Ruth is one of the five Megillot, the Five Scrolls, that follow the Kethuvim: Psalms, Job, Proverbs in the
Hebrew
Bible. Christian tects place Ruth into teh historical books
after Joshua and Judges, but preceding Samuel, signifying the transition of
government from judges to kings, from spiritual to worldly leadership. The
difference in placement represents the difference in perspective regarding the
book. In the Hebrew text, the sequwence
of the Five Scrolls may be dependent
upon the liturgical calendar. The Song
of Songs is the first book read during Pesach and Ruth follows as acompanying
text for Shavuot. In masoretic texts, the Leningrad Codex and Allepo
Codex, the books amy follow the chronilogical order of
attributed authors. The five books, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes, and Esther, are grouped together in counterbalance with the Five
Books of Law.
Ruth is a very short book of four chapters, focussing on the
story of Naomi, a woman from Bethlehem,
and her
daughter, a Moabite. Not all mother-in-laws are bad, and not all
relationships filled with bickering rivalry.
During famine, Elimelech uproots his family from Bethlehem
and moves to Moab
where he can provide for them. After settling
there, his sons, Mahlon and Chilion, marry Moabites: Orpah and Ruth.
Disaster strikes as Elimelech dies, leaving the widow with her two soms, and
then inexplicably they both die. Left alone with the two daughter-in-laws,
Naomi sees the hardship of survival as a stranger in a strange land. She has no
way to provide for her daughter-in-laws
and beseeches them to return to their families where at least they might find
shelter, support and possibly remarry. Orpah returns, but Ruth remains. The
roles of the two women are reversed as Ruth accompanies Naomi back to Judah
where she becomes an alien in an alien
environment. The two daughter-in-laws represent the choices we make in life,
going forward to the unknown or returning to the past.
The authorship of the book is unknown. Some scholars believe
that the book originated between
950-700BCE during the
time between the Davidic kingdom and Assyrian invasion of
the Northern Kingdom; others argue that it was written
during the time of the Babylonian Exile or shortly thereafter. The book is read
during Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, that ends the counting of omer from the
initial harvest of barley to the end of wheat, signifying the time relationship
between the agricultural season of seven weeks and the time lapssed in the
text. Ruth is also closely related to the kingship of David through geneology,
identified in Ruth 18:22. Traditionally, King David is reputed to have been
born on Shavuot and died on Shavuot.
Shavuot is the celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mount
Sinai, representing the transition of slaves into freed men, from
human enslavement to divine rule. The parasha containing the giving of Torah
follows the calamitous episode of the construction and worship of the Golden
Calf. Not only was Israel
led into the desert to be freed from the Egyptians, but also from idolatry.
Similarly, the story of Ruth parallels this theme as Ruth leaves Moab,
a country of idolatry, to follow Naomi into Judah,
the land of Torah.
Although Ruth can be read as a pleasant romance, it contains
complex language of allegory and wordplay that can be read on many levels,
making the book a constant treasure trove for those desiring personal
enlightenment. Names convey deeper
meanings and the text draws from older
biblical literature. Ruth as a Moabite is a descendent of Lot
who fled from Sodom and Gomorrah
and Boaz is a descendent of Tamar who beguiled Judah.
The text is used as an argument in favor of the assimilation of converts, for
premarital counselling and the ideal of
marriage as well as idealism in social
responsibilities and support of misfortunate family members. It demonstrates how to bestow charity without humiliating the
recipient and sets the example of the integrity of the poor.
The book carries a message of personal redemption and is considered to be a
Messianic text in both Jewish and Christian traditions, providing lineage for the Messiah as a descendent from
the tribe of Joseph or Judah,
extenuating the conflicts between the two interpretations and religions. Ruth
is a story of overcoming adversity
through personal diligence in menial labor, of personal loyalty and integrity
that is rewarded through acknowledgement and a secure position gained in
society through a well-tempered marriage.