Boaz [in the right of redemption] — would redeem her. Now, he had assured her, saying, "All that you say I will do for you," which indicated that whatever Ruth told him, he himself would take her, and she would not be put to shame by another man lying with her after she had already been shamed and had uncovered his feet; he would not turn away her face, as he had said, "All that you say I will do for you." But how could this be fulfilled if Tov wished to redeem her? Therefore he first spoke to her heart and said, "Tarry this night, etc.," meaning: "Have I not told you, 'All that you say I will do for you,' which implies that I will take you as a wife, for so your word shall certainly be, and not [merely] to show favor to a new face? Do not despair, for you need only tarry tonight, and what I said — 'All that you say I will do for you' — will be [fulfilled] in the morning, for I will contrive that Tov release his hold upon you and upon the redemption of the field, so that he will leave you to me and I will take you for myself." And this is because Boaz certainly knew that it was distasteful to Tov to take the woman, though he wished to redeem the field but not the woman. Therefore Boaz's intent was to say to him, "On the day you buy the field, etc., you must also take the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance," so that by this means he would also decline to redeem the field — and this is indeed both what Boaz did, just as it happened. This is his meaning when he now says to her: "Tarry only tonight, and in the morning [there will be fulfilled] what I said, 'All that you say I will do for you,' for in the morning it will certainly be that I will take you." And this is [the sense]: "if Tov will redeem you, then he will redeem the field; but if not, I will not permit him to redeem it — rather, I will certainly redeem you myself, and not he, for you may leave everything in my hands." This is why "yig'al" ("he will redeem") is stated without an object — for it refers back to the field, since unqualified redemption applies to it — whereas concerning the woman it is used only by way of borrowed usage (derekh ha-she'alah, a figurative extension of the term), and he does not state it of her without qualification, but explicitly, saying "yig'alekh" ("he will redeem you") and "ge'altikh" ("I will redeem you"). From this he revealed his intention to scheme against the redeemer, to say to him, "On the day you acquire..." etc., so as to make him release his hold on the field as well, whereupon Boaz would redeem it, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And this is [the meaning of]: "Know: if Tov will redeem you, he will redeem what is called redemption without qualification, namely the field; [but] if he does not wish to redeem you, but only to redeem the field alone — then I will certainly redeem you myself." Now, could you not perhaps think to yourself that the deed you did — lying at my feet — is displeasing to me, and that I am seeking a pretext so that Tov will take you [instead]? And even if [you suppose that], should he not wish to redeem you, I would redeem you myself, perhaps not wholeheartedly, because the deed you did displeases me — this is not so. For behold, even though I said "tarry this night" — meaning to lodge in that place, near him — I now go back and say, "As Hashem lives, lie at my feet until morning," so that you may know that my soul has not been repulsed by you on this account; for had that been so, I would have commanded you to remove yourself from beside me right now. And so she did, lying at his feet until morning. Alternatively, he intended by saying "As Hashem lives, etc." something like the incident with a certain rabbi who had a young woman lie at his feet, and he said to his students, "What do you suspect me of?" And they said, "Perhaps among us there is one whose self-restraint is not as proven as yours." So too Boaz made this oath — "she shall lie there until morning" — for there was none besides himself who was proven trustworthy to him. And so she did — "and she lay," etc. And she acted wisely, for she said to herself: "Perhaps, by lying so close against his very feet, I myself might arouse improper thoughts concerning his repose, and a nocturnal mishap might befall him." So what did she do? She drew back slightly and was not pressed directly against his feet as she had been at first. This is [alluded to by the fact] that above, "his feet" (marglotav) is mentioned twice in full spelling (מרגלותיו), in the phrases "and she uncovered his feet" and "lying at his feet," whereas here it is written "his feet" (מרגלתו) deficient of the letter yod. Now, concerning his saying "if Tov will redeem you, let him redeem," etc. — is not the term "redemption" (ge'ulah) foreign when applied to a woman, since it properly applies to a field, as in the phrase, "you shall grant redemption for the land"? However, according to what we wrote above, that the matter was in the nature of yibbum (levirate marriage) — and this is like the statement of the Sava (the Elder) in the Zohar, that the matter of yibbum is that the dead brother leaves behind a spirit from his spirit in the womb of his widow, and it is said that this spirit "rattles in her innards" (mekashkesh bime'ah), and she has no rest until she undergoes levirate marriage, as is explained there — it turns out that this woman is, as it were, bound to the distress of this rattling and to the bond of the levir (zikat ha-yavam), and therefore, when she undergoes levirate marriage, it is accounted to her as ransom and redemption. And this is [the meaning of]: "if Tov" — the one bound to you [by this tie] — "will redeem you"; [so too] he will redeem the field, in like manner.

"And it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, well, let him redeem you" — It is possible that the name of the redeemer who was closer of kin to her was 'Tov' ('good'). Or it is possible that the intent here is: 'if he will redeem you, the matter is good, etc.,' for this would suffice for her; and if he will not redeem you, then I myself will redeem you — and he swore to her so that she would believe him. And he said to her, 'Lie down until morning,' for perhaps out of her shame she would leave from there while it was still night, and she would have reason to fear the young men, lest they abuse her; and therefore he commanded her, in order to save her from this, that she should lie down until the light of morning.

'Tarry this night' — you must stay here until it is morning, for then I will speak with Tov. 'And if he will redeem you, Tov — behold, let him redeem you' — meaning, behold, then the right of first redemption is his. But if not, this alone I promise you by oath: that if he is unwilling to redeem you, then 'as Hashem lives, I myself will redeem you' — on this I swear to you. And since she wished to rise up from lying at his feet, he said to her, 'Lie down until the morning' — meaning, lie down right here, for I am not afraid that the evil inclination will incite me to come upon you now. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: 'he swore to his evil inclination' — meaning that the words 'as Hashem lives' refer to both conditions: on the condition that if Tov wishes to redeem, he shall redeem — and concerning this he swore, 'as Hashem lives,' that he would not touch her so long as he had not yet spoken with Tov, and this he swore to his evil inclination; and also, 'as Hashem lives, that if he is unwilling to redeem you, then I myself will redeem you' — and this he swore to her.

For he said, “It must not be known.” This refers back to “and she arose before one could recognize [another].” He hurried her to rise because he said in his heart, “It does not befit my honor that it should be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” — Notes: (19) According to the Alshich, Bo’az was concerned with Rus’ reputation rather than his own, because his righteousness was well known and nobody would suspect him of acting immorally.

"And she lay at his feet," etc. — Now, as for his saying "let it not be known," one might find it strange that he said this to his young attendants, that they should conceal the matter, since apparently there was no outsider (zar) with them at that time. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said that he prayed to Hashem, "may it be that it not become known in the land that she came," etc. And according to the plain sense (peshat), he means that he was afraid to give her a gift, lest onlookers say that it was a harlot's payment (etnan) he gave her — all the more so in those days and at that time, for our Rabbis of blessed memory said that the harvesters' payments to harlots came from the threshing floors, so that she would be suspected in the eyes of all who saw her. But when he saw that she arose to leave "before a man could recognize his fellow," meaning — in my view — before a man could recognize who his fellow was, that is, the one he is accustomed to being with, he then said: there is no doubt that at this hour it will not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor, for a man cannot recognize now even his own familiar companion, how much more so this woman, who is not familiar to anyone at all. Therefore she would not be shamed even if he gave her a single portion of barley, for they would not recognize her so as to suspect her of carrying off a harlot's fee. And therefore he then said, "Bring the shawl," etc., and gave her six measures of barley. And in the midrash: R. Chunya and R. Yirmiyah said in the name of R. Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak: all that night Boaz lay stretched out on his face, saying, "Master of the universe, it is revealed and known before You that I did not touch her; so may it be Your will that it not become known that this woman came to the threshing floor, and that the Name of Heaven not be profaned through her." [End of citation.] It appears that Boaz was concerned lest the Name of Heaven be profaned through this woman, for people would say that a righteous man such as he did such a thing. And I think, following their approach — that he asked of the Blessed One that it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor, etc. — that another approach is possible. For Boaz said: behold, were it to become known that the woman came to me and lay beside me, it is possible that they would not suspect me — for they would say that I am righteous, and also advanced in years, and they would acknowledge and say that I did no wrong. But they would say that this woman did not intend it for good, for she pursued after me and came to the threshing floor to lie beside me, to be with me, and she would become an object of disgrace. Therefore, please, Hashem, act for her sake. And this is [the meaning of] "let it not be known that the woman came" — for it is on her account that this great distress is upon me; and I do not ask merely that it not be known that she lay beside me, but also that she did not come to the threshing floor at all, for otherwise the slander against her would not be removed. And in this way, let us note the humility of Boaz: he did not ask of the Blessed One that it become known that he had withstood the trial and had not drawn near to her — beyond not seeking greatness for himself, observe that such a request would bring relief only to himself and not to Ruth, for people would still say: he indeed conquered his inclination, but she did not restrain herself — rather, she pursued after him and came to the threshing floor in the dead of night and went to him. Therefore he said: I ask only for the sake of her honor, to uproot the whole matter, so that it not become known even that she came to the threshing floor. Or, in another way, similar to the preceding, by attending to the extra vav in the word "beterem" ("before") — it is written "beterom" but read "beterem." To arrive at the point, let us recall the statement of our Rabbis of blessed memory concerning Lot: regarding the verse "when she lay down, and when she arose" (Genesis 19:33), our Rabbis of blessed memory said that there is a dot over the vav of "u-vekumah" ("and when she arose"), to indicate that upon her arising, he knew. And it is worth considering why, to hint that upon her arising he knew, the dot is placed specifically over the vav and not over another letter of that word. Let us also attend to its saying above "she came stealthily" (ba-lat) rather than "ba-la'at," for which reason there is one who forced an interpretation, explaining it in the sense of "and the magicians of Egypt did so with their secret arts" (be-lateihem) (Exodus 7:22). Now, in the incident of Lot's daughters with their father: they intended it for the sake of Heaven, but their father — although he did not know when she lay down, and did not sin, since he did not know — nevertheless, upon rising he knew, and knowingly derived pleasure. This is hinted by the vav in the word "u-vekumah," to hint that within him he knew, for the vav hints at what is within him, which is also what is within his name — for the vav in the word "Lot," being within the letters of his name, hints at what is within his essence, namely the knowledge in his heart. And therefore there is a dot over the vav in the word "bekumah," to hint that within him he knew, for the vav hints at what is within him, which is also what is within his name. Likewise, "yada" ("he knew") in small numerical value (gematria), together with the word itself, equals thirteen, and the word "vav" (spelled out) equals thirteen, to hint that what corresponds to the letter vav — that is, the word "yada" (knew) — was present in him when he arose. And with this we come to the matter: when Ruth came to lie at Boaz's feet, she came without fear that it would be sensed by anyone else, for this corresponds to "and she lay with her father" — since she intended it for the sake of Heaven, and her "father" [that is, Boaz, cast in Lot's role] likewise did not know when she lay down, for at that time his heart was not with him, as though there were no vav in his name. This is [the meaning of] "she came stealthily" (ba-lat) — which is her father's name [Lot] without a vav — for then his awareness was lacking, and this is hinted by the deficiency of the vav in his name, as has been said. But upon rising from lying down, she was afraid that they would notice her, and that she would indeed be put to shame, for at the rising there was a deficiency of merit. Therefore, "she arose before one could recognize another," in such a way that she would leave Boaz's presence before they could recognize her. And lest you ask, why did fear enter her upon rising, to rise "before one could recognize," etc.? For this reason a vav was inserted in the word "beterem" (written "beterom"), to hint that she was afraid on account of the vav in the word "u-vekumah" [in the Lot narrative], which hints that upon rising he knew — indicating that there was an element of guilt in the matter. And therefore she feared that she would have no help from Shaddai at the rising, for at the rising corresponding to this one, Lot's name was written with a vav, for in what was within him he had sinned. And therefore, at her coming, it says "va-tavo balat" ("and she came stealthily"), for that is her father's name without a vav, and she came relying on this, that what was within him [Boaz] was lacking — unlike at the rising, which is complete [with the vav], as has been said. Then, "and Boaz said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor" — meaning that Boaz says: behold, this woman is mistaken in her own reckoning, for behold, she fears that whoever sees her leaving from me will suspect her, thinking that I mistreated her — but that is not so, for I am not so regarded among the people; I am not suspected in their eyes. But what troubles me is that they should not know that the woman came at night to the threshing floor — for behold, who will remove from their minds the thought that, in her coming from the house to the threshing floor at twilight, in the dead of night, worthless men did not encounter her and abuse her? But if it were in the mind of all who saw her that she had already finished her gleaning the day before, and that out of fear of the road she did not return home, and lodged there beside Boaz that night, she would not be suspected, for Boaz is great in the eyes of the people — as in the incident of Rabbi Yehoshua, who redeemed a certain young woman and at night had her lie beside him, away from his students, and in the morning went and immersed [in a mikveh]; and he asked them: "When I had her lie beside me, of what did you suspect me?" They said: "Perhaps there is among us one who has not been proven trustworthy with the Rabbi," etc. "And when I immersed, of what did you suspect me?" They said: "Perhaps he had a seminal emission from the exertion of the road," etc. So, in the same way, even if they knew of her lying at Boaz's feet, they would not think ill of him, for he is trusted by everyone. But the fear is lest it become known that she came to the threshing floor, in a way that it would not occur to them that she had merely escaped the dangers of the road. Therefore he devised a plan and said to her, "Bring the shawl," etc., and measured out six measures of barley. This means: he said, if she comes to the city with nothing in her hand, then whoever sees her, his mind will fill with suspicion and doubt, for he will say: if she remained since yesterday at the threshing floor with Boaz's young women, then where is what she gleaned yesterday, since she did not come home the previous night? But this can only mean that what she gleaned yesterday she brought home in the evening, and then in the evening she came again to the threshing floor, and in the morning she returned home empty-handed — and if so, what business did she have at night at the threshing floor, which is not the time for gleaning, and by day at home with nothing in her hand? This can only be the way of women who are not virtuous. Therefore, what did he do? He said to her, "Bring the shawl," and measured six measures of barley — which are six se'ah, according to the Targum, or less than that, according to the view of our Rabbis of blessed memory who say that "six" is stated only to hint to her the six righteous men who would descend from her, etc. And the point is that Boaz was concerned lest a man encounter her on the road in the morning as she returned, and think her a harlot were she to return empty-handed, as has been said. Therefore he gave her the barley, so that now those who saw her would say that this was only because her gleaning that day had been abundant, more than an ephah of barley, and therefore she could only return to the city slowly, and it grew dark for her on the road; or they would say that she had been greatly delayed in her gleaning until sunset, and therefore lodged near Boaz, and arose and came to the city with what she had gleaned — all this while it remained hidden from them that the woman had come to the threshing floor [to Boaz], so that it would occur to them only that she had been delayed there gleaning into the night. And behold, a swift witness to all we have written is the statement of our Rabbis of blessed memory: regarding the verse that says "vayavo ha-ir" ("and he came to the city") — it need only have said "va-tavo ha-ir" ("and she came to the city") — this teaches that he walked with her, so that none of the young men would encounter her. Hence, behold, that all his fear was not only of the dangers on the road, but his fear was also for himself — that they should not say: since he had come and lodged and lain with her, he ought to have distanced himself from her and not walked with her; for now they would say — bringing forth their own testimony to justify it — that these very facts are witnesses against him: that the two of them walked together from nowhere to nowhere; and whoever heard of a prince of Israel walking with a Moabite young woman on the road? And also, the six measures of barley on her shoulder — would they not say that this was a harlot's payment given to her? If so, what unwise counsel was this, to walk with her! But this is nothing but what we have written: that his fear was not that they would suspect him, for he was known and trusted in the gates; rather, all his dread concerned only her walking on the road. And therefore he arose and set the matter right, as has been said. And in connection with this matter, we find that we can see good reason for what Boaz did — for it might seem that he came to put a sword in the hand of a fool of lips to speak perversity: for it would seem strange — who compelled him in this, to give her six measures of barley and bring her to the point of disgrace, lest men encounter her and say this was nothing but a harlot's payment given to her, all the more so since such was the custom then, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said and as we mentioned above? But according to what we have written, healing and remedy arise for the whole passage. Or, concerning the extra vav [in "beterom"], it is possible — apart from what our Rabbis of blessed memory said and what we have written above — to say that she arose from there with a royal crown (nezer), for Boaz too had resolved in his heart to marry her, and what was destined to emerge from her was a royal crown; and it is said that she arose from there with a crown, since the numerical value of "beterom" equals the numerical value of "nezer" ("crown").

"And she rose before one could discern another" — it appears that Boaz woke her to rise at that time, and this is [the meaning of] 'and he said, let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor'; for, so that it would not be known, he raised her from her lying-place before the light of day, when one could not yet discern another.

'And he said, "Let it not be known"' — he instructed his servant not to reveal to anyone that the woman who had been in the field with his maidservants had come at night from the field to the threshing floor and had remained there to spend the night.

Six measures of barley. It is impossible to say [that it means] six se’ah, because it is not customary for a woman to carry such a [large] load; rather, [it means] literally, six barleycorns; and he hinted to her that there was destined to emerge from her a son who would be blessed with six blessings: “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem.” which is one sixth of a se’ah, also referred to as a שש and mentioned in Yechezkel 45:13. The Mishnah in Maseches Pe’ah (8:7) states that a poor person who is traveling from place to place must be given not less than a half kav of wheat from which to make bread. Bo’az therefore gave Naomi a whole kav, one half for Rus and the other half for herself. (Malbim) The six barleycorns may allude to the six righteous men, each blessed with six virtues are destined to descend from this marriage: Dovid, Daniel, Chananya, Mishaeil, Azaryah and Moshiach. (Targum) — Notes: (20) Yeshaya 11:2. Alternatively, this is the equivalent of a kav

"And he measured six [measures] of barley" — the text is relating what he gave her. And in the midrash: six righteous men would arise from her.

"And he said, 'Bring the mantle,' etc." — Now, in his saying "bring," it appears that he is asking her to give him the mantle that is upon her; but in his saying "and hold it," it appears that the mantle would remain in her hand, and he would measure with his two hands. If so, why would she first give it to him? It should rather have said, "Remove the mantle from upon you, and hold it." And furthermore, regarding his saying "bring the mantle," etc. — it would have been fitting that just as, corresponding to his saying "and hold it," it says "and she held it," so too, corresponding to his saying "bring the mantle," it should say "and she gave [it] to him." Now, our Rabbis of blessed memory said, [regarding] "and hold it" — this teaches that she girded her loins like a male. This is because they found it difficult [to understand] how she could, with her two hands, hold the four corners of the mantle while Boaz measured into it; therefore they said that she girded her loins like a male. And I have seen someone who explained this statement of theirs to mean that their intent was that she girded her loins in order to do more than what is naturally possible to do — end of quote. But this does not sit well, for if so, she did more than a male [could do]; and furthermore, if so, why did he attribute the matter to the girding [specifically]? Rather, their intent is that she girded her loins tightly like a male, and placed two corners of the mantle into her girdle, while she held the remaining two with her hands, and Boaz measured into it; and in this matter she resembled a male who girds his loins tightly — and also, lest a man glimpse from a distance and think that she was a male, as appears from the wording of their statement. And I think that, by these words, or something close to them, one can answer our difficulty: namely, that he said, "bring the mantle," meaning: since I am a male, I will gird a belt at my loins, and place the two ends into the belt girded at my loins, and hold it with the remaining two, and measure with my two hands. But she did not do so, so as not to trouble [him] with holding and measuring, and also so that no connection between him and her would be seen by onlookers; rather, "she held it" by herself alone, as [the Sages] of blessed memory said — that she placed two corners of the mantle in her girdle and two in her hands. Therefore it is not said, "and she gave," for although he said, "bring the mantle," she did not do so; rather it says, "and she held," meaning that she herself held all its corners, as stated. And according to our approach, see — we have seen the humility of this woman: for from the moment she said, "Spread your skirt [over your handmaid]," she did not open her mouth regarding any of Boaz's words, nor regarding anything that he commanded her, at all, until they parted from one another.

"Bring the shawl, etc." — meaning: prepare the veil that is upon you and hold its corners. And he measured six measures of barley and placed it upon her in the shawl, and after this Boaz came into the city of Bethlehem.

'And he measured six [measures of] barley' — it appears that this was the measure of a kav, which is a sixth of a se'ah, for it was their practice to divide a large measure into six parts, as it is written (Ezekiel 46), 'and you shall set aside a sixth of the ephah' — and this measure was called 'shesh' [six]. And the law is that one does not give a poor person passing from place to place less than a loaf containing half a kav. So he gave Naomi and Ruth a full kav, which is enough food for a morning meal for the two of them together. And by this he revealed that the matter would be concluded that very day, so that they would not need [provision] for the evening meal. 'And he went into the city.'

"Who are you, my daughter?" — it is possible that she [Naomi] did not see her [Ruth] until she opened the door for her to enter, as was customary. And the text is abbreviated, [omitting] to state "I am Ruth your handmaid" [i.e., Ruth's reply is left implicit]. And similarly, "Call him, that he may eat bread" (Exodus 2:20) [where the response is likewise left implicit], and it is written "And Moses was content [to dwell with the man]" (Exodus 2:21) [another such abbreviated narrative]. And Rabbi Jonah the grammarian said that "mi" (who) is [used in the sense of] "mah" (what), the meaning being "what has happened to you." And he told me that it is similar to "mi shemkha" — "what is your name" (Judges 13:17), for the construction "mi" (who) is not ordinarily found referring to a matter, but rather to a person. In my opinion, "shemkha" (your name) is itself a noun [denoting a thing], and therefore "mi" refers to the matter. "What the man had done for her" — the oath [he swore to her].

"And she came to her mother-in-law, etc." — Behold, its saying "and she came to her mother-in-law" rather than "to Naomi" comes to indicate Naomi's piety (chassidut). For is it not the way of a mother-in-law to be pained when her son's widow marries another man — unlike the case of a daughter, whose mother rejoices at her marriage after her widowhood? [Yet the verse] states that even though she came to her mother-in-law, in whom, by the nature of a mother-in-law, one would not expect joy over such a matter, nevertheless she [Naomi] asked "who are you" — that is, whether she was unmarried or married, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. And this question of hers was asked while she regarded her as a daughter, and thus [the verse] says "my daughter" — meaning, she was hoping Ruth would tell her that she had been taken in and married. And Ruth said in her heart: If I say that I am married, that is not yet so; and if I say that I am not, that too is not quite so, for the matter is very close [to being resolved], as it is written, "and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, etc." And if I tell her that the matter is undecided and will be concluded today, and I do not relate the whole event from beginning to end, will not Naomi say [to herself], "these are just empty words," said only so that I would not be embarrassed? For if so, then if he truly wished to redeem you, why did he give you these six measures of barley? Rather, this can only be payment for your shame that he gave you, and he will do nothing more — for were it not so, he would have had no need to give you anything at all, since everything would become yours once he took you [in marriage]. And if I say that it was sent for Naomi's sake, she will not believe it, saying, "why is today different from other days?" Therefore, what did she do? She told her all that the man had done to her — that is, she laid out before her all his deeds and all his words, meaning: "Here, I have laid out the whole matter before you; understand for yourself, with your good sense, what his intention is." And so it was: from his words, Naomi recognized that his heart was firmly set on her, and that he would not rest until the matter was concluded that very day. And when she finished telling all that the man had done to her, she then made a further statement, as if in passing, an opening remark concerning the six measures of barley — meaning, "what I have told you is the essential thing on which I truly rely." That is why it says "and she said" a second time, so that it would not appear that this was a response to what preceded. Therefore she did not say, "and these six measures of barley, for he said, etc.," with a connecting "and" — lest it seem as though she were saying: "and if you should object to the proof I have told you, on the ground of what he gave me — for he said, etc. — [that] indicates that his words alone do not suffice to rely upon, such that even seeing these measures of barley would not be enough to reverse the impression of intent apparent from them." Therefore she made this statement and reply as a matter unto itself, as though she were, in an offhand manner, responding to the matter, even though it was not, in itself, necessary. "And she said: these six measures of barley he gave me" — meaning, this is no proof, on the side that he had rejected me, for there is no doubt that I am as one married, separated from you, to my husband's house. Rather, these measures of barley — he gave them entirely so that, since I was coming only to visit you, I should not come empty-handed. And this is similar to one who comes "to see the face of the Master, Hashem" — that a person goes, as it were, from his own house to appear and visit in the palace of his Master, and out of honor he was commanded that they should not appear before Him, may He be blessed, empty-handed. So too here: what I mean is that I came as one visiting you, as though my true dwelling were in my husband's house, and I came [merely] to visit you. And regarding this, do not say, "why is today different from other days" that he sent to you — for he gave it to me entirely so that I, of my own accord, should not come to you empty-handed, that I should not visit you with empty hands. And it is possible that in saying "to your mother-in-law," [the meaning is] that now she is, as it were, your mother-in-law, for the son of her son is the spirit within my womb that I am about to bring forth. And so now it is fitting that you not come to her empty-handed. Or, [Naomi] might say, "who are you, my daughter" — meaning: had you come with empty hands, I would not have paid heed to any doubt whether you had been accepted by him; but since I see these six measures of barley, I ask, "who are you, my daughter" — meaning, are these a harlot's payment (etnan) that Boaz gave you, and the matter was not intended for marriage, and he has released you to go your own way? Therefore she [Ruth] said in her heart: if I tell her the truth, that this was done in silence, and he said nothing at all to me when he gave them to me, will she not conclude that he did not explain [his intent] because he was ashamed to state that it was in the manner of a harlot's payment, but that it should be understood on its own [without being said]? And if I tell her that he gave it for her [Naomi's] sake, since Naomi is closely related to him, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — will not Naomi disbelieve that she is so precious in his eyes? Therefore she first told her all that the man had done to her — which included his saying, "you have made your last kindness greater than the first" (Ruth 3:10). And we have explained that this means: the kindness she showed to her mother-in-law and to her deceased husband in this last act of kindness — by pursuing a redeemer so that the name of the deceased would be called upon his inheritance — was greater than the first, which was a [merely] physical kindness, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, namely, attending to the shrouds of her deceased husband. And so, from this it would appear that Boaz's heart was indeed so disposed toward Naomi, that he credited Ruth with all the good she had done for her; and by means of this preface, Naomi would believe her when she said it was given for Naomi's sake, so that she would not come to her empty-handed. And this is [the meaning of] "and she said: six [measures], etc." — to say that by means of the preceding preface, "and she said: six [measures]... for he said, do not come empty-handed to your mother-in-law." It is further possible that after telling "all that the man had done to her," which indicated that he desired her and was hastening to bring the matter to completion, she [Ruth] was concerned lest [Naomi] say: "if so, then why did he give you something you could eat from for many days?" Therefore she said: "these six measures of barley" — which is a large amount — "he gave me, for he said to me, etc.," as stated. And this, too, is possible along the first line of interpretation.

'And she came to her mother-in-law' — meaning that he walked with her along the way, but when they reached the city they parted: he went into the city alone, and she came to her mother-in-law alone. 'And she said, "Who are you?"' — this shows that even when she arrived at her mother-in-law's house, it was still too dark for one person to recognize another, and therefore she asked who it was that was coming. 'And she told her all that the man had done for her' — meaning that he had sworn to her that she would be redeemed in any case, whether through Tov or through himself.

"And she said: These six measures of barley..." — In Perek Chelek (Sanhedrin), R. Tanchum said that Bar Kappara expounded in Tzippori: What is the meaning of what is written, "And she said: These six measures of barley he gave me"? What is [meant by] "six measures of barley"? If you say six actual [grains of] barley — is it the way of Boaz to give a gift of six grains of barley? Rather, six se'ahs. But is it the way of a woman to carry six se'ahs? Rather, he hinted to her that six sons were destined to come forth from her who would be blessed, etc. Now, it is fitting to know why [the Sages] took hold of this verse [for this derash] and not the verse "and he measured six [measures of] barley" (Ruth 3:15), which is the more fitting place for this derash, and not here. But this is what led them to the derash: that the word "these" (ha'eleh) is superfluous. Furthermore, what need was there for this report [that Ruth made to Naomi] — especially since Boaz had not said so [explicitly] — for that is why the word "to me" (elai) was not written. Therefore, to resolve this, a further difficulty was raised, namely: "What is [the meaning of] six measures of barley," etc. For if not so, what he raised as a difficulty — "and is it the way of a woman to carry six se'ahs" — would not really be a difficulty at all, since out of great affection he gave her a great deal. But based on what was [already] difficult to him in this verse, that [second] difficulty sufficed [to prompt the derash]. And with this we come to the explanation of the verse: she said to her [Naomi] — behold, his whole intent was the hint that what he gave was "these," and he did not merely bless her without actually giving barley, because he said, "Do not come empty-handed to your mother-in-law" — for [she meant]: I am not coming empty-handed, for the blessings are mine. And since these were matters in Boaz's heart, which he did not express to her [in so many words], therefore the word "to me" was not written. And this is why she said "these" (ha'eleh) — meaning: these that are visible to the eye he gave me, so that I would not come empty-handed to my mother-in-law; but what is not felt and revealed [i.e., the hidden intent behind it] is known to myself alone. It is also possible, according to the plain sense (peshat), in the spirit of the statement just cited, that she meant to tell her: Let it not enter your mind that this is a bride-price (mohar) and gift that he gave me. For since it is so small a thing, it cannot be [a bride-price] — for it was only six, and they were mere measures of barley of no significance, and this is [the meaning of] "six measures of barley." And moreover, it was not given in a dignified manner, but rather he flung them upon my shoulder and I carried them home — and this is [the meaning of] her saying "these." And also, that this is not a substantial bride-price for a man such as he — and this is [the meaning of] "gave," that is, relative to the giver. And also [the word] "to me" — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Is there a woman who is betrothed for six measures of barley? Rather, he hinted to her," etc. But according to our approach, [the word] "to me" means: since I am a woman, and it is not the way for a woman's bride-price to be so small — if so, then say: this can only be because he said to me, "Do not come empty-handed to your mother-in-law." Or, it may be explained with reference to [the next verse]: "And she came to her mother-in-law, and she said: Who are you, my daughter?" etc., based on what we wrote above: that there were two matters concerning Ruth. One, that she was the good offshoot destined to descend from Moab in the merit of Lot's elder daughter, who lay with her father for the sake of Heaven (leshem shamayim). Second, that this marriage was in the manner of levirate marriage (yibbum), for the spirit of Machlon was within her, stirring in her womb, [seeking] to establish upon it a child who would be born to establish the name of Machlon in Israel. Except that, regarding the first matter, Naomi had a doubt: whether [Ruth] merely came from Moab, or whether she herself was actually [descended from] Lot's elder daughter, for Hashem had arranged events so that she would come to receive her reward. Now, regarding both matters, it is possible that [Naomi's] question addressed the first when she said "who are you" — meaning: did you discern from his [Boaz's] conduct whether you are truly [descended from] Lot's daughter herself, or from another of her line, as we wrote above, for from Boaz's words and the success of the matter, this would become clear. Second, regarding the matter of levirate marriage: whether the spirit of Machlon was within her — this being in the nature of yibbum — or not. And regarding this she said "my daughter" — meaning: was it confirmed to you, through the event with Boaz, in whom was the holy spirit (ruach hakodesh), as our Sages of blessed memory said, that you are [indeed] my daughter? That is, since the spirit of my son is within your spirit, you are to be reckoned a daughter to me. Therefore she answered both [questions] by telling her all that the man had done for her. For in telling her his statement — that he said, "You have made your last kindness better than the first" — she indicated that she was truly [descended from] Lot's daughter, as we wrote above: that he meant to say, this last kindness is greater than the first one you performed by lying with your father for the sake of Heaven. For then you performed a kindness in order to preserve the world, thinking that there was no man on earth, etc.; but it would not have been to your credit that you did not go after the young men, since you thought there was no man on earth besides your father. But now you have become greatly praiseworthy in not going after the young men. Behold, from his words it became clear that she was truly the daughter of Lot, for she had performed a first kindness of the same kind. And regarding the second matter, too, he indicated it by telling her what he had done for her — that included in his words was: "If he will redeem you, good, let him redeem; but if he does not wish to redeem you," etc. For it would otherwise be difficult, since Ruth's marriage bears no proper relation to the term "redemption" (ge'ulah) — for redemption applies rightly only to a field, which one redeems from the one who purchased it, but not to taking a wife. But by using that language, he alluded to the matter of the levirate way (derech yibbum) involved in this affair: that although the first marriage had been contracted while she was still a gentile, the spirit of Machlon had attached itself to her, so that the way of yibbum should take effect in the matter — to bring forth from her, in place of Machlon, [a continuation] from the spirit stirring within her. And this he intended, with the sweetness of his language, in saying "if he will redeem you, good," etc. — to indicate that she was bound and subjected to whoever should come to perform the levirate duty, and also that she was under the burden of the distress of the spirit stirring in her womb; therefore, being married to Boaz — or to Tov — would be counted for her as a redemption. So this indicates that the spirit of Machlon was within her, and that she is to be counted a daughter to Naomi, as discussed. Thus, in her response, in which she told all that the man had done for her, came the answers to the two questions Naomi had asked her. Now, according to these matters, it is clearly evident that Boaz's heart was resolved to take her as a wife. And so, after telling her this, her heart struck her with worry lest Naomi say: If so, why did he give you the six measures of barley? For since his intention is to take you, then his whole household is yours — so why should he give you a gift? For this would indicate that it was in exchange for having been shamed before him, and that here, your reward is with you, and he will not return to take you for himself. For this reason she made a separate statement: "These six measures of barley he gave me" — not for any [other] reason, but only because he said, "Do not come empty-handed to your mother-in-law," in the manner explained above. And the word "to me" was not written, because he had not said it to her in those exact words; but it is read (kri) though not [so] written (ketiv), on account of the thought that this may indeed have been in his heart, even though he did not say it explicitly. And in her own way she spoke well in saying "gave me" — so that Naomi should not say: Could it be that he merely intended to send a gift, giving no thought to the fact that he is the giver and I am the recipient — for six measures of barley is indeed a paltry amount [for such a purpose]? Therefore she said "gave me," etc., meaning: he is not the giver to you; rather, he gave [it] to me as a gift so that I would not come empty-handed to you — and it is I who am giving them to you as a gift. This is [the meaning of] "gave me" — in that, relative to Ruth being the giver, she being still a poor, storm-tossed woman, it is not a paltry amount relative to her means.

'And she said, "These six [measures of] barley he gave me"' — and not for the sake of betrothal, but rather he said, 'Do not come empty-handed,' meaning that we should have a morning meal.

Until he settles. [I.e., until] the man [settles] the matter today.

"How the matter will fall" — because all decrees come from heaven, therefore the term "fall" [is used]. And were it not so, not one thing of all that He has spoken would have failed [to come to pass].

"And she said, etc." — She said [to Ruth]: Did you not say that he [Boaz] said, 'Stay tonight, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, etc., and if he does not wish to, then I will redeem you'? If so, you might become alarmed on seeing part of the day, or most of it, pass without your knowing anything, and so despair and become distressed. [Therefore Naomi told her:] Pay no heed to this, but rather, 'Sit, my daughter,' and let your mind be at ease, even should the aforementioned limit [the morning deadline] pass; for even if it passes beyond the time of morning, it will not extend beyond this very day, for he will not rest until the matter is finished this day. It is further possible that Naomi was concerned lest Boaz delay in informing Ruth of what had been arranged, and in marrying her, for a number of days, out of regard for propriety, and that on this account Ruth would become distressed during those days, thinking that he had cooled in his resolve and had reconsidered, so that her shame would have been for nothing. Therefore she said to her, "Sit, my daughter" — [meaning] wait until you know, even if days pass, for the delay will be only in your knowledge [of the outcome], but as for the reality of the matter, the man will not rest until the matter is finished this day. And it says, "how the matter will fall" — meaning: do not say, 'Surely I cannot help but be in doubt as to whether he has become repulsed by me — especially given what I did; perhaps it was not good in his eyes.' Therefore [Naomi indicates that] what falls under the category of doubt is only how the matter will fall — whether you will end up in the portion of the redeemer who is closer in kinship than he [Boaz], or in the portion of Boaz — but as to whether the matter will be done at all, he will not rest until the matter is finished this day. Alternatively, [the phrase] "And she said: Sit [shevi]" may be understood in the sense of 'in stillness and rest,' similar to 'Return, Hashem [shuvah Hashem],' etc. This is [Naomi's reassurance] so that Ruth should not say: 'What have I done? I have been shamed by lying at his feet, and perhaps the matter will not come to fruition; and even if it does come to fruition, perhaps Tov, and not Boaz, will redeem me — and what a disgrace it would be, that I uncovered a man's feet and will be married to another!' Therefore she said to her: 'Rest, my daughter,' for your affairs have already been accomplished; all that is lacking is your knowledge of how the matter will fall, but the reality is already that Boaz will take you. And lest you say, 'If this is from Hashem, perhaps it would have happened on its own, without my lying at his feet' — therefore [Naomi indicated] that what I have gained [by having you do so] is that otherwise the matter might have been delayed, but now he will not rest until the matter is finished this day. Alternatively, [Naomi] may be saying: 'Until now I said, "Go, my daughter," to the field and to the threshing floor' — is this not so? For it is also the way of a man to go seeking after his lost object — unlike a yevamah (a widow awaiting levirate marriage), who goes after the yavam (the levir, her deceased husband's brother), since she is not his lost object. Moreover, the restlessness stirring within her [Ruth] was distressing her; therefore she sought a redeemer, in order to find rest. Hence, until now I said, 'Go, my daughter,' to seek [him]; but now, 'sit with me,' for you have already labored and found. And in keeping with her manner of speech, in saying 'my daughter' she hints that, since the spirit of her [deceased] son is within her [Ruth], she is regarded, in this respect, as a daughter to her. Also in this matter you will not be delayed much, only until you know how the matter will fall; for there is no doubt that Tov will not redeem, but rather that the matter will fall away from him — that much is certain — only what is unknown is how it will happen, not whether it will happen. Or, it may refer back to the word of Tov — that it is certain a statement will come forth from his mouth, as indeed happened when he said, 'I cannot redeem'; and it states that all that is needed is knowledge of how it will fall, but the fact that it will fall is known and will not be delayed. For the restlessness which, until now, was stirring within you until you labored and found, has now turned to the man, for the man will not rest, since his soul desires the matter, until it is finished, etc.

'And she said, "Sit, my daughter," etc., "for the man will not rest unless he finishes the matter today"' — for from the fact that he gave only enough food for one meal, it is a sign that the matter will be concluded today, as [explained] above.