“Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband”—Scripture informs us that although, given Naomi’s poverty, it would have been better for her to seek support and sustenance from Boaz, her wealthy relative, she preferred instead that her daughter-in-law obtain food through the gleanings granted to the poor by the Torah. In this way, it would be as though her livelihood came as a gift from God in her time of distress, rather than from the kindness of a relative who had known her in her days of wealth, before whom she would feel ashamed to reveal her need. Furthermore, Naomi had already hoped in her heart that Boaz would redeem both the field and her beloved Ruth. Lest one suppose that Naomi refrained from approaching Boaz because she feared he would turn her away empty-handed, Scripture first explains that Boaz would certainly have sustained her. This was true, first, because he was a “kinsman”—that is, one who knew and cared deeply for both Naomi and her husband, as indicated by “Naomi had a kinsman of her husband”; and moda‘ here means not merely a distant relative, but one who was well acquainted with and devoted to them. Second, he was “of the family of Elimelech.” Moreover, he himself was “a man of valor” (ish gibbor chayil). As explained elsewhere (Exodus 18:25), the term anshei chayil encompasses all noble qualities, including generosity and freedom from greed. Finally, he was a prominent and distinguished man, as indicated by “and his name was Boaz.” Surely, then, he would not have ignored the needs of his own kin.

“And Ruth said”—Scripture relates Ruth’s righteousness and noble character. Although she had been accustomed to luxury and delicacy, and according to the Sages was the daughter of the king of Moab, she nevertheless agreed to go and glean like one of the poor. Secondly, she did not wish her mother-in-law to accompany her, for it would have been disgraceful and humiliating for Naomi, who had once been known in that city as a wealthy and distinguished woman. Ruth therefore took it upon herself to go alone, where she would not be recognized. Thus it says: “And Ruth the Moabite said”—meaning, since she came from another land, she would not be ashamed, and she would provide for her mother-in-law honorably. She said: “Let me go now to the field”—meaning, not to a vineyard, where there would be danger in climbing among the vines. She added: “and glean among the ears of grain”—meaning, she would gather only leket (gleanings), over which the poor generally did not quarrel, since there were many fields and each poor person gleaned in a different field. This differed from pe’ah (the corner of the field left for the poor), where the poor would snatch from one another, for the law is that if ninety-nine say the produce should be divided and one says it should be seized freely, the ruling follows the one who says it should be seized. Thus the poor would struggle forcefully over it, and if Ruth sought to take part she might be harmed by embittered people. Even regarding gleanings, she said: “after him in whose sight I shall find favor”—meaning, if she saw that the owner of the field looked upon her unfavorably, she would not glean there, but would remain only where she found favor and would not suffer humiliation from the harvesters or the other poor.

“And she went”—Scripture relates that Ruth did not travel a long distance, for as soon as she went, “she came and gleaned in the field”; Boaz’s field was near her home, and she arrived there immediately. Although it was morning—the time when pe’ah (the corner of the field for the poor) was distributed, as taught in the Mishnah (Pe’ah 4), that there were three appointed times during the day—she did not go to the place of the pe’ah at the edge of the field. Rather, “she came and gleaned”—meaning, she immediately went only to gather leket (gleanings). Therefore, she gleaned “after the reapers” and not after other poor people who were gathering, because she alone was gleaning there. “And her chance chanced”—A mikreh (“chance occurrence”) is something not necessitated by the normal course of events. Scripture relates that although it appeared entirely coincidental that she happened to come to this particular field, in truth it was mikreh—that is, a special occurrence directed for her benefit. Thus, this was providential chance. For in matters through which God intends to bring about something of broad consequence for the benefit of the community, Divine Providence accompanies seemingly accidental events. Thus Eliezer prayed: “Cause it to happen before me today” (Genesis 24:12), meaning that God should not wait for the ordinary causes and conditions that naturally bring about an event, but should instead cause it to occur through what appears to be chance, independent of ordinary causal chains. So too here: this occurrence was providential and deliberately directed for Ruth’s sake. God arranged that the first field she entered and chose for gleaning would be the field of Boaz. God brought this about because Boaz was from the family of Elimelech and was destined to be the redeemer and to marry her in levirate-like redemption, from whom the Davidic monarchy would emerge.

“And behold, Boaz came”—Wherever Scripture says “and behold” (ve-hinei), it signals something new. Boaz was not accustomed to coming to the field, and this too was a new occurrence brought about through Divine Providence: “Boaz came from Bethlehem.” “And he said to the reapers: Hashem be with you”—Our Sages said that Boaz and his court instituted the practice of greeting one another using the Divine Name. This was done with the approval of the Sanhedrin, as explained in Berakhot (63a): “And lest you say that Boaz acted on his own initiative…” For one may not invoke God’s Name unnecessarily, as taught in the Sifra (Leviticus, §14), that one should not say, “To Hashem, a sacrifice,” and the like. However, seeing that in those days robbery, injustice, and corruption prevailed, and that people did not even heed their judges—as Scripture says, “And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged”—when Boaz was appointed as a judge, he instituted the practice that people greet one another in the Name of God. This was to establish firmly in their hearts that Hashem watches over them from heaven and cares for their well-being, and that the peace of society is joined with Divine Providence, such that God—who is Himself called “Peace”—is joined with the peace between one person and another. It also served to awaken people to keep God continually before them, even in matters between themselves and their fellows, and to seek one another’s welfare and good. Thus Scripture says: “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem”—indicating that something new had taken place in Bethlehem, among the council of elders, as signaled by the word “and behold.” Boaz came from there carrying this new practice, as shown when he said to the reapers: “Hashem be with you.” Therefore, they too invoked the Divine Name in reply: “May Hashem bless you,” as in the verse: “Nor have those who pass by said: ‘The blessing of Hashem be upon you…’” (Psalms 129:8), as explained there.

“And Boaz said to his servant”—When Boaz saw Ruth gleaning alone in the field, with many sheaves before her (for by evening she gathered about an ephah of barley), he assumed that she was one of the wives or daughters of the reapers. He thought that her husband or father, one of the harvesters, had driven away the other poor people so that she alone might glean, and had allowed her even to gather among the sheaves. Therefore, he asked the servant who stood over the reapers and supervised them: “To whom does this young woman belong?”—that is, to which of these harvesters did she belong?

Questions: (6–9) Why did the servant speak at such length, mentioning matters about which he had not been asked and which were seemingly unnecessary? Why does Boaz say, “Do not go to glean in another field,” and also, “nor pass from here”—does this not seem repetitive? And what is the significance or novelty of his telling her that she may drink water?

“And he answered and said”—The servant answered Boaz’s question, but also told him things he had not asked. To Boaz’s question, “To whom does this young woman belong?” he replied: she does not belong to any of the reapers; rather, “she is a Moabite young woman.” And lest Boaz ask: how can I permit gleanings to a poor gentile? the servant immediately added: “the one who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab”—meaning, she had converted, and therefore was entitled to gleanings for the poor.

“And she said”—This was information the servant volunteered, beyond what Boaz had asked. He explained that Ruth had not taken a share from the pe’ah (the corner of the field) or from forgotten sheaves, but only gleanings (leket). Thus he reported that she had said: “Let me glean, I pray, among the ears of grain after the reapers, and gather among the sheaves.” That is, after the poor had taken their portion from the pe’ah, they departed for other fields, since there were many fields corresponding to the number of poor people. Whenever they saw that one poor person was already gleaning in a field, each would go elsewhere so as to glean alone. But Ruth remained here to gather “after the reapers”—not after other gleaners, since there were none besides her. And when she said: “and gather among the sheaves”, the meaning is that whatever she collected, once it amounted to the size of a sheaf, she tied into a bundle. One should not suspect that she had stolen a sheaf from the stacked produce of the field, for she gathered immediately behind the reapers, where all could see that she took nothing improperly. Nor should it seem surprising that she had gathered so many sheaves, for “she came and has remained”—that is, “from the morning until now.” She had not rested even for a moment; only now, when Boaz arrived, had she sat briefly in the shelter in the field, where the workers would eat and rest. Thus the servant said: “her sitting in the house was but for a little”—this refers to the brief moment she sat to rest in the shelter. Until now, she had not paused even for an instant, and therefore she had gathered so much.

“And Boaz said: Have you not heard, my daughter?”—Have you not heard how people here judge you favorably? Therefore, “do not go to glean in another field”—for it may be that the owner there will not look kindly upon you. “Nor pass from here”—not even to another of my own fields (for Boaz possessed many fields), since it could happen that the young men there, or the overseer appointed over them, might dislike you. More than this, “thus shall you stay close to my young women”—for even in this field there were workers divided into sections: on one side young men harvested, and on the other side young women reaped. Therefore, you should not go to glean near the young men, but rather alongside “my young women.”

“Let your eyes be”—Therefore, keep your eyes on the field where the young women are harvesting, and follow after them rather than after the young men. Do not fear that the young men will take offense at your distancing yourself from them, for “I have commanded the young men not to touch you.” Nor only this, but “when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink”—for we find that David said: “Who will give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate?” (II Samuel 23:15), which implies that the water from that well was of especially fine quality. Since the city gate was the seat of the Sanhedrin, young women were not permitted to draw water there. Rather, the young men drew water from that place for drinking. Because it was burdensome to go there, they would not ordinarily give the poor from that water, but instead supplied them with water drawn from a nearer source. Boaz therefore told Ruth that she could drink from the water that the young men had drawn, for he had instructed them not to prevent her from doing so.

“And she fell” etc.—“Why have I found favor?” That is, there are two possible reasons why Boaz might be showing her such closeness: either because she herself had found favor in his eyes, in that he had seen some good quality in her; or because he knew her family and was acting kindly for their sake. Regarding the first possibility, she said: “Why have I found favor?”—what good quality have you seen in me? Regarding the second, she said: “For I am a foreign woman”—that is, you do not know my family or lineage, for I am a stranger.

“And Boaz answered and said to her”—The reason you have found favor in my eyes is because of two things. First, “it has fully been told to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law”—this reveals the goodness of your character and heart, for ordinarily a daughter-in-law dislikes her mother-in-law, especially after the death of her husband, yet you became her support and strength. The second reason is your conversion, which was undertaken for the sake of Heaven and not for any ulterior motive or worldly benefit you hoped to gain. For “you left your father and your mother and went to a people whom you had not known before”—thus your conversion was truly for the sake of Heaven.

Questions: (12) Why does Scripture use the double expression: “May Hashem repay your deed” and “May your reward be complete”?

“May Hashem repay”—Corresponding to what you have done for your mother-in-law, “May Hashem repay your deed”; and corresponding to your conversion, “May your reward be complete from Hashem”, insofar as He is the God of Israel, who watches over Israel and over the converts who join themselves to them. The Midrash cites Rabbi Chasa: “under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” This follows a distinction explained elsewhere (Torat HaKohanim, Kedoshim §340) between sachar (“wages” or “reward”) and pe‘ulah (“work” or “deed”), and between a sachir (“hired laborer”) and a po‘el (“worker” or “artisan”). A worker or artisan receives payment for a particular task completed—for example, a tailor makes a garment and receives payment for that specific work. This is called pe‘ulah, for he receives compensation for his labor. By contrast, a hired laborer is engaged for a fixed period of time—say, three years—whether or not he performs any particular task. Thus, for each individual commandment, a person receives reward separately, like a worker; this is the meaning of “May Hashem repay your deed.” However, by converting, Ruth accepted upon herself the service of God and the obligation to fulfill all His commandments, becoming, as it were, hired to Him for the rest of her life to perform His service. From that point onward, she merits the wages of a hired servant—a continual reward, whether or not any specific commandment comes before her [for even if no particular mitzvah presents itself, she still receives her full reward]. Therefore, “May your reward be complete” refers to this continual reward, because “you have come to take refuge”—through conversion, you became, as it were, God’s servant for all your days, and thus merit a continual recompense. Hence Rabbi Chasa emphasizes: “you have come to take refuge”—meaning, for this very act you merit an enduring reward, in addition to the separate reward granted each time you actively fulfill a commandment. Furthermore, I have already explained elsewhere (in my discourses on Ahavat HaShem) that since the very privilege of meriting to perform God’s commandments and serve the great King, blessed be He, is itself the greatest reward—whether because of the spiritual perfection attained through the mitzvah, or because through it one becomes a servant of the Creator—one might wonder why the Torah promises external rewards for mitzvot at all. After all, as the Sages said: “The reward of a mitzvah is the mitzvah”—the commandment itself is its own greatest reward. I explained that in truth, for one who possesses the heart to understand and the soul to feel the sweetness and delight of a mitzvah, no reward beyond the mitzvah itself is needed. But since most people do not perceive the delight of mitzvot or the profound happiness attained through them, the Torah had to promise worldly rewards that people can readily appreciate, so that they would perform the commandments in hope of reward until they rise to the level of serving God for the sake of the mitzvah itself. Thus, “May Hashem repay your deed” means that God will grant reward for your actions; but in truth, “May your reward be complete from Hashem” means that the highest and most perfect reward is this itself: that you have come to take refuge beneath His wings. That alone is the complete reward, lacking nothing. Thus Rabbi Chasa says: “you have come to take refuge”—meaning that this itself is the essential reward.

“And she said: Let me find favor”—After Boaz explained why she had found favor in his eyes, Ruth responded: so may it be God’s will that I continue to find favor in the future. “For you have comforted me”—that is, through your first words, in which you informed me that you were drawing me near and that I would find sustenance through gleaning in your fields, you comforted me for the loss of my husband, after whose death I remained without support, for now I have found one from whom I may receive sustenance. “And because you have spoken to the heart of your maidservant”—through your second statement, I see that I am regarded in your eyes as one of your maidservants, who likewise accepted the religion of Israel, as was customary for maidservants in Jewish households. You spoke to their hearts by assuring them that reward for their conversion was guaranteed by God, and so too you have spoken to me. This is a great honor in my eyes, for I do not consider myself worthy to be as one of your maidservants—I regard myself as lower and lesser than they—yet you have elevated me to this status, to be as one of your maidservants.

“And Boaz said to her”—Meanwhile, mealtime arrived, and Boaz ate at one table together with the reapers. For laborers who work for wages recite only two blessings of Grace after Meals, but when the landowner reclines with them, they recite the blessings in their proper form, as explained in Berakhot (16a). Certainly, Boaz reclined with them in order to obligate them in the full Grace after Meals. Boaz sat at the head, while the reapers sat below. Therefore he said to Ruth: “Come here”—meaning, sit in a higher place beside Boaz. [The word halom (“here”) consistently denotes a place elevated above one’s normal station; thus the Sages said: “‘Halom’ refers only to royalty.”] “And eat of the bread”—lechem (“bread”) refers to a whole loaf, whereas pat refers to bread broken into pieces (as explained in Torat HaKohanim on Leviticus). Boaz gave her a whole loaf to belong to her personally [which is why she later brought the leftovers home], and told her to eat from the loaf. The piece that she cut off to eat during the meal, “dip your morsel in the vinegar.” “And she sat”—yet Ruth did not sit beside Boaz, but lower down among the reapers. Boaz further extended roasted grain to her as a delicacy and gave to her generously, until “she ate, was satisfied, and had some left over.”

Questions: (15–19) Why does Scripture use the double expressions: “Do not shame her” and “do not rebuke her”? Likewise, why the repetition: “let her glean” and “and she gleaned”?

Why does Scripture repeat: “Where did you glean?” and “Where did you work?” And the phrase “the man with whom I worked” seems difficult to understand—what is its meaning?

“And she rose to glean”—Scripture relates that Ruth did not wait for the workers to recite Grace after Meals, for women are not included in a quorum for communal blessing because of concerns of impropriety. Rather, she immediately rose to glean. At that point, Boaz instructed his young men, saying: “Let her glean even among the sheaves”—meaning, if she gathers among the sheaves, do not go after her to inspect whether she has taken any sheaf improperly, for by doing so “you would shame her,” treating her as though she were suspected of theft.

“And you shall also pull out for her from the bundles”—You should intentionally leave bundles behind in the manner of forgotten sheaves so that she may take them. Yet he added: “and leave them”—for these bundles would ordinarily be obligated in tithes, since in truth they were not genuinely forgotten sheaves. Therefore, Boaz instructed them to abandon them in such a way that they would become ownerless, and ownerless produce is exempt from tithes. “And let her glean, and do not rebuke her”—that is, in whatever manner she gathers, do not rebuke her, even if she seems to glean improperly. In this way, Boaz encompassed every possibility, allowing her to take according to her need, for his intention was to provide for her honorably.

“And she gleaned”—Yet Ruth did not take from the bundles intentionally left for her as forgotten sheaves. Rather, “she gleaned” only ordinary gleanings (leket). Nor did she gather among the sheaves, but only in the field itself. However, she gleaned continuously until evening, and therefore accumulated a large amount. “And she beat it out”—so that she could carry it into the city without bearing the straw and chaff along with it. “And it was about an ephah of barley”—this is the amount of gleanings that would result from a field producing four and a half kor, as explained in the Jerusalem Talmud on Pe’ah, where the measure of fallen grain (leket) is given as four kav per kor.

“And her mother-in-law saw”—That is, Naomi saw and was astonished, for this was far beyond the ordinary amount of gleanings gathered in a single day. In addition to this, Ruth gave her “what she had left over after being satisfied” from her meal.

“And she said”—From the food Ruth had been given, Naomi inferred that Ruth had not merely gleaned among the poor, but had done some kind of work for a man, who then gave her bread and roasted grain in return for her service. Yet the gleanings she brought home indicated that she had spent the entire day gathering grain and had not occupied herself with anything else. Therefore Naomi asked: “Where did you glean today?”—astonished at the unusually large amount of gleanings—and “Where did you work?”—for surely you must have done some task for someone, since he gave you food, and food is not ordinarily given to those gathering gleanings. In any case, it seems that some man acted kindly toward you, recognized you, and you found favor in his eyes. Therefore: “Blessed be he who took notice of you.” “And she told her mother-in-law what she had done with him”—that is, she explained what it was that she had done with him. Boaz had told Ruth that because she had shown kindness to her mother-in-law and because she had converted, she had found favor in his eyes, and therefore he gave her food. These things were considered by him as though Ruth had done something pleasing or beneficial for him personally. Ruth therefore explained the matter, saying: “The name of the man”—meaning, the man who regarded these actions as though I had done him some favor—“is Boaz,” who was a judge in Israel, and matters such as these concerned him as though he himself had benefited from some deed I had done.

“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law”—Naomi first blessed him: “Blessed be he of Hashem, who has not forsaken His kindness”—for she understood that Boaz had acted in this way in order to provide honorably for Naomi and Ruth, who were living and members of his family. “Toward the living”—meaning, Naomi and Ruth; “and toward the dead”—for Naomi also understood that Boaz intended to show kindness to the dead through levirate-like redemption, by which he would benefit the soul of the deceased. Naomi then explained her words. Regarding “His kindness toward the living”, she said: “The man is a close relative of ours”—and therefore he shows kindness to his living relatives. Regarding “toward the dead”, she said: “He is one of our redeemers”—for the redeemer has the responsibility to perform levirate-like redemption, thereby redeeming the soul of the deceased so that his name not be erased from Israel. She said: “He is one of our redeemers”—for there was another redeemer as well, and Boaz was one among them.

“And Ruth the Moabite said”—Ruth did not yet understand the matter of levirate-like redemption, but only Naomi’s statement that Boaz was a relative and therefore would act kindly toward them in order to sustain them. Thus Ruth replied: “Also, he said to me: ‘You shall stay close to my young men’”—although in truth Boaz had said to her: “Thus shall you stay close to my young women.” However, since Ruth was a Moabite, where men and women were not kept apart in the same way, she did not grasp the precision of his words and assumed that his intention was for her to remain among his workers, the young men being foremost in her mind, perhaps because she imagined that one of them might marry her. [Therefore Scripture calls her here “the Moabite,” for a daughter of Israel would have understood both Naomi’s words concerning “the dead” and Boaz’s words concerning “my young women.”] In any case, from the fact that Boaz had told her to continue gleaning with him until the end of the harvest, Ruth took this as confirmation of Naomi’s words—that he acted in this way because he was their relative.

“And Naomi said”—But Naomi, in her wisdom, understood that it was not proper for Ruth to remain among the young men, but rather among the young women reapers. Therefore she said: “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women”—meaning, not with his young men. Likewise, this would ensure that “they not encounter you in another field”—that is, so that you would not come under suspicion.

“And she stayed close”—And so Ruth did: she remained close to the young women of Boaz until the completion of both the barley and wheat harvests. The Midrash states that this period lasted three months, corresponding to the required waiting period of distinction (havchanah) for a female convert, who may not marry before that time has passed. Therefore, after this period elapsed, Naomi began to seek a way for Ruth to enter into levirate-like redemption. “And she dwelt with her mother-in-law”—that is, although Ruth remained for a long time among the young women of Boaz, this was only for as long as she needed to glean, as Scripture says: “she stayed close to the young women of Boaz to glean.” But once there was nothing left to gather, she returned to dwell with her mother-in-law and no longer visited the young women of Boaz, for her love for Naomi surpassed all else.