(א) וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ שְׁפֹ֣ט הַשֹּׁפְטִ֔ים וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ אִ֜ישׁ מִבֵּ֧ית לֶ֣חֶם יְהוּדָ֗ה לָגוּר֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב ה֥וּא וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנָֽיו׃
(1) And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem in Judah went to sojourn in the field of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
וא"ר יוחנן מאי דכתיב (רות א, א) ויהי בימי שפוט השופטים דור ששופט את שופטיו אומר לו טול קיסם מבין (שיניך) אומר לו טול קורא מבין עיניך
Said Rabbi Yochanan: What is the meaning of "It is came to pass in the day of the judging of the judges?" (Ruth 1:1) - [this is describing] a generation that judges its judges. [For example, if] a judge would say [to a person] "remove a toothpick from between (your teeth), [the person] would respond with "remove a beam from between your eyes!"
It seems that שפוט השופטים is not so much a period of time, as much as a character of a time. A time in which authority is being challenged, and in which there is an innate search for ישר - for what is right.
(יט) וַתָּבֹ֤א בַת־שֶׁ֙בַע֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה לְדַבֶּר־ל֖וֹ עַל־אֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ וַיָּקָם֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ לִקְרָאתָ֜הּ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֣חוּ לָ֗הּ וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם כִּסֵּא֙ לְאֵ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַתֵּ֖שֶׁב לִֽימִינֽוֹ׃
(19) Batsheva therefore went unto king Shlomo, to speak unto him of Adoniyahu. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and he prepared a throne for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.
לאם המלך . אמרו רבותינו ( בבא בתרא צא ב ) : לאמה של מלכות , היא רות :
Our sages said (Bava Batra 91b): To the Mother of Malchut, who is Ruth:
(מלכים א ב, יט) וישם כסא לאם המלך וא"ר אלעזר: לאמה של מלכות
...and he placed a throne for the king's mother. And so said Rabbi Elazar: to the Mother of malchut
(יז) וְאִ֣ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִקַּ֣ח אֶת־אֲחֹת֡וֹ...חֶ֣סֶד ה֔וּא...
(17) And if a man shall take his sister...is a shameful thing...
חסד הוא. לָשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי חֶרְפָּה = חִסּוּדָא; וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ אִם תֹּאמַר קַיִן נָשָׂא אֲחוֹתוֹ! חֶסֶד עָשָׂה הַמָּקוֹם, לִבְנוֹת עוֹלָמוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים פ"ט), עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה (ספרא; סנהדרין נ"ח):
It is a shameful thing — It is an Aramaic expression, the Hebrew חרפה (disgrace) being in that language חסודא (cf. Onkelos on Bereshit 34:14). A Midrashic explanation of it (of חסד הוא) is; If you should say, "But Cain married his sister!" then I reply, Cain's case was an exceptional one; an act of kindness (חסד) was done by the Omnipresent in order that His world might be built up through him (i. e. He made the propagation of the human race possible through this union), as it is said (Tehillim 89:3) "The world was built up through חסד" (Sifra; Sanhedrin 58b).
(א) זֶ֣ה סֵ֔פֶר תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת אָדָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם בְּרֹ֤א אֱלֹקִים֙ אָדָ֔ם בִּדְמ֥וּת אֱלֹקִים עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתֽוֹ׃
(1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that the Lord created man, in the likeness of the Lord He made him;
(ב) "זֶ֣ה סֵ֔פֶר תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת אָדָ֑ם" העביר לפניו כל הדורות הראהו דוד חיים חקוקין לו ג' שעות אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם, לא תהא תקנה לזה?
אמר: כך עלתה במחשבה לפני.
א"ל: כמה שני חיי?
א"ל: אלף שנים.
א"ל: יש מתנה ברקיע?
א"ל: הן!
א"ל: ע' שנים משנותי יהיו למזל זה...
This is the book of the generations of Adam. [G-d Almighty] presented before Adam all of the generations [to come]. And He showed him David, with three hours [of life] ascribed to him. Said he before Him: Master of the Universe, is there no hope for this one?
Said [G-d]: This is how I envisioned it to be.
Said to Him [Adam]: How many years will I live?
"One thousand years"
"Is there a [a possibility to transfer some of my own years as a] gift in Heaven?"
"Yes!"
"Then, seventy of my years should be given to this one"...
() וְעִם כָּל דָּא, לָא דָן לֵיהּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ, וְאוֹרִיךְ עִמֵּיהּ רוּגְזֵיהּ וְאִתְקְיַּים יוֹמָא חַד דְּאִיהוּ אֶלֶף שְׁנִין, בַּר אִינוּן שִׁבְעִים שָׁנִים דְּמָסַר לֵיהּ לְדָוִד מַלְכָּא דְּלָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם.
[מל״ך = ל׳ית מ׳גרמיה כ׳לום]
And even so, [God] did not judge him as he was seen, and had much patience with him, and he lived one day which was itself one thousand years, minus those seventy years which he gave to David haMelech, who has nothing for himself.
(ט) הֲלֹ֤א כָל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הִפָּ֥רֶד נָ֖א מֵעָלָ֑י אִם־הַשְּׂמֹ֣אל וְאֵימִ֔נָה וְאִם־הַיָּמִ֖ין וְאַשְׂמְאִֽילָה׃
(9) Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left.’
שתי פרידות טובות יש לי להוציא מהן רות המואביה ונעמה העמונית
two fine fledglings are destined to come from them: Ruth the Moabite, and Na'ama the Ammonite.