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.