The Book of Ruth — A great role model
In just a few weeks, Jews all over the world, will be celebrating the holiday of “Shavuot,” the time of giving of the Torah to the Jewish people and to the world. On the second day of the holiday, it is traditional to read from the Biblical Book of “Ruth”. There are many explanations of why the book is read, especially with its timeliness of the barley harvest, coinciding with the actual time of the year in modern day Israel.
But I believe there is even a deeper meaning. No story in the Bible demonstrates more fully than the Book of Ruth the extraordinary power of love, channeled as hesed — kindness or generosity — that goes beyond the expected obligation.
No book better models
what it means to love the stranger and what it means to demonstrate hesed in a way that not only repairs a ruptured family history but also creates a community into which one wants to bring a child.
Megillat Ruth (the Scroll of Ruth) is all about kindness and audacity. Through its depiction of Ruth, her actions and influence, the book illustrates just how one can cultivate such virtues so as to bring about personal and even national transformation. The concluding genealogy weaves this transformation into the larger tapestry of Israel’s epic narrative by tying Ruth to David, Israel’s most illustrious king.
Sometimes, you can tell a lot about people just by watching them interact with others and studying their body language. It’s evident from the Bible account that others knew a lot about Ruth’s character just by watching her.
After arriving in Bethlehem, widowed and with no means of providing for herself and Naomi, her mother-in-law, Ruth went out into the fields to pick up the leftover grain — a practice known as gleaning. This was an Israelite law that provided a way for the poor and needy, like Ruth and Naomi, to feed themselves.
As Ruth was gleaning, the owner of the field, whose name was Boaz, stopped by to check on the harvesters. He noticed Ruth and asked the workers, “Who is that young woman?” The workers replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. She asked this morning if she could gather the grain behind the harvesters, and she’s been hard at work ever since. She’s not stopped except for a few minutes.”
Impressed by this hard worker, Boaz told Ruth that she could glean in his fields as long as she wanted. Then, he invited her to eat with the harvesters. Not only that, but Boaz told his workers not to bother her, but to drop even more grain for her to gather.
Ruth was overwhelmed, and asked Boaz, “Why are you so kind to me? I’m just a foreigner.” And Boaz said, “Yes, I know. But I have heard all about you. I have heard about the kindness and love that you have shown to Naomi since the death of your husband and her son. I have heard that you left your family and have come here to live among strangers.”
How Ruth cared for Naomi was obviously the talk of Bethlehem! Even though she was a stranger among them, the people knew she was a kind, loving, and compassionate woman — just by watching her actions! Her reputation had spread so that when the harvesters told Boaz who was in his fields, he had already heard about her.
Ruth’s life exhibited admirable qualities. She was hardworking, loving, kind, and faithful. She had gained a reputation for these qualities, but only because she exhibited them consistently. Wherever she went, Ruth’s character remained unchanged.
What do our actions say about our reputation? Remember, a good reputation is something we earn when we consistently live out those qualities we believe in, especially if those qualities are love and righteousness.