In the days when the judges judged: The first letters of Vayehi bi’yemei shefot hashoftim spell shuvah, return/repent. All of the prophets prophesied that they people should return to God but they did not turn; therefore, there was a famine in the land. It might also be related to the statement of the sages: At a time when the voice is the voice of Jacob, the hands of Esau have no power.¹ It is also taught, “If there is no Torah there is no bread.”² There is an allusion to this - the numerical value of Kol Kol is the same as the word raav. famine, 272. When there is neglect of Torah, Esau, the demonic realm rules and there is prosecution from above. Thus, the verse states, “In the days when the judges judge.” Torah decreased and it caused a famine in the land.

footnotes: ¹ This is a reference to Gen 27:22, So Jacob drew close to his father Isaac, who felt his arms and wondered out loud, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau.” Possibly this means that in that generation, the voice of Jacob was muted so the hands of Esau took precedence. ² Pirkei Avot 3:17

Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah: (Rut. 1:2) The verse repeats “Ephraithites of Bethlehem in Judah “ to teach us that the sons of Elimelech were not forced to leave the land of Israel since they were adults and it was within their power to protest or agree. The expression Ephrathites means “important;”³ therefore, they were caught up in the sin of their father and Scripture states that they left Bethlehem in Judah.

footnotes: ³ See Rashi on Rut. 1:2

One named Orpah: (Rut. 1:4) The numerical value of Orpah is nachash, serpent. By including the letters, it equals 358. For from the impurity of jealousy and from the root of the serpent the poison of Goliath went forth. The final letters of shem ha’echat Orpah, spellmitah, death, because the wicked are called dead even while they are alive.

And the name of the second was Ruth: (Rut. 1:4) The disciples of the Ari write “Ruth and Na’amah were “two virtuous fledglings”⁴ upon which the kingship of Israel was built. Ruth is the mystery of Malchut, and Na’ama is the mystery of Binah. Since Binah, the upper land*,* is hidden, husks do not have contact with it. It provided Rechabam with enough merit to give birth to a Messiah. But his generation was not worthy, the enlightenment of Malchut was minimal so she revealed slowly so that they were troubled. It was necessary for there to be a great man with vast power (Is, 40:26) who would defeat Israel’s accusers. This person was none other than David, king of Israel, and the sweet singer of Israel, (ll Sam. 23:1) who satiated the blessed Holy One with songs and praises.” From this we may explain what Rechabam said (of his father, Solomon), ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.” (I Ki. 12:10) Anyone who heard this must have been shocked; how could Rechabam portray Solomon with so few virtues? But it makes sense if Rechabam knew the strength of his mother, the mystery of Binah, and that with little merit he could be the progenitor of the Messiah. That is why he said, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.” This comment appears in a slightly different form in what our teacher, the Arizal, wrote in Shaar HaPesukim, Parshat Vayera: “Na’ama is from Binah; she is called *Noam Adonai, “*The beauty of Adonai,” (Ps. 27:4) Because she comes from the Sephirah of Binah there is very little connection to husks in her, nor were there all the souls. But Ruth is Malchut, the world that is revealed which clings to the many husks in the world that is revealed. All the souls of the house of David until the Messiah were included in her. These two daughters are Ruth And Naama.” This is what he writes in brief. It may be that Rehoboam said, “My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.” (I Ki. 12:10) is because his mother was connected to the Binah so that there is no connection to the husks and she was not in need of clarification since he was just born from her. But Ruth had to give birth to Obed who gave birth to Jesse. King David was despised and hated by his father until Samuel the prophet came, as I have explained in other places… According to what has been said in the statement, “He (Solomon) had a throne placed for the queen mother and she sat on his right,” (I Ki. 2:19) refers to Ruth who was the mother of royalty since all the souls of the kings were included in the house of David.⁵ It is quite correct that she was the mother of the monarchy. The first letters of the words V’shem hasheinit Rut, “And the name of the second one was Ruth,” spell Riva, because she satiated the blessed Holy One with songs and praise. That is why Ruth’s name was not changed when she converted since the name hinted at David. Why was she called Ruth because she was the ancestor of King David who satiated the blessed Holy One with songs and praise to God.

footnotes: ⁴ See BT Baba Kama 38b, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: That which has entered your mind has not entered Mine, because I have two virtuous fledglings [feridot tovot) ], i.e., girls, to extract from them: Ruth the Moabite, who will be the foremother of the dynasty of David, and Naamah the Ammonite, Solomon’s wife, from whom the continuation of that dynasty will emerge. For the sake of these women, the Moabites and Ammonites must not be destroyed.” (Sefaria) Also see Rashi on Numbers 31:2 ⁵ See Rashi on I Kings 2:19. Also BT Baba Batra 91b

She had heard that Adonai had taken note of His people. The sages said that she had heard this from the merchants who visit the towns. Rabbi Hirsch Darshan of Krakow explains that one cannot contradict merchants (about prices) since they sell women’s jewelry and because they visit all the towns they know the prices of jewelry. They told Naomi that they had traveled throughout the land of Israel so the famine must have stopped…

Each of you, to her mother’s house. The first letters of these words Eesha libayt eema spell ele, which is an abbreviation of Ayn avot l’goy, “There are no fathers for gentiles,” as the sages say in Midrash on this verse, and as in the story of Nimos HaGardi.⁶

footnotes: ⁶ See Midrash Ruth 2:13 - Sefaria Translation - “Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law: Go, return each woman to her mother's house [beit immah]” – to the house of her nation [beit ummatah]. The mother of Avnimos the weaver died, and Rabbi Meir ascended to pay his respects and found them sitting in mourning. Later, his father died, and Rabbi Meir ascended to pay his respects and found them engaged in their labor. He said to him: ‘It appears to me that your mother was dearer to you than your father.’ He said to him: ‘But is it not written so: “Each…to her mother’s house”? He said to him: ‘Well said, as there is no paternity among gentiles.’

May Adonai deal kindly with you, (as you did with the dead and with me.) It seems that according to the sages, for gentiles thoughts are not joined to actions. Naomi makes this point when she said, “May God deal kindly with you as you did…” In other words, it specifically speaks of actions and not thoughts. However, the blessed Holy One does not withhold the reward of any being. What then was the purpose of this prayer? It is possible that Naomi’s prayer was beyond their reward - it meant, “May God deal kindly with you beyond the requirements of the law.” You have done more than was required by the law; so may God treat you kindly according to the Torah of kindness.

For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. The sages say in *Masechet Yevamot,*⁷ “Naomi said to her: It is prohibited on Shabbat for us to go beyond the Shabbat limit. Ruth said: “Where you go, I shall go,” and no further. Naomi then said: It is forbidden for us to be alone together with a man with whom it is forbidden to engage in relations. Ruth said: “Where you lodge, I shall lodge.” Naomi said: We are commanded to observe 613 commandments. Ruth responded: “Your people are my people.” Naomi said: Idolatrous worship is forbidden to us. Ruth responded: “Your God is my God.” There is a reason for this order. First Naomi mentioned the Sabbath because Israel was commanded regarding the Sabbath before Mount Sinai because the Sabbath teaches us about the Divine, that the blessed Holy One created the world and is the Master of everything - this is the essential teaching. Also the Sabbath teaches us about the special status of Israel; they are the children of the Holy One and are allowed to imitate God’s ways. This is not so for the gentiles who are considered slaves and cannot hold the King’s sceptre. This was an important matter for Ruth; when she converted she would gain the status of a child of God, like the people of Israel. Naomi then mentioned forbidden relations because one cannot use the scepter of the King, as Radbaz⁸ wrote in his responsa. Now that they were commanded about the Sabbath and they had the status of “children,” they were still warned about forbidden relations and even regarding a man and woman being alone privately so that they should not say that a child may use the king’s scepter for forbidden relations that are permitted for Israelites. That is to say, that they are on the level of a mortal child but on the level of a slave they must obey God’s decree. From this it goes on to talk about obeying the 613 commandments - they must obey them as servants. The conclusion is a type of beginning - it begins with praise and concludes with idolatry. For our God is the essence and there is no other - so we must observe His commandments. One who transgresses is punished with four types of death penalties as the passage goes on to say. And some would say that the statement, “We are forbidden to worship idols,” is meant to include that even the thought of idolatry is considered like actions. So when Ruth said “Your people are my people,” she accepts the commandments and when she says “Your God is my God,” it is because Adonai Elohei Yisrael has the numerical value of 613.

footnotes: ⁷ See BT Yevamot 47b The passage continues, “Naomi said to her: Four types of capital punishment were handed over to a court with which to punish those who transgress the mitzvot. Ruth responded: “Where you die, I shall die” (Ruth 1:17). Naomi said to her: Two burial grounds were handed over to the court, one for those executed for more severe crimes and another for those executed for less severe crimes. Ruth responded: “And there I shall be buried” (Ruth 1:17). ⁸ David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra: (1479–1573) also called Radbaz (רַדְבָּ"ז) after the initials of his name, was an early Acharon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek, rosh yeshiva, chief rabbi, and author of more than 3,000 responsa (halakhic decisions) as well as several scholarly works.

When she [Naomi] saw how determined she was to go with her: The final letters of the words**, “*She was determined to go with her” (hee lechet eeta) spells eeta (אתה) alludes to the fact that Ruth merited to have her body and soul attached with Naomi. Ruth was an aspect of Rachel while Naomi an aspect of Leah, the basis of which is mentioned inSimchat HaRegel.⁹* I will add another gem, with the help of God. Lechet eeta refers to the aspect of Leah, as is written there; that is why the word eeta is hidden (in the final letters). The first letters of these words allude to Leah. Also the word hee, she, alludes to Leah as our teacher of blessed memory wrote… The husks that were with Ruth eventually clinged to Orpa so that Goliath came forth from it. “A man (Goliath) came forward… and he was six cubits and a span tall.” (I Sam. 17:4) The numerical value of zeret (a span) is the same as Ruth when we add the word (607). These husks went to Orpah so that anyone who received it became powerful. It is the aspect of Leah, hovering over Ruth. Therefore it ceased to be with her.

footnotes: ⁹ Another work by the Chida; it is a commentary on the Haggadah and the book of Ruth.

The whole city buzzed with excitement over them. The women said, “Can this be Naomi?” The gematria of Vatayhom kol ha’ir, “The whole city buzzed,” is the same as Yom katzir omer hayah, “It was the day of the harvesting of barley,” according to Rabbi Moses Galante.¹⁰ As it says, “Call me Mara,” (Ruth 1:20) The Leket Shmuel¹¹ explained that because Naomi did not protest to her husbands and sons (for leaving Beit Lechem), it caused their deaths, Moshe Alsheikh¹² writes that if this is so, then she was guilty of the sin of bloodshed and was judged to be reincarnated as Mara as the holy Zohar states. That is why she says, “Call me Mara.” It might be that this is alluded to when it says, “for Shaddai has made my lot very bitter.” “Made bitter,” Ha’mayr has the same letters as Marah. In other words God would forgive her in the way he embittered her and caused her to be punished bitterly in a place of bitterness. She said, “I went forth full…” It is possible that this alludes to what Rabbi Israel Saruk¹³ said. Naomi is connected to the mystery of Leah. The statement, I left full (milai’ah); read it, with a hirik under the mem so it saysMe’Leah, (read the verse, “I went forth like Leah”) This is strange, for it says, “But Adonai has sent me back empty,” even though Leah was successful in giving birth to children.

footnotes: ¹⁰ Moshe ben Yonatan Galante (1621 – 1689 Jerusalem), grandson of Moshe Galante, was a 17th-century rabbi at Jerusalem. He served as the first Rishon Le'Zion and was called Magen (מגן) with reference to the initials of his name. He wrote Zebaḥ ha-Shelamim, a harmonization of contradictory Biblical passages and of Biblical with Talmudical statements (edited by his grandson Moses Ḥagis, Amsterdam, 1707–08), and Ḳorban Ḥagigah, halakhic and kabalistic novellæ (Venice, 1714). (Wikipedia) ¹¹ A midrashic compilation on various subjects with a supplement entitled Derush Shemu’el on the Torah by R. Samuel Feivush ben Joseph Yuzpa Katz. He was a grandson of R. Joshua Falk (Perishah u-Derishah) and served as sofer in Lublin. Samuel was forced to flee that city in 1656 due to pogroms, settling in Vienna, where he was appointed the city scribe. ¹² Alsheikh, Moses (d. after 1593), rabbi and Bible commentator, born in Adrianople. He studied in Salonika under Joseph *Taitaẓak and Joseph *Caro, and then emigrated to Ereẓ Israel, settling in Safed, where he gained prominence as an halakhic authority, a teacher in two talmudic academies, and a preacher. (Encyclopedia.com) ¹³ Israel Sarug Ashkenazi (also "Saruk") (16th cent.; fl. 1590–1610) was a pupil of Isaac Luria, and devoted himself at the death of his master to the propagation of the latter's Kabbalistic system, for which he gained many adherents in various parts of Italy. Among these the most prominent were Menahem Azariah da Fano, whom he persuaded to spend large sums of money in the acquisition of Luria's manuscripts, and Aaron Berechiah of Modena, author of the Ma'abar Yabboḳ (Ma'abar Yabboḳ, Ḳorban Ta'anit, i.). (Wikipedia)