Character Comparison: Esther and Rut/s (however you want to say it)

     Comparing Esther and Rut/s, it's very interesting how they are so similar, and yet so different. Esther starts out as a quiet, passive girl living with her uncle after her parents' deaths. She follows the rules and does everything as she is told. Mordechai being a leader of the Jews, she is also constantly and consistently exposed to Judaism throughout her life (even with the secular influences of the time).
     Rut/s, on the other hand, is completely different. She grows up around her own people in Moav. Even after she marries Naomi's son, they stay in Moav for another decade. She is not around any real Judaism at all, especially as Elimelech and his family had left the Jews in Beit Lechem and specifically come away from them to Moav. Still, from the first time we hear of anyone actually doing anything, she is already taking initiative. She basically forces her mother-in-law to take her along when she returns to Beit Lechem, even when Orpah goes back and Naomi tries as hard as she possibly can to convince her to stay behind. Not only does she not give up on going with Naomi, she even takes on Naomi's religion as her own, knowing that even still, she will be ostracized and and be looked at negatively by everyone else.
     Once she begins to grow on her own and to take initiative, however, Esther is very much like Rut/s. They both figure out what needs to be done and do it. Esther begins to lead and to tell others what needs to be done, even to the point at which Achashverosh himself looks to her for advice and approval (According to Hazony). Rut/s takes it upon herself to go find food and supplies when she and Naomi arrive in Beit Lechem with nothing, and Naomi is just sitting there doing nothing. She doesn't know a single person there other than her mother-in-law, yet she goes out and does what needs to be done.

Ummm....

     To me, Naomi seems very manipulative and negative in general. I feel kind of bad saying that because I know that she had a hard life and that she went through a lot, but I always thought that she was the sweet, protective mother-in-law who only put up token resistance before welcoming her daughter-in-law to come home with her. Instead, I find that she basically completely ignores Rut/s on the journey back, she rants at everyone there when she gets back to Beit Lechem, she leaves her foreigner daughter-in-law who knows absolutely no one there save for Naomi to go find them food, and she only starts talking to Rut/s again when she hears about Boaz and decides she can get something out of it. Even then, she uses Rut/s and teaches her to manipulate Boaz, the very person from whom they are getting food and support!
Again, I know she had a hard life, but I just think this is ridiculous...

     Naomi continues to shock us. When she returns to the land where she was once the greatest and richest, as a new person her attitude totally changes. When Naomi is greeted she says a few depressing things. First she says that no one should call her Naomi. Naomi means pleasure and since she is no longer able to enjoy life and experience pleasure, she asks that people call her Marah which means bitter. She chooses this name because she says that G-d made her bitter. She continues to say that she left full and returned empty.
     There are a few interesting things about what Naomi has said to the townspeople and how they reacted. Naomi's mindset is very negative and so far we see that she is only recognizing the bad that has happened to her. Also Naomi has not mentioned Ruth to the townspeople, which makes her seem very selfish to us. This also shows us that Ruth does not mean very much to Naomi. But the way the townspeople act is even stranger. When hearing about Naomi's bitter life they do not seem to care. They do nothing about how she has nothing. They should have offered her a place to stay, food to eat, and many other things to help an old member of their community.

     In the first few Pasukim of megiilat Ruth we see that the main characters are very selfish. They are wealthy and when there is a famine, they go to Moab not for food, but so that they will not have to stay and help out. They end up staying in Moab and marrying women from Moab, Ruth and Orpah. When Naomi says that she is leaving and going back to Israel, she tells her daughter-in-laws, Ruth and Orpah, that they should go back to their people. Naomi says this because in Israel they would be the lowest of the cast system.
     But surprisingly Ruth says that she will not leave Naomi. Ruth is giving up her life and any opportunity to have children so that she can go with Naomi. This is something that should surprise Naomi and Naomi should thank Ruth for coming with her, but instead Naomi acts very differently. Naomi decides to ignore Ruth and be very rude and ungrateful.

Rut, Esther, and Orpah

        In תנ"ך we see people have been chosen by Hashem and they often have a destiny to fulfill. Each of these people have a big responsibility and they can chose to go about it in many different ways. They can either do everything they can to their best ability without thinking twice or questioning themselves and Hashem, they can fight themselves about it and might think they aren't the best person for it, or they can neglect it all together. While many people in תנ"ך have chosen different options we can easily see this from three women in כתובים, רות, אסתר, ערפה.
        רות is a unique hero in Jewish history. Even though she was not a Jew, she was still worthy of saving everyone. Nobody had to tell her to go to Israel, in fact נעמי was trying to discourage her from coming, but she knew she had to. Once she set her mind to it, she was going to Israel and once she was there, she listened to everything נעמי said without hesitation. She was determined and because of this she saved the Jews.
        אסתר on the other hand, was not as sure of herself. Not to demean her in any way, she just wasn't as determined as רות. At the beginning אסתר didn't quite understand her mission, and once she did she was a little unsure about doing it. However, once she realized what she had to do, she made her plan and executed it successfully. She was able to save the Jews and fulfill her destiny, it just took her a little longer.
        ערפה is a whole different story. First of all, I am making the assumption that ערפה had a mission to fulfill because she was in the same position as רות so it seems likely that she could have also been chosen by Hashem. ערפה, unlike רות, did not go to Israel, she didn't even explore the thought that she might have a role in this world. She didn't do something inherently bad by leaving, but she did miss out on the opportunity she would have had. It could be that she was not as insightful as רות and she didn't see the situation like רות did. Maybe, she wasn't as equipped as רות, but who knows what she could have accomplished if she would have seized the opportunity.
        We are not given roles as big as the people in תנ"ך, but that doesn't mean we don't have rolls in the world. Everyone is here for a reason and once you find what you think you can do to help the world, it is up to you to go at it with everything you can, because if you don't, and you let opportunities pass you by, who know what kind of impact you could have left on the world.              

Mitzvote on Shavuot

        Since מגילת רות  does not tell the story of שבועות like other מגילות tell the holidays we read them on, it is sometimes hard to incorporate the מגילה into what we do on the holiday. On שבועות we have a big focus on doing מצוות that bring us closer to Hashem, like learning תורה. Obviously learning תורה is an extremely important מצוה to do especially on the anniversary of when we received the תורה, but when we incorporate מגילת רות more into the holiday, we add a whole new layer of  מצוות.  
        When we first meet בעז he isn't doing anything to help his relative נעמי. He isn't doing anything horrible wrong, but he also isn't doing anything good. Later, he meets  רות and is amazed by the wonderful things she does.  רות also explains to בעז that he needs to redeem her and after that, we see בעז change his life a bit as he acts with kindness.
        Personally I think this shows how great of a couple בעז and רות are, because she is able to help him and bring out his great qualities. Even though they were a couple, and all couples can look at them as a role models for a good relationship, you can also use this lesson to bring out the good in many people.
        In addition to the מצוות we do on שבועות that bring us closer to Hashem, we can look up to רות and do מצוות that bring us closer to other people in out lives. When you do things for other people, you may not even notice how your actions are helping them become better people too.    

G-d as the puppet master

There are many clues in the Megillah that provide strong evidence that G-d is behind the scenes. Firstly, the chiastic structure of the Megillah illustrates how everything get turned around so perfectly in the story to allow the Jews to come out on top. In the first half of the story, Haman is in control. He plans the destruction of the Jews, and everything seems to be going his way. The second half of the Megillah is a complete turnaround, and Mordechai, Esther and the Jews ultimately win out. A perfect example of this is that in the beginning of Perek 4, Mordechai was at the gates of the palace wearing sackcloth, and every Jew was mourning Haman’s decree. In Perek 8, the Jews are all rejoicing over their victory in war, as it says:
"יז. בְּיוֹם שְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר לְחֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר וְנוֹחַ בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר בּוֹ וְעָשֹׂה אֹתוֹ יוֹם מִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה:" 


According to Sanctuaries in Time, by Rav Eliyahu Dessler, the fact that everything gets turned around shows the hand of G-d and his hidden miracles. The story wouldn’t have worked out the way it did if it weren’t for G-d controlling the events. Similarly, Worldmask says that G-d was intentionally hiding from the people. The series of “coincidences” weren’t really coincidences - it was really G-d controlling the story. His name is left out to teach us a lesson - we are supposed to uncover G-d’s mask and seek him out. This is where the custom of wearing masks on Purim comes from. In relation to today, a time where G-d doesn’t perform outright miracles, our goal is to try to see how He is pulling the strings in our everyday lives.

Rut: A Leader Who Changed History

I'm sitting here, mulling over what to write in this blog post, and I'm struggling to find an introduction. Well, I guess I just covered that. So, that folks, was my introduction. This year, we had the pleasure to learn Kohelet, Eicha, Esther, and Rut, and to be honest, the perspective I've gained into really examining the Tanach, discerning themes that may not be clear to the naked eye, will stay with me for a lifetime. At the end of the year, we studied Megillat Rut. In terms of "a first glance" type of view, the megillah appears to be a story about a woman who loses her sons, only to be joined by one of their Moabite wives, Rut, who eventually ends up marrying a man, Boaz; and together, they begin the lineage of King David. However, in classic Mrs. Perl fashion, there is so much more to this narrative. Over Shavout, I attended Mrs. Perl's fantastic class on Megillat Rut, and along with "bringing the sefer together," she displayed Rut as an individual who changed the course of history in a community of chaos.

So, what better way to look into Megillat Rut than to travel back in time to the mission of Avraham or the "Avraham Mission!" Avraham's job entailed the establishment of ethical monotheism in Israel, and the people were to follow what Avraham set the foundation for, obeying the mitzvot and acting with "Tzedek U'Mishpat." They were to recognize that G-d is the bestower of all success, and in addition, ensure that the downtrodden were not oppressed and even more, were cared for. The government was initially intended to be somewhat of a hierarchy, with Hashem presiding over the King, Navi, the Shoftim v'Shotrim, and the Kohen and Levi. Each were to have separate duties that only they alone could fulfill. Essentially, in this "ideal society," a centralized government was to be installed, motivating the people to continue to the mission of Avraham. As we saw in Devarim, if they did so, they would be rewarded with success. However, if they deviated from following the Torah wholeheartedly, they would be punished, in the form of enemies, famine, and exile. This is what really happened.

In reality, the cycle of sin consumed this period, with the Jews constantly falling into sin and idolatry, only to be saved by G-d, and then returning to their previous state. There was a decentralized government, a lack of leadership, and civil, religious, and social breakdowns. To be precise, "In those days (there was) no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his eyes." This already presents the premise for Rut: the Jewish people were in a state of chaos, which provides the impetus for Rut to be the leader and change the course of history.

From the beginning of the Sefer, at the end of the first Perek, we see the determination Rut possesses. She literally "sticks" to her mother-in-law Naomi, letting nothing faze her in her pursuit of being with Naomi, even though her heritage was Moabite. She assumed a new identity as a follower of Hashem, and clung to it. This is her first act of Chesed.

Later in the Sefer, we are introduced to Boaz, who we concluded had an obligation to help Naomi and Rut upon their arrival, despite us first deeming him a "good guy." Way to put a twist on that notion. However, Rut gives him the opportunity to grow, allowing him to be her redeemer. This eventually occurs, and Rut and Boaz marry. At the end of Megillat Rut, the lineage of King David is written. And who is the start of the family tree? Rut! Huzzah!

Rut was the restorer of the Avraham mission in a society that had both ignored and forgotten it. She accepted the Torah in its entirety, performing both the Mitzvot and "Tzedek U'Mishpat" despite being a foreigner that society frowned upon, even though they themselves were in a state of complete and utter immorality. As one last question, do you think that because Rut was the restorer of the "Avraham mission," she merited the start of the lineage that would lead to King David? 

Mrs. Perl-I cannot believe this is my last blog post for your class. It seems like it's become a part of my weekly routine, and blogging has required me to analyze, reflect, and think critically about the ideas presented in class, although my 16 paragraphs from last year have been somewhat shortened. Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher these past few years; I've learned lessons that extend beyond the classroom and concepts that apply to my daily life. We'll miss you in Memphis, but wish you the best of luck next year!

It's about how you say it

I never knew Rut to be the great person that we learned about. All I had learned about her was that she was modest when she was in the field and bent down a certain way that Boaz became interested in her. I never had fully read the story in depth with actual understanding. I never knew the person that she really was - a caring person who will do anything to help the ones that she loves.

We first see this when she refuses to leave Naomi when Naomi asks her to and Orpah goes. She tells Naomi "Where you go, I will go." It was Rut's persistence and dedication that showed that there is more to come for her as a person and that she will really help out Naomi. Naomi didn't even talk to Rut the whole way of their travels, but she still continued with Rut.

When we first met Boaz, he gave Rut the ability to take whatever she wanted to take to make sure that she was satisfied and full. Without looking further into that, you would think that what he did was fine because he gave her food and that's what she needed. When we learned about it, though, we saw that he knew who she was and what he was supposed to do, he just didn't do it.

When Naomi asked her to go to Boaz because they need to continue the family name, Noami gave specific instructions on what to do and what to say to Boaz to make sure that he will do the right thing this time. When she went there, she followed exactly what Naomi said, but she said one thing extra. She said that he is the redeemer and he has a responsibility and from then on, he changed so much and did what he was supposed to do and more.

In Rut, when the characters are first introduced to us, we hate them for a while because the way that they are presented to us. At the end of the book, though, the story comes together and the characters redeem themselves (no pun intended) and prove to be something worth taking from.

Find the Rus in You!

         Though the school year has officially ended, those of us with only two blogs this quarter have the privilege of writing a third. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish Megillas Rus in as much depth as we could have with more time, but Mrs. Perl still gave us an overview of the meaning behind the story. We learned in Perek Alef that a man named Elimelech was moving from Beis Lechem to Moav with his two sons and his wife, Naomi. Though it may seem that they were simply escaping the widespread famine in Beis Lechem, it actually looks as though they were escaping responsibility. We learned that the words used to describe Elimelech and his family are the words that are used to describe those who are wealthy. Therefore, Elimelech and his family should have been perfectly comfortable even in the midst of a famine. Therefore we conclude that Elimelech left Beis Lechem to avoid the responsibility of helping those who were not as fortunate. He didn't want to give up his money and his time to help others, so he left.

         Now, when Elimelech and his family arrived in Moav, the two sons found two wives: Rus and Orpah. Coincidentally, Elimelech and his two sons pass away soon after arriving in Moav (perhaps a punishment for abandoning their duties....?), leaving Naomi and her daughters-in-law widows. Naomi decides to return to Beis Lechem after hearing that the famine ended, and she tries to convince her daughters-in-law to stay behind. She tells Rus and Orpah that she cannot give them new husbands and that they should stay in their own land. Orpah decides to leave, though Rus is persistent. Rus tells Naomi that wherever Naomi goes, she will follow. Naomi's nation is her nation, Naomi's G-d is her G-d. Rus willingly takes on Judaism as her religion, abandoning her old lifestyle.

         Naomi responds to Rus is a very odd way. She stops talking to her. Naomi allows Rus to follow, though gives her the silent treatment. Upon arriving in Beis Lechem, Naomi tells her old neighbors to call her "Marah" because G-d embittered her life. No introduction of Rus, who would be an outcast as a foreigner, and Noami even seems to be blaming G-d for her predicament. She says that G-d was the one who brought her out with everything and returned her with nothing.

         So, in the beginning of the Megillah we can see that Rus was not very well respected. She had just lost her husband and she decided to leave her faith and her home behind to travel with a "bitter" mother-in-law to a place where she would be at the bottom of society. Naomi completely ignores her along the way and when they arrive to Beis Lechem, Rus must go out and pick food in the fields of others just to keep her and her mother-in-law alive. It is here that we see the true character of Rus. Though we learn that it was forbidden for Jewish men to marry Moavite women and we learn that the nation of Moav was corrupt and terrible, Rus was truly an exception. She was selfless and caring and willing to take a crucial leap of faith, a feat not so easily achieved. Rus, as a convert, held the best qualities that most Jews of the time did not. She represents the beginning of a new age in Jewish history. While the time period she lived in was one of a corrupt society, only a few generations later a new leader would arise to bring the Jewish people out of their slump: Dovid HaMelech. Rus was the one person who brought kindness and morality that would change the course of Jewish history.

         To make a connection between Rus and our time, I want to talk about society today. We learned that society back then was corrupt because the Jewish people had no leader. Today, it isn't hard to see that society is pretty corrupt as well. Everyone is obsessed with impressing others and social media has taken over most people's lives. Though thankfully our corruption isn't really as bad as the corruption of Rus's time, it's still just as influential. We should be sure that we take on Rus's qualities ourselves in a way to bring some sense into the crazy world. As Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." So that's it. A very quick overview of Rus, and I didn't even talk about Boaz and redeeming, but oh well. Sadly, this is our last blog, maybe for the rest of high school! Mrs. Perl, I hope all of the kids in your new school love to blog and will provide you with new insights. We'll miss you in Memphis!

We learned about two stories in Shoftim to teach us about the time period that Rut took place. The Jews at this time were not very religious. They mixed with society because they didn't have any centeral leadership to tell them that they needed to stay with G-d. They weren't religious people, but they were still associated with Judaism. They knew basic traditions of Judaism but would often distort the way they did them. They went with the local customs and did what they thought was moral in their eyes. The morals were skewed because they didn't know when was too much to integrate into society. They got carried away, and there was no one to tell them to stop. So now their religious values are skewed.  

In the first Perek we see the corruption in Naomi's family. Some say that Naomi's family was actually wealthy and ran away from Beit Lechem because they didn't want to share their wealth with the poor and starving. They took the religious values about helping others out and replaced them with the individualistic ideas from society. 

There was one person who didn't let society change her morals. Everything Rut did was moral and was to help people (even sleeping with Boaz). She was extremely selfless, and she wasn't even Jewish. She did everything in the interest of the people around her. For example she insisted on accompanying Naomi back to Beit Lechem. There was nothing for her in Beit Lechem. She was moving away from her home and family. They were going to Beit Lechem where she wouldn't find a husband of her culture. But she didn't want any of that. She wanted to follow Naomi and help her through her hard times. 

She also sacrificed her love life to continue her dead husband's name. She could have married someone younger and someone she loved, but she knew what was important in life. She put her wants aside and did what was best in the end and for the entire community. This is true chesed. We have a lot to learn from Rut and her intense kindness. 

Esther before Ahasuerus/Reflections

A long, long time ago I was going to blog about the painting shown above. Way back in the times when I spent my days hanging around at the Philadelphia Museum of Art I happened upon Pompeo Girolamo Batoni's painting called Esther before Ahasuerus and I found it so remarkable! What do you think of this painting? Like/loathe? 

Reflections

Never would I ever have imagined that a "Megillot" class would have been able to teach me so much about my life. Then Mrs. Perl goes ahead and starts re-writing NACH, and all of a sudden anything is possible. All of a sudden these works are approachable and meaningful. Things that were so difficult to understand at first are now easy as pie to pick up, read, and interpret. MIND. BLOWING!! 

KOHELET: For the longest time this class wasn't "Megillot class" it was just "Kohelet Class". This was partly due to the fact that we thought it would take us until the end of the year to finish Sefer Kohelet, true; the main reason we called it 'kohelet', though, was because we were all so into it! Don't believe me, just go up to Alyssa and ask her what she thought about the transformation of the Chacham (spoiler alert: she doesn't approve, but she sure is passionate about it!). 

Kohelet taught me that, though at times it may seem like it, hakol is not hevel. There may be things in life that we cannot understand- that we struggle with- but we shouldn't let them stump us. The key in life is recognizing that we don't know everything. Once we know that, things will easily fall into place. 

 This was for sure my favorite Sefer to blog about, partly because I could accompany my blogs with Calvin and Hobbes comics. It's only appropriate, then, that the last blog of my whole high school career include one such comic. 

We dealt with questions like this in Kohelet. Why do bad things happen to good people? In Ester it was more of "why all the secrecy?". So deep, Calvin!

EICHA: This one was very difficult to get through at first because it initially felt like it was just a terribly depressing/terrifying book. However, once perspectified, Eicha proves to be a very current book that teaches us about life in Galut. Even though we can't see God, we shouldn't assume that God isn't there. Eicha teaches us about the right way to approach a loss; Eicha teaches us that betrayal hurts, but recovery is necessary; Eicha teaches us that Teshuva is always an option. Perhaps most powerfully, Eicha teaches us how important it is to have a strong community to stand by when times are tough. We are always stronger when we come together. 

ESTER: My favorite part about learning Ester was learning about the evolution of Ester herself. I was angry at the beginning when I noticed how passive she was. Then I was in awe as she transformed before our eyes. I think that Ester is such a powerful, positive biblical female role model. I know that there are lots of other lessons from Ester, but, to be honest, this is the one that I will take with me for the years to come. (Are any of you actually surprised? Nah.) 

RUTH: The Book of Ruth gets the award for most improved. This book was incredibly inappropriate and uninspiring the first time I read it. Once we went over it in class, however, slowly but surely the Megillah of Ruth and the character Ruth redeemed themselves. The selfless, wonderful, awesome Ruth gets full credit for this. All of the other characters pale in comparison to this woman. I would also like to point out that the way MP related this sefer to Shavuot was truly beautiful. Mitzvot ben adam lechavero are so essential to a person's Jewish identity, and Ruth really embodies how important it is to live one's life according to the ideals of morality, tzedek umisphat, and chessed.

To those of you still listening to me, I leave you with this final wish:

Dream big, and you can accomplish anything. But don't forget to appreciate those big, sunny fields. The simplest things are sometimes the greatest. Think about our megillot class- we didn't go into extensive meforshim or anything. We looked at most of the sefarim simply by doing an in-depth reading of the original text. And yet.. we got so much out of it. 

Thanks for a great year! 

The Last Post

Hi, guys. So this is a pretty bittersweet moment, right? It's the last post after what feels like hundreds of posts that we're going to put up for Megillot class. Actually, this is the last post we're going to put up for any of Mrs. Perl's classes. It's been an awesome ride, Mrs. Perl, and I'm not going to pretend that I'm not going to miss you like crazy next year. Thanks for everything.

Since this is the end and I was finishing up my work, I thought I would take an idea we learned from Megillat Esther and apply it to Megillat Rut. When we were tying up the loose ends from Esther and redeeming the characters, we read a lot about how there's a surface meaning to the events in the Megillah and an underlying deeper meaning. The deeper meaning is the one that adds insight to our lives and has the potential to enhance with further knowledge. With Esther, we learned a lot of new things about seeing G-d in our lives, the role of women, exile vs. Diaspora, leadership, initiative, and uniting to deal with adversity. In the end, Megillat Esther turned out to be holding a lot more wisdom than we previously gave it credit for.

And then we learned Megillat Rut. Before this class, very few of us had actually read through the text and understood what was happening. On the surface, it seemed like a lot of un-Kosher things were going on, especially when it came to Rut and Naomi and being redeemed by a Goel. On the surface, going to the threshing floor in the middle of the night to lie with a man and then having to walk the "walk of shame" afterwards seems like yet another display of the normal immorality of the society of the Shoftim and definitely would not be considered admirable. Then we read between the lines. We looked at the nuances of the language and it all clicked: Rut did what she did to get Boaz to realize his responsibility to do this kindness for her and for Naomi. It was his job to take the initiative and stand up for what was right. A similar lesson also appears in Megillat Esther, where Esther ultimately learns that she has to step up and take advantage of the potential and the chance that G-d has given her. Rut stepped up, Boaz stepped up, Esther stepped up. On top of that, Rut taught us about the true nature of Chessed. She taught us that giving selflessly and sacrificing for what's right is the best way to actualize the potential to better the world.

I didn't think about this until just now, but perhaps the deep meaning behind the Megillot come out at just the right moments in life. For me, the lessons learned in Megillot class will hold a very special place in my heart because of the way we learned them. The path to finding meaning in life that we learned from Kohelet has inspired me to want to pass that knowledge on to other people who haven't yet had the fortune of making sense of a book that seems like nonsense when read literally. Sefer Eicha taught me how to deal with tragedy and grief, and now I can help others go through their own journey of grieving and moving on. Esther taught me more about taking initiative and action than I thought possible. I also learned about how to find G-d in the mundane and started to consider my role as one part of the whole of K'lal Yisrael, even as a person who is choosing to live in the Diaspora. Finally, Rut taught me about giving to others and about self-sacrifice when you have to do the right thing. Seriously, these lessons are the ones that I will take with me for life.

Mrs. Perl, thank you for an amazing five years as my teacher. I've learned so much more than I can put into words. Thanks for being there for me throughout and for being one of the most passionate and wonderful Judaic studies teachers and role models that Memphis has ever seen. You have changed all of our lives for the better. Those kids at Kohelet have no idea what an amazing ride they're in for. 

Naomi or Noami

Wow, it had been ages since I have used this website! For the last blog as a freshman, a student in Mrs. Perls class, and for my last blog hopefully ever, I wanted to dedicate it to the first part of Megillat Ruth. Seriously, Ruth, she is the bomb. On the other hand, while learning the beginning of Ruth in depth, I decided I am not the biggest fan of her mother in law, Noami.

Okay, I get she experienced hardships and she really did suffer, but she was so pessimistic and even displayed it to others too. I know it is difficult to move on from such difficult hardships that she had faced but that should not have been a reason for why she was so mean to Ruth. It would be one thing if she was full of sorrow and was sad, but she showed it when she was with others too.
 After Noami's two sons and her husband had passed away, she told her daughter in-laws to return back to the land that they came from. After Orpah did, Ruth refused to leave her. Ruth then promised to be there for Noami for her whole life and she committed everything that she had. In response, Noami was silent. It almost seems to me that she was annoyed with Ruth or something. If someone would dedicate their whole life to you so you would not be alone wouldn't you do a little more than just give them the silent treatment?
   After Noami and Ruth went to Israel, she was the talk of the town. The reason why Noami was the subject of conversation because she left for a while then came back a whole new person. Noami yelled at everyone to call her " the bitter one." I think these two stories give a little bit of insight on how much she suffered and how angry she was. Maybe if she would have made an effort to change the dealing process with her trauma, she would have found a more meaningful light and could have found peace, instead of suffering and taking it out on others.
With that, it has been a great year. Thanks for everything!

Then and Now

Hey guys. It's been a while. Let's see if I still remember how to do this thing.

Megillat Rut is a lot weirder than I remember it. Without knowing the context, it's even weirder.
I remember reading this story for my Bat Mitzvah although I'm not really sure if it was the same story. I mean, it had the same name and characters but the translation must have been off or something because I was way off with my interpretation. Here's what I thought about the characters and what I know now:

Naomi is like the Mordechai in this story. At first, I thought she was this wise Jewish lady who guides her daughter-in-law in a foreign land. She loses all of her family and now is this sad old lady who is returning home and yet she is still able to show Rut the ropes and show her how to live in this new land. Well, turns out she isn't all that great. She's still a sad Jewish lady but she's got some sass too. When Rut refuses to leave her after Naomi made it pretty clear that she wanted them to go home, she starts giving Rut the silent treatment. When she gets back to Beit Lechem, she tells the women to call her "Marah" because G-d has embittered her and caused her to lose everything. First of all, she needs to calm down with the negativity. Second, she is blaming G-d. If I learned anything from Aicha, then it's that blaming G-d is not the answer. When you look at the kind of society the people lived in, you realize it's pretty unlikely that she and her family weren't the ones to cause this "embittering." She doesn't even perk up again till Rut came back with food and news about Boaz. She then comes up with a new business proposition and decides to send Rut back to Boaz to seduce him. Luckily for Naomi, Rut is an obedient one and sets off to seduce the nice old man. This is a turning point for Naomi. She is finally taking the initiative and planning and being active as opposed to her usual moping. Basically, Naomi just seems to be in a good mood when she sees hope for a better future for herself. I get that all of her family is dead but she could treat Rut a little better and since this is her home, she should be the one going out and finding a way for them to live without a man instead of letting the foreigner do it.

Rut was always the hero of the story--even when I first learned it. I didn't totally understand what she did though. When I learned it before, I thought that she just had great respect for Naomi and was impressed with Judaism and wanted to be part of it. She was also a hard worker and listened to Naomi because like I said, she had lots of respect for her lovely mother-in-law. After reading it again, I realized that Rut is really crazy--but in the same way that she's crazy, she is also quite impressive (especially for this time period). She left her home, her parents, friends for a new land in a time when foreigners were not the popular ones. She had no obligation to stay with Naomi and it wasn't even a practical idea. When she clings to Naomi and vows to not leave her till death, I also see a hint of the origins of stalking. At the same time, though, you can compare her to Avraham. They both left their home and abandoned everything and had this blind faith. It's crazy but it's almost amazing in a sense. Even as a foreigner and a young woman, she decides to go to a field in this new land to get food for Naomi. She takes the initiative and begins the story as active as ever. When she returns and Naomi creates this great plan in which Rut will go seduce Boaz, Rut is ready to go. Rut has plans of her own, though. She cared more about doing what was right and moral than just having a husband that could pay for her wheat. She reminds Boaz of his responsibilities and shows him that he has not done what he is supposed to do. She took the initative and showed Boaz what true chesed is (when you see what a person needs and give it to them) and shows people that you can't just be religious--you have to be moral and ethical too.

Boaz was never someone I thought too much of when I read this for the first time. He was just some guy that was related to Rut and married her after Rut lied at his feet because he was the relative. Turns out he has a bigger role than that. The first time he sees Rut, he is nice to her and allows her to take whatever she wants but he does not go out of his way to actually give her food or to take care of Naomi. He is their relative, yet he doesn't actually help them until Rut is literally standing in his field. He recognizes Rut's selflessness and says that G-d should take her under His wing but he doesn't ever mention that he is her relative. When Rut surprises him in bed, she repeats his words back to him by saying that he should taker her under his wing because he is the redeemer. This is Rut's way of saying, "Come on, Boaz. I know you're my relative and it is your responsibility to redeem me. Step up and be a man. Get it together and do what you're supposed to." Boaz fortunately gets the wake-up call and tells her to leave before morning so she can keep her reputation intact and even actively gives her food for Naomi. After this, Boaz gets it all together and even is clever enough to get the other redeemer out in public so he can't redeem the land without taking Rut too. In the end, he marries Rut so he can continue on the family name. In a time when everyone is corrupt and does what they want, he stepped up and did what was right. He married a foreigner, continued on the family name, and figured out how to do true chesed.

And those are the lovely characters of Megillat Rut.

Until next time, folks.

Ruth: The Key to Naomi's Justice

This week we finished Megillat Ruth. Coincidentally, earlier in the year, we learned about the Book of Ruth in english class. When Mr. Brame gave us our final essay, one prompt was about the search for justice in this world. I immediately though of how Ruth was Naomi's guide to justice. Here is my essay for you all to ponder. I hope you like it!

In this world, there are people that will search for justice or try and change an unjust society into a just one. The problem is that they might not necessarily know that they are doing that. Sometimes a country is unjust, and it is the effort of a foreigner to make it just, and bring back the peace to the whole country or just one person that lives in that country. Ruth the Moabite was one of those people.

The Book of Ruth was set in the time of the Judges in Israel, and at that time all of the people and the society were unjust. There was no centralized figure or power to look up to. The people were worshiping idols, betraying each other, and breaking the laws between man and man which were the most important laws that God created. There had to have been someone who would search for the justice and restore it in Israel. Searching for justice in the world doesn’t have to be for a whole society or community, like the community in Beit Lechem. Searching for justice can also be for helping someone find closure in their life so they don’t act out, and eventually contribute to making the society around them more unjust.

Ruth the Moabite was the person that brought back justice to Naomi, the Israelite and her late husband, Elimelech’s family in Beit Lechem. Ruth was an inspiration to Naomi, though Naomi did not always show it. Naomi was used to the very unjust society that was Israel at the time, and because of that she was bitter and wouldn’t accept Ruth’s help. “My lot is far more bitter than yours, for the hand of the Lord has struck out against me,” Naomi exclaimed. She was turning into a normal person of the time period. She would reject her fellow acquaintances because she didn’t feel as though she was good enough. It was all about her, like it was all about everyone and their individuality at the time. Ruth was an invisible woman to Naomi, a wall that Naomi didn’t recognize.

When Naomi and Ruth returned to Beit Lechem, Ruth was determined to help Naomi carry on her late husband’s name. She ended up in the field of one of Elimelech’s relatives that could help redeem Naomi’s husband’s family and carry on the family name. Boaz, the field owner, was the person who helped Ruth restore Naomi’s confidence and not contribute to the unjust society around her. Boaz was the person that helped Ruth stay out of injustice, while Ruth was Naomi’s person for the same thing.

Ruth was a foreigner. She is referred to as Ruth the Moabite. Why would a foreigner have any business in correcting the injustice of another society, especially one that is supposed to be the enemy. The Moabites and Israelites were meant to be enemies, and were commanded this in the bible itself when the Jews entered the land of Israel. When Ruth married Mahlon, Naomi’s son, she decided that it was her mission to defy the custom of the Moabites and Israelites, and help the sad woman that was standing before her. She understood what it was like to lose someone, and she felt that it was her duty to protect and help her mother-in-law fight the injustice when she returned to Israel. Here, Ruth is showing us that even if you have nothing to do with a situation of injustice, it is your duty to help fix it. You don’t have to be a blunt figure in the effort, like Ruth was not, but no matter who you are it is important to help protect people from the worse.

We learn from Ruth that, “life is a search for justice.”  This is a lesson that we must take into account everyday of our lives. If and when we live in an unjust society and world, we must remember that whether we are or are not straightforward in inspiring people to have closure in order not to contribute to the unjust society, we must help. We must search for the justice that is within, even if it is deep down under. “So Boaz married Ruth; she became his wife; and cohabitated with her.” Ruth happened to have been the person that brought Naomi’s spirits up, which allowed them to bare children to carry on Elimelech’s name which finally created the reign of kingship that molded our just Jewish society that we think of today.

It has truly been a pleasure learning with all of you this year, and Mrs. Perl thank you soooo much! :)

When we first started reading about Rut, I was surprised at her character. It is shocking that the woman from Moab, outside of the Jewish people, would be the one who is kind and moral. We see from Naomi and Alemelach were not. From what we see, they were wealthy important people, but instead of staying in a time where they are needed, they leave. We see that although Boaz is not a bad person, he doesn't reach out and try to be better. When he heard that his realative, Naomi, was back, he didn't go see if she was ok, ask if she needed anything, and offer his help. Instead he sat around and let Rut glean in his field when she came to him.
Rut on the other hand, does everything she can to be better. She gives up her entire life and hope for a future to go with her widowed mother-in-law to a place where she had never been. Because of this move, she left everything behind. She left her family, customs, nation, religion, and home, so she came be with her mother-in-law when she was having a hard time. Even though Naomi starts ignoring her, she stays and does everything she can to help. Rut makes sure Naomi has everything she needs, even though it is no her job. It is no wonder why David HaMelech comes from such a strong, courageous woman.