“My daughter, shall I not seek”—That is, the three-month waiting period of distinction had already passed, and now it was Naomi’s responsibility to seek “rest” for Ruth—that is, a husband for her, as Naomi had earlier said: “May they find rest, each woman in the house of her husband.” “That it may be well with you”—for sometimes a woman finds rest in her husband’s house, yet it is not truly well with her if her husband does not observe Torah and commandments, in which case she lacks true spiritual good. As the Sages said concerning the woman who married a tax collector and ended up tying the tax-collector’s knots on his behalf. Naomi therefore says: I will seek for you a form of rest in which “it may be well with you”—true and genuine good.

“And now, is not Boaz our kinsman?”—That is, the threshing floor was located at the edge of the field, and the winnowing of the barley did not take place directly on the threshing floor but in the field before it, where the wind was favorable. Certainly, all the workers—the young men and young women engaged in the labor—would be there, and once Ruth entered the field it would be impossible for them not to see her. Naomi therefore reassured her that there was no concern about being seen in the field before the threshing floor, for “Boaz is our kinsman”, and everyone knew that Ruth was connected to that household because of family ties. They would naturally assume that she had come to observe the threshing and winnowing, as relatives often rejoice in the success of their kin. Furthermore, “you have been with his young women”, and people would think she had come to visit the young women whom she had not seen since the harvest ended. “Behold, he is winnowing the barley tonight”—thus people would conclude that she had come at night specifically to watch the winnowing and to see her companions among the young women.

“And wash yourself”—Naomi meant that the essential preparation Ruth should make consisted of washing, anointing herself, and putting on her “garments”—that is, festive clothing. [As explained elsewhere (Mishpatim II, §187), the term simlah differs from beged (“garment”) or levush (“clothing”), referring specifically to fine garments worn on Sabbaths and festivals.] This preparation was to be made in order that “you may go down to the threshing floor.” Naomi did not explicitly specify when Ruth should dress, for she trusted Ruth to understand this through her own wisdom. The main instruction was that after Ruth waited there until the completion of the winnowing work, when the laborers had begun returning home and Boaz sat down to eat, only then should she quietly descend to the threshing floor itself in such a way that from that point onward “you should not make yourself known to any man”—everyone would assume that she had gone home, while she remained there concealed until Boaz had finished eating and drinking. Furthermore, the phrase “put your garments upon yourself” does not mean that Ruth was to wear them immediately—for had that been intended, Scripture would have said: “and dress yourself in your garments.” Rather, it means that she should carry them on her shoulders and have them with her, to put on only once she reached the threshing floor, not beforehand, since wearing festive garments earlier might expose her to suspicion.

“And when he lies down”—Boaz would certainly not sleep out in the open field, but rather in the threshing floor itself, which was enclosed. Since Ruth would be hiding there, she would surely know the place where he lay down in the threshing floor. “Then you shall go, uncover his feet, and lie down”—Naomi and Ruth were embarrassed to ask Boaz openly to marry Ruth, and Naomi therefore advised her to communicate the request through symbolic actions, hinting at it indirectly. As explained elsewhere, according to the teachings of the mystics concerning levirate marriage (yibbum) and the removal of the shoe (chalitzah), the body is like a shoe for the soul. Just as a delicate person cannot walk through mud and filth without shoes lest his feet become soiled, so too the spiritual soul cannot exist in the physical world without a body. This is the secret behind God’s command: “Remove your shoes from your feet” (Exodus 3:5). When a man dies childless, his soul finds no rest, still attached to the wife with whom he produced no offspring, and his name risks being erased from Israel. But when his brother marries the widow and produces offspring in the deceased brother’s name, it is as though the soul of the dead man returns to the world, for the child born is regarded as the deceased brother himself, bearing his name and standing in his place with regard to inheritance. Thus Scripture says: “A son has been born to Naomi” (Ruth 4:17), for Oved, the son of Boaz, was in a sense Mahlon, the son of Naomi. In this way, the soul of the deceased gains a shoe—that is, a body through which it may again stand in the physical world. However, if the redeemer refuses to perform levirate marriage, the deceased soul remains without a shoe, unable to stand again in the physical world. Therefore, this is symbolized by removing the man’s shoe from his foot, and he is called in Israel: “the house of him whose shoe was removed” (Deuteronomy 25:10), for he has removed the shoe of his deceased brother—meaning, the brother’s soul remains deprived of body and physical form. This is what Ruth hinted to Boaz by “uncovering his feet and lying down.” Her meaning was: since you are the redeemer who may perform levirate-like redemption, either you will uncover your feet and remain without a shoe, thereby becoming “the house of him whose shoe was removed,” or I will lie beside you so that you may raise up a name in Israel for your relative, and thereby your foot will again be covered with a shoe. “And he will tell you what you shall do”—that is, either he will instruct you to seek the nearer redeemer, or he himself will speak with that redeemer on your behalf.

“And she said to her”—Regarding Naomi’s words, “and he will tell you what you shall do,” Ruth replied that even then she would do nothing without Naomi’s counsel, but rather: “All that you say to me, I will do.”

“And she went down”—That is, after everyone had finished their work and gone home, Ruth quietly slipped in secret to the threshing floor. “And she did”—there at the threshing floor she carried out all that her mother-in-law had instructed her: to anoint herself and put on her Sabbath garments.

“And Boaz ate”—At that time Boaz ate, and afterward came to the threshing floor to lie down. He prepared his bed at the edge of the heap of grain, and “she came softly”—that is, Ruth approached quietly and secretly, “uncovered his feet, and lay down.”

“And she said: I am Ruth, your maidservant”—That is, do not think this an act of impropriety, that a woman should approach a man in this manner, for “I am your maidservant”—just as there exists a bond between a Hebrew maidservant and her master, who is obligated to designate her in marriage (yi‘ud), so too there is a connection between you and me through the commandment of levirate-like redemption. Therefore: “Spread your wing over your maidservant”—this is a metaphor borrowed from birds, which spread their wings over their mates at the time of union. Ruth also hinted that this was not an act of forbidden intimacy contrary to Torah law, for the corners (kanfot) of a garment bearing tzitzit protect against such sinful relations, as in the story mentioned in the Sifrei at the end of Shelach concerning the harlot in the distant cities who charged four hundred zuz for her services. On the contrary, in this union, “spread the wing of your garment over me”—for this is a union of mitzvah, “for you are a redeemer.”

“And he said: Blessed are you of Hashem”—For Boaz saw that Ruth’s intention was truly for the sake of Heaven. “You have made your latter kindness greater than the former”—that is, the first kindness you showed was toward your husband when you married him, choosing to marry a man from the seed of Israel. Yet at that time, you at least chose a young man, and it could be that you did so partly because you were drawn to his attractiveness. But your latter kindness—the kindness you now wish to do for your deceased husband’s soul through levirate-like redemption—is greater. For in choosing this path, you seek to marry an elderly man rather than “go after the young men,” though even a poor young man would have been preferable to marrying an old man. All the more so, you could surely have found a wealthy young man willing to marry you because of your beauty. Yet you chose an older man in order to establish a name for your deceased husband. This is a great kindness that you are showing to your husband.

“And now, my daughter”—However, since Boaz could not immediately marry Ruth or perform levirate-like redemption before consulting the nearer redeemer, he feared that Ruth might think he did not truly wish to marry her. Therefore he said to her: “And now, my daughter, do not fear”—lest you imagine that I am merely putting you off with excuses and do not desire you. Rather, “all that you say, I will do for you”—I promise to redeem and marry you, as you requested when you said: “Spread your wing over your maidservant, for you are a redeemer.” [That is, if it is established that I am the redeemer because the nearer redeemer declines to redeem, then I will indeed do all that you ask.] And do not fear that when I consult tomorrow with the elders of the city, they will dissuade me from marrying you, arguing that it is beneath my honor to marry a young Moabite woman. You need not fear this either, for “all the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of valor”—and all will agree to it.

“And now”—That is, however, it is impossible for me to redeem and marry you immediately. For although it is true that “I am indeed a redeemer,” nevertheless I cannot marry you at once, since “there is also a redeemer closer than I”, and he has prior claim in this matter. Therefore…

“Stay the night”—You must remain here tonight until morning, when I will speak with the nearer redeemer. “If he will redeem you, good—let him redeem”—for he has the prior right in this matter. “But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as Hashem lives”—this I swear to you. When Ruth wished to rise from where she lay at his feet, Boaz said to her: “Lie down until morning”—meaning, remain lying here in this place, for I do not fear that the evil inclination will persuade me to come to you now. Our Sages said that Boaz swore to his inclination. That is, the phrase “As Hashem lives” applies to both conditions: first, regarding “if the nearer redeemer will redeem you, let him redeem”—upon this Boaz swore, “As Hashem lives,” that he would not touch Ruth before speaking with the nearer redeemer; this oath was directed toward his own inclination. Second, “if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you”—and this oath Boaz swore to Ruth herself.

“And he said: Let it not be known”—Boaz instructed his servant not to reveal to anyone that the woman who had been in the field by night among his young women had come from the field to the threshing floor and remained there overnight.

“And he measured six measures of barley”—It appears that this was the measure of a kav, which is one-sixth of a se’ah, for it was customary to divide a larger measure into six parts, as in the verse: “and divide the ephah into sixths” (Ezekiel 46:14). This measure was called “six” (shesh). The law is that one may not give a poor traveler less than a loaf containing half a kav. Boaz therefore gave Naomi and Ruth together one kav, sufficient for the morning meal of the two of them. In this way, he hinted that the matter would be resolved that very day, and they would not need to worry about an evening meal. “And he went into the city”—that is, Boaz entered the city to settle the matter.

“And she came to her mother-in-law”—That is, Boaz accompanied Ruth along the way, but when they reached the city they separated: Boaz “went into the city” alone, while Ruth came to her mother-in-law by herself. “And she said: Who are you?”—It is evident that even when Ruth arrived at Naomi’s house, it was still before people could recognize one another in the early morning darkness. Therefore Naomi asked: who is it that has come? “And she told her all that the man had done for her”—that is, Boaz had sworn to her that she would certainly be redeemed, whether by the nearer redeemer or by Boaz himself.

“And she said: These six measures of barley he gave me”—And this was not given as a form of betrothal, but rather because he said: “Do not come empty-handed to your mother-in-law”—meaning, that we should have food for the morning meal.

“And she said: Sit still, my daughter” etc.—“for the man will not rest until he has finished the matter this day”—for from the fact that Boaz gave only enough food for a single meal, this was a sign that the matter would be concluded that very day, as explained above.