1. The story of the Book of Ruth took place toward the end of the period of the Judges, around 1000–1200 BCE. The locations are Moab and Bethlehem, and the book’s author is traditionally considered to be the prophet Samuel, who lived in the IX century BCE.
2. The Book of Ruth is the only biblical book whose greatest heroes are actually women. Although at the beginning Elimelech and his sons are central, they die soon after. While the scroll ends with Boaz and a genealogy of the male line descending from Ruth, the narrative ultimately revolves around Naomi, and especially her daughter-in-law, Ruth.
3. Three reasons for reading the Book of Ruth on the holiday of Shavuot:
First, it marks the anniversary of the birth and death of King David, who was a direct descendant of Ruth.
Second, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and Ruth’s story demonstrates how sincerely and wholeheartedly she accepted the Torah and Judaism.
Third, according to the narrative, the events take place during the harvest season – the time of Shavuot.
4. Many questions have been raised – both in the past and today – about Ruth’s conversion. One question is whether Orpah and Ruth converted when they married Mahlon and Chilion, or whether the marriages lacked religious validity. If so, why is Ruth considered to be a widow, and why does Naomi urge Orpah to return to her father’s house if she is indeed Jewish?
According to traditional commentators, Ruth and Orpah did undergo proper conversion. However, the validity of a conversion depends on the convert’s intent. If a person truly intends to accept the yoke of Torah and commandments, the conversion is valid; if not, it does not hold.
The moment when Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return home was the test. It revealed that Orpah had not fully embraced Judaism in her heart, so her conversion was not valid. Ruth, on the other hand, insisted on staying and clinging to Naomi and her God (“Your people shall be my people, and your God my God”).
5. Ruth and Orpah were close relatives by marriage, but they ultimately parted ways at that crossroads. Decades later, a famous battle took place between one of Ruth’s descendants – David (before he became king) – and a descendant of Orpah, Goliath the Philistine. As written in the Me’am Lo’ez anthology, Orpah turned her back on her mother-in-law, and her descendants later fell at the hand of David.
6. Ruth’s conversion was far from obvious because the Torah explicitly forbids marriage with Moabites and Ammonites, even if they convert, because they did not greet the Israelites with bread and water after the Exodus. However, the sages explained that this prohibition applies only to male Ammonites and Moabites, not to females.
Despite this ruling, the issue persisted for generations, even into King David’s time. His political opponents challenged his legitimacy by arguing that Ruth’s conversion was invalid due to her Moabite origins.
7. According to commentators, Ruth was not an ordinary woman but a princess – the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab. Despite her high status, she chose to join the people of Israel.
8. According to tradition, Ruth lived a very long life – long enough not only to see King David, her great-grandson, but also his son, King Solomon.
9. The Book of Ruth is unique among biblical books not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because it contains no legal commandments. God is not overtly present in it, and overall it has a more historical tone. Rabbi Zeira explained in the Midrash Ruth Rabbah (2:14) why it was written nonetheless: “said: This scroll does not contain [the laws of] purity or impurity, and not prohibitions or allowances. Why was it written? It is to teach you the extent of the good reward for those who perform kindness.”
10. According to tradition, Ruth and her grandson Jesse (David’s father) are buried together. Their tomb is said to be located on a hilltop in Tel Rumeida in Hebron. The site was attributed to Jesse in the XV century and to Ruth in the XIX century.
This article was originally published in Hebrew.
Main Photo: Ruth in Boaz's Field Edit this at Wikidata\ Wikipedia
