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!
Monday, June 9, 2014
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.
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!
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!
Saturday, June 7, 2014
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.
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.
Friday, June 6, 2014
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!
Thursday, June 5, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
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!
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!
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