This is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Ruth Series, with the focus being on midrash. The rest of the material can be found here:
This week we continue along in chapter three. Remember that last time Ruth set out to embark on a plan suggested to her by Naomi, in order to win the heart of Boaz. We pick up today with Ruth starting to put this plan-of-action into place.
(Sorry, no pictures in this one!!!)
(ז) וַיֹּ֨אכַל בֹּ֤עַז וַיֵּשְׁתְּ֙ וַיִּיטַ֣ב לִבּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֕א לִשְׁכַּ֖ב בִּקְצֵ֣ה הָעֲרֵמָ֑ה וַתָּבֹ֣א בַלָּ֔ט וַתְּגַ֥ל מַרְגְּלֹתָ֖יו וַתִּשְׁכָּֽב׃ (ח) וַיְהִי֙ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד הָאִ֖ישׁ וַיִּלָּפֵ֑ת וְהִנֵּ֣ה אִשָּׁ֔ה שֹׁכֶ֖בֶת מַרְגְּלֹתָֽיו׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אָ֑תּ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אָנֹכִי֙ ר֣וּת אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֤ כְנָפֶ֙ךָ֙ עַל־אֲמָ֣תְךָ֔ כִּ֥י גֹאֵ֖ל אָֽתָּה׃ (י) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּרוּכָ֨ה אַ֤תְּ לַֽיהוָה֙ בִּתִּ֔י הֵיטַ֛בְתְּ חַסְדֵּ֥ךְ הָאַחֲר֖וֹן מִן־הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן לְבִלְתִּי־לֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵי֙ הַבַּ֣חוּרִ֔ים אִם־דַּ֖ל וְאִם־עָשִֽׁיר׃ (יא) וְעַתָּ֗ה בִּתִּי֙ אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאמְרִ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ כִּ֤י יוֹדֵ֙עַ֙ כָּל־שַׁ֣עַר עַמִּ֔י כִּ֛י אֵ֥שֶׁת חַ֖יִל אָֽתְּ׃ (יב) וְעַתָּה֙ כִּ֣י אָמְנָ֔ם כִּ֥י אם גֹאֵ֖ל אָנֹ֑כִי וְגַ֛ם יֵ֥שׁ גֹּאֵ֖ל קָר֥וֹב מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ (יג) לִ֣ינִי ׀ הַלַּ֗יְלָה וְהָיָ֤ה בַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ אִם־יִגְאָלֵ֥ךְ טוֹב֙ יִגְאָ֔ל וְאִם־לֹ֨א יַחְפֹּ֧ץ לְגָֽאֳלֵ֛ךְ וּגְאַלְתִּ֥יךְ אָנֹ֖כִי חַי־יְהוָ֑ה שִׁכְבִ֖י עַד־הַבֹּֽקֶר׃ (יד) וַתִּשְׁכַּ֤ב מרגלתו [מַרְגְּלוֹתָיוֹ֙] עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר וַתָּ֕קָם בטרום [בְּטֶ֛רֶם] יַכִּ֥יר אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַל־יִוָּדַ֔ע כִּי־בָ֥אָה הָאִשָּׁ֖ה הַגֹּֽרֶן׃
(7) Boaz ate and drank, and in a cheerful mood went to lie down beside the grainpile. Then she went over stealthily and uncovered his feet and lay down.
(8) In the middle of the night, the man gave a start and pulled back—there was a woman lying at his feet!
(9) And he asked, "Who are you?"
And she replied, “I am Ruth, your handmaid! Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman.”
(10) He exclaimed, “Be blessed of YHWH, daughter! Your latest deed of loyalty is greater than the first, in that you have not turned to younger men, whether poor or rich. (11) And now, daughter, have no fear. I will do in your behalf whatever you ask, for all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are. (12) But while it is true I am a redeeming kinsman, there is another redeemer closer than I. (13) Stay for the night. Then in the morning, if he will act as a redeemer, good! Let him redeem. But if he does not want to act as redeemer for you, I will do so myself, as YHWH lives! Lie down until morning.”
(14) So she lay at his feet until dawn. She rose before one person could distinguish another, for he thought, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
Remember our unit on "Rabbanizing the heroes of the TaNaKh? (We saw King David described in midrashic literature as being a talmud-hacham.)
Spoiler-alert - we are about see more of this! Are there any passages above which can be read and creatively interpreted as someone conforming to the world-view of the rabbis?
Then she uncovered his feet and lied down etc., and at the middle of the night he gave a start!
For he got up to study Torah.
Then the man gave a start and pulled back - He was about to scream, and she immediately grabbed ahold of him. And this word, y-l-p-t, means grabbing. As we see regarding Samson, Then Samson grabbed (y-l-p-t) the two middle pillars that the Temple was resting on; One with his right hand and one with his left hand... (Judges 16:29).
But what is the meaning of And he gave a start? He thought, Uh oh! Maybe she is a spirit, or some kind of a demon! He then placed his hand on her head and realized - It's a woman! For demons don't have any hair.
Once again, we are back to this seemingly recurring motif of night terrors! In this case, Boaz is waking about screaming!
The added information might seem out of place, but I wonder if the sages are responding to this use of the root ח-ר-ד, translated above as he gave a start. This word comes up a lot throughout the TaNaKh. It has the following meanings:
- To tremble
- To quake (either people or a mountain)
- To be anxiously careful
- To drive an army in terror
- To route an army
- Fearful
- Shudder with terror
Keep this in mind as you read further...
Then it happened at the middle of the night...
It is revealed before the Holy One, Blessed be He, that in the future, David would emerge from her, and that he, too, would stand in the middle of the night, as Scripture says, I arise at midnight to praise you for your just rules, (Psalms 119:62). Therefore, this was a major source of merit that Boaz did not get upset with her.
Once again, we are back to "Rabbanizing" King David. This midrash has echoes elsewhere, as well. Take a look at this fun midrash in the Talmud:
Rav Yitzḥak bar Adda, and some say Rav Yitzḥak, son of Rav Idi, said:
From what verse is it derived that David’s lyre would wake him at midnight?
“Awake, my glory; awake, harp and lyre; I will wake the dawn” (Psalms 57:9).
Does anything stand out to you as strange from the above midrash?
Take a look at Steinsaltz's commentary below, and see if you can "reverse-engineer," to figure out what question he is responding to.
Rabbi Yitzhak the son of Ada said, though some say it was Rabbi Yitzhak the sone of Rav Idi:
Which verse teaches us that David's harp would wake him with the dawn? Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn!
And the explanation is, Awake, my glory! The harp which plays has already been awoken. And from now an onwards, I must engage in Torah study until the dawn.
Let's turn back to our midrash on Ruth, for there are more blanks in the midnight-exchange between Boaz and Ruth that the sages have to clarify.
Then the man gave a start...
He said to her, Who are you? Are you a woman? Or a spirit?
She said to him, Woman.
He said to her, Available? Or with a man?
She said to him, Available.
He said to her, Impure? Or pure?
She said to him, Pure.
Who are you,and what is your name?
She said to him, I am Ruth, your maidservant.
Any thoughts on where this midrash is coming from? Are the sages respond to something in the text? Reacting to a difficulty? Reacting to a difficulty? Juxtapose this with the account as it is in the TaNaKh and see if anything comes to mind.
In the next midrash, the sages will play a fun game with the text, something they do elsewhere as well. What are they doing? (It might be clearer if you look at the Hebrew.)
And now, for truly if I am your redeemer...
Boaz knew that there was another redeemer closer than he. Therefore, he said If I am your redeemer, for the word "if" demonstrates uncertainty.
Perhaps Tov will redeem, or he wouldn't redeem, and there was no certainty which would be the case, for he said, If he doesn't want to redeem you, then I shall redeem you. Therefore the text says "For if I am the redeemer," but the text is read as For I am your redeemer.
Their game continues into the next midrash. But additionally, they are also answering a question - one that we first asked a long time ago, going back to the very first verse of chapter 1!
Before reading the following midrash - look back at that verse. What question did we ask? If you cannot recall, read through this midrash and try to figure out the question based on the answer.
"And now, my daughter, fear not...And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I (Ruth 3:11-12)":
The Rabbis and Rabbi Joshua son of Levi.
The Rabbis held the view that Tov, Elimelech and Boaz were brothers.
Rabbi Joshua held the view that Salmon, Elimelech and Tov were brothers.
They objected to him: "but see it is written "Which belongs to our brother, Elimelech (Ruth 4:3)"" and Rabbi Joshua said to them "a man does not hesitate to call his uncle his brother".