Ruth: The Paradigm of Lovingkindness

The first time we are introduced to Ruth is as the wife of Machlon, who is one of Elimelech’s sons. Elimelech was a very rich and influential man who ran away from Moav as he didn’t want to give food to the poor who were constantly knocking at his door in the time of famine¹. As the daughter of King Eglon², Ruth is a Moabite princess. She converted to Judaism, either before or after marrying Machlon³. Interestingly, the numerical value of Ruth’s name is 606 which reflects the number of Mitzvot she accepted upon herself by converting.

Ruth is the only woman in Tanach who is referred to as a ‘woman of valour’. As we read through the first chapter of the Megilla of Ruth, we see Ruth’s greatness, as she does an immense kindness by staying by the side of her widowed mother-in-law. Abandoning everything she has and giving up her life as a princess, she commits to accompanying Naomi. According to the Midrash⁴, Ruth understood the underlying meaning behind the words of her mother-in-law. She recognised the suffering woven within Naomi’s words and decided to act by staying with Naomi. Ruth is the paradigm of lovingkindness as she recognises the needs of another and takes action to help satisfy those needs.

Why is the Megilla of Ruth read on Shavuot? The Midrash⁵ answers that we read the Megilla of Ruth to teach us the greatness of the reward for lovingkindness. Since Ruth dealt kindly with Naomi, she was rewarded with being the ancestor of King David and ultimately the future Messiah. In Tehillim 89:3, it is written that “all existence is built upon lovingkindness”. The Ramchal⁶ writes that Hashem created the world in order to give to mankind. All physicality was built in order to give. Our role in this world is to emulate Hashem⁷; Hashem created us in order to give, and this is the greatest way that we can connect to Hashem. Therefore, Ruth is a role model for us of lovingkindness as she shows us what it means to be a dedicated servant of Hashem through acts of lovingkindness.

Another great act of loving kindness that we see in Megillat Ruth is Boaz allowing Ruth to glean in his field, and Boaz finally redeeming her. Here we see that in addition to being a giver, Ruth was also a receiver. We learn from here that in order to be a giver, one must also be able to receive from others. Whilst giving is certainly an important value, it is necessary to realise that we have to fill up our own ‘tanks’, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, in order that we have enough energy and resources to give to the people around us. Both ourselves and the recipients of our generosity will gain from what we allow ourselves to receive from others, whether that may be wise advice, a delicious meal, or a listening ear. On a deeper level, the very act of receiving can be an act of giving. An analogy which demonstrates this idea is a 3-year-old child lovingly giving a drawing, which could more accurately be described as a scribble, to his mother. By the mother receiving this picture with love, and perhaps even putting it on the fridge to show how much she values it, she is actually giving more to the child than the child is giving to her. Her act of receiving is giving to her child, in the form of love, respect, and self-esteem. By receiving from another person, we are actually giving to them.

From Ruth, we also learn the power of transformation and repentance. Ruth was a Moabite, from a nation which the Torah looks down upon for their stinginess “because they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you went out from Egypt…” (Devarim 23:5) .In direct contrast to the outlook she was raised to absorb, Ruth displays a sincere and loyal act of loving kindness by staying by Naomi’s side.

Ruth’s character is presented in direct contrast to her sister-in-law, Orpah. The Midrash⁸ explains that she was given her name, Orpah, as she turned her back (connected to the Hebrew word for neck, oref) on her mother-in-law. By looking at the actions of Orpah, we can see how she heads towards the opposite extreme to Ruth. As Naomi says when Orpah turns back, Orpah “returned to her people and her God” (Megillat Ruth 1:15). The Midrash ⁹records that after leaving Naomi’s side, Orpah slept with one hundred soldiers. “God has made the one as well as the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14); from here we learn the lesson that any character trait can be channelled either for the good or for the bad. 

Orpah’s great act of immorality highlights her capacity and potential for morality. The contrast between Ruth and Orpah is striking, and we see the outcomes of both of their actions in the battle between David, Ruth’s righteous offspring, and Goliath, Orpah’s wicked descendent. Despite this, the Gemara in (Sotah 42b says that Orpah merited four mighty warriors and giants who descended from her, because of the four tears that she shed when leaving Naomi. This shows us the power of lovingkindness, and demonstrates to us how a person is rewarded for each and every act of lovingkindness they display, however small it may be.

From Ruth, we also learn the power of transformation and repentance. Ruth was a Moabite, from a nation which the Torah looks down upon for their stinginess “because they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you went out from Egypt…” (Devarim 23:5) .In direct contrast to the outlook she was raised to absorb, Ruth displays a sincere and loyal act of loving kindness by staying by Naomi’s side. She shows us that however far one may be from Hashem, complete repentance is always possible.

1. Malbim on Ruth 1:1 ↩︎
2. Talmud Sanhedrin 105b ↩︎
3. See https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.daat.ac.il/daat/olam_hatanah/mefaresh.asp?book%3D32%26perek%3D1%26mefaresh%3Dezra&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1717734917207426&usg=AOvVaw1swzDLyGIbdKY3_o4ZmeX5
   or
   https://www.google.com/url?q=https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req%3D34564%26st%3D%26pgnum%3D44&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1717734917207521&usg=AOvVaw08Rqae8Oyjmj_XUADg9agI  ↩︎
4. Ruth Rabba 2:9 ↩︎
5. Ruth Rabba 2:14 ↩︎
6. Derech Hashem 2:1, p.36 ↩︎
7. Rambam Commandment 8 ↩︎
8. Ruth Rabba 2:9 ↩︎
9. Ruth Rabba 2:20 ↩︎