So it seems as though we've run out of time. Ruth will have to hold out for a little while until we can revisit her again. But what I've learned the from the two (two?) classes we've dedicated to Megillat Rut is worth blogging about (because I want to blog, obvs, not because I have a missing blog to make up. Psshhhh.)
Naomi has had a pretty awful life, that's for sure. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your entire family over a span of a few years. Understanding her situation, we can feel sympathetic towards her. However, it is pretty difficult to feel this way when she is just so rude and bitter. After Rut proclaims her loyalty to Naomi and essentially binds herself to her for the rest of her life, Naomi responds in the exact opposite way that we'd expect: she doesn't. She goes silent, and stays that way for a while. It's crazy-- if someone were to make such a huge sacrifice for her, wouldn't she at least say thank you?
While Naomi was angry and depressed over the loss of her family, maybe there was something more here that made her give Rut the silent treatment. In the pessukim before, Naomi tries to send Rut and Orpah away. It wasn't until after multiple requests for them to go that Orpah listened. Maybe Naomi just really didn't want Rut to come with her. Maybe it was painful for Naomi to be around her. After all, she is her dead son's wife. Or maybe she didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of bringing a foreign woman back to Israel. Whatever it was, Rut treats Naomi pretty terribly. However Rut doesn't seem to care. She continues to stick with Naomi, refusing to leave her side. This is an incredible insight into just how wonderful Rut was as a person.
Rut did go above and beyond what was normal in society. It must be extremely difficult to be around someone who constantly reminds you of a tragedy. But at some point Naomi starts to focus on the positive. When she hears that Boaz is in town she gets excited and tells Rut to continue her dead husband's line.
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