Midrasch zu Schoftim 20:78

“They took for themselves Moavite wives: the name of one was Orpa, and the name of the second was Ruth; and they dwelled there approximately ten years” (Ruth 1:4).
“They took for themselves Moavite wives.” It is taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: They did not convert them, they did not immerse them, the halakha had not yet been innovated, such that they would not have been punished for them; an Ammonite and not a female Ammonite, a Moavite and not a female Moavite.⁸⁸It had not yet been clarified that the Torah’s prohibition against marrying a convert from the nations of Amon and Moav (see Deuteronomy 23:4) applied only to male converts and not to female converts (see Yevamot 76b-77a). Maḥlon and Kilyon married them despite the fact that they did not convert, and despite the fact that, as far as they were aware, it was forbidden to marry them even if they converted.
“The name of one was Orpa,” because she turned her back [oref] to her mother-in-law. “And the name of the second was Ruth [Rut],” because she saw [ra’ata] truth in the words of her mother-in-law. Rabbi Beivai said in the name of Rabbi Reuven: Ruth and Orpa were the daughters of Eglon, as it is stated: “I have a secret matter for you king.⁸⁹Eglon, king of Moav. He said: Be silent…” (Judges 3:19), and it is written: “Ehud came to him…Ehud said: I have a matter of God to you, and he stood from his throne” (Judges 3:20). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You arose from your throne in deference to Me, by your life, I will establish a son from you who will sit on the throne of God.’
“They dwelled there approximately ten years.” [Whenever a verse uses this terminology, such as:]“Approximately thirty” (Judges 20:31), “approximately forty” (Joshua 4:13), [it means a bit] less or more [than the stated number].

I) But [the children of] Benjamin would not yield (Judges 20:13). The word the children of is missing, for they did an abomination, disgrace, and lewd act in Israel, and they deserve to have their descent from the righteous Benjamin retracted, and to separate them from his generations and inclusions, and they did not call them children of Benjamin for they did not yield to listen to their brothers, and in the remainder of places where they are called children of Benjamin it gave them hope and a path of repentance that they may turn from their evil deeds and repent and be called as their brothers' names the children of Benjamin.

Regarding that which the verse states: “Shaḥarayim begot children in the field of Moav [after he had sent them away, Ḥushim and Baara his wives]” (I Chronicles 8:8), Elijah, of blessed memory, asked Rabbi Nehorai, he said to him: ‘What is this that is written: “Shaḥarayim begot in the field of Moav”?’ [Rabbi Nehorai] said to him: ‘A great man begot in the field of Moav.’ “After he had sent them away” (I Chronicles 8:8) – as they were from the tribe of Benjamin, as it is written: “The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying” (Judges 20:12).¹⁴³Just as the term “sent” appears in Judges regarding the tribe of Benjamin, the verse in Chronicles is hinting to the fact that the man’s wives were from the tribe of Benjamin.
Another interpretation, “Shaḥarayim,” this is Boaz. Why was his name called Shaḥarayim? It is because he was free [meshuḥrar] of iniquities. “Begot in the field of Moav,” as he begot from Ruth the Moavite. “After he had sent them away,” as he was from the tribe of Judah, as it is stated: “And he sent Judah before him to Joseph” (Genesis 46:28). “Ḥushim and Baara his wives,” does a man beget his wives? Rather, he was swift like a leopard and articulated the halakha:¹⁴⁴He expounded the verse: “An Amonite and a Moavite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:4). An Amonite but not an Amonite woman, a Moavite but not a Moavite woman. “He begot from Ḥodesh his wife” (I Chronicles 8:9) – it should have stated only, “from Baara his wife.” Rather, in his days, the halakha of an Amonite but not an Amonite woman, a Moavite and not a Moavite woman, was introduced [nitḥadsha].
One verse says: “Yitra the Ishmaelite” (see I Chronicles 2:17), and one verse says: “Yitra the Israelite” (II Samuel 17:25). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: He is Yitra the Ishmaelite, he is Yitra the Israelite.¹⁴⁵Both verses refer to the same person. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman and the Rabbis: Rabbi Shmuel said: He was an Ishmaelite, and you say Israelite? Rather, he was an Ishmaelite. He entered the study hall and found Yishai sitting and expounding thus: “Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth…” (Isaiah 45:22).¹⁴⁶Anyone from all the ends of the earth can look to God and be saved. He converted, and [Yishai] gave him his daughter. The Rabbis say: He was an Israelite, and you say Ishmaelite? Rather, he was an Israelite and he girded his sword like an Ishmaelite. He stuck his sword in the middle of the study hall and said: I will either kill or be killed until I establish the halakha for the multitudes, so that anyone who abrogates this halakha, I will behead him with this sword: An Amonite but not an Amonite woman, a Moavite and not a Moavite woman.

(Fol. 73) Our Rabbis were taught: How were the Urim and Tumim consulted? The inquirer had his face directed to him (the priest) who was consulted, and the one consulted (the priest) directed himself to the Shechina. The inquirer asks [as it is mentioned (I Sam. 30, 8) ] "Shall I pursue this troop? Will I succeed?" And the priest answers him: "Pursue! So hath the Lord said. Go and thou wilt succeed." R. Juda, however, said: "He need not say, 'So hath God said.' He has only to say, 'Go and thou wilt succeed.' " One must not ask in a loud voice, as it is said (Num. 27, 21) And he shall ask of him (alone). Nor should he keep the question merely in his mind, because it is said. He shall ask of him before the Lord. Hence he should ask as Hannah prayed (I Sam. 1, 13) Now as for Hannah, she spoke in her heart. Two inquiries at a time should not be made, and if one makes two inquiries at a time, only one is answered; the first one, as it is said (Ib. 23, 11-12) Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down? etc. And the Lord said: He will came down. But you have said only the first question is answered? David asked (Ib. b) them not in the proper order, but he was answered in the proper order. Then, when David realized that he had not asked in the proper order, he repeated the second question: Will the men of Ke'ilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And he was answered: They will deliver. When, however, two questions must be asked at once [without delay], then the two questions are both answered, as it is said (Ib. 30, 8) Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And the reply was: Pursue, for thou wilt surely overtake them, and certainly recover. And although the decision of a prophet can be revoked, the decision of the Urim and Tummim cannot be changed, as it is said (Num. 27, 21) The judgment of the Urim. And why were they called Urim and Tumim? Urim, because they illuminate their words; Tumim, because they give a complete answer. One might ask: If so, then why did it not give a complete answer to Israel at Gibath Benjamin? Because the people did not think of asking whether they would be victorious or whether they would be defeated. They were answered, Go, and they were beaten; but later, when they understood how to inquire, they received a complete reply, as it is said (Jud. 20, 28) And Phineas. the son of El'azar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those day, saying: Shall I yet continue to go out to battle with the children of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And the Lord said: Go up, for to-morrow will I deliver him into thy hand. How did the priest receive the reply? R. Jochanan said: "The letters [constituting the reply] became protruded." Resh Lakish said: "The letters [composing the words] came near each other." But the letter Tsade was not there. R. Samuel, son of R. Isaac, said: "The names of Abraham, Yitzshak and Jacob were also written there." But was not the letter Teth missing? The words Shibtei Jeshurun (the tribes of Israel) were likewise there. "Inquiries are not made except for a king," etc. Whence do we deduce this? R. Abahu said: "Scripture says (Num. 27, 21) Before Elazar, the priest shall he stand, and he shall ask of him after the judgment of the Urim before the Lord … he and all the children of Israel with him. He, refers to the king; and all Israel with him, refers to the priest anointed as the chaplain of the army; and all the congregation, refers to the Sanhedrin.

(Devarim 1:13) "Havu for yourselves": "Havu" connotes "counsel," as in (II Samuel 16:20) "Havu counsel for yourselves," (Shemoth 1:10) "Havah, let us plot (i.e., take counsel) against it."

“For there is not a righteous man upon the earth, who does good, and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
“For there is not a righteous man upon the earth who does good, and does not sin.” Rabbi Yudan said: Is there a righteous man who sins? These are the charity collectors and the charity distributors; [they give to [those who are deserving what should be given to] the undeserving, and they give to the undeserving [what should be given to] the deserving. “And does not sin [yeḥta],” just as you say: “Each one could sling stones at a hair, and not miss [yaḥti]” (Judges 20:16).¹²³The term “sin” here should not be interpreted to mean a spiritual failing, as there is no way to always determine who is most deserving. It is used in the sense of one who aims at a target and misses. Therefore, one should not refrain from charity due to the concern that one may distribute it to those who are not most deserving.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 30:24): MAY THE LORD ADD (yosef) [ANOTHER SON FOR ME. Resh Laqish said:] The addition of the Holy One is greater than the original < gift >.⁶⁵Above, 5:10; see Gen. R. 61:4. From whom do you learn this? From Hezekiah, whose reign was fourteen years; but, when the Holy One made an addition for him, he added fifteen years. Thus it is stated (in II Kings 20:6): AND I WILL ADD FIFTEEN YEARS TO YOUR LIFE. Ergo, the addition is greater than the original. And so you find in the case of Benjamin, when his mother said to him (in Gen. 30:24): MAY THE LORD ADD (yosef) ANOTHER SON FOR ME, the Holy One also added for her ten tribes from him and two tribes from Joseph.⁶⁶Thus the addition (Benjamin) was five times greater than the original (Joseph). Gen. R. 61:4 cites the list of Benjamin’s ten sons in Gen. 46:21. R. Samuel bar Nahman said: The Holy One raised up twelve tribes from Rachel, ten from Benjamin and two from Joseph. And where is it shown that < the ten > were sons of Benjamin? Where it is written (in I Sam. 9:21): THEN SAUL ANSWERED AND SAID: AM I NOT A BENJAMINITE, FROM THE SMALLEST OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, [AND MY CLAN THE SMALLEST OF THE CLANS OF THE TRIBES OF BENJAMIN]? And another verse says (in Jud. 20:12): AND {SAUL} [THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL] SENT [PEOPLE] AMONG ALL THE TRIBES OF BENJAMIN, SAYING. When the prophets saw that the addition was greater than the original, they began to bless Israel with the addition (rt.: YSP). Moses our Master said (in Deut. 1:11): MAY THE LORD GOD OF YOUR ANCESTORS ADD (rt.: YSP) TO YOUR NUMBERS < A THOUSAND TIMES > MORE THAN YOU ARE. David also said (in Ps. 115:14): MAY THE LORD ADD (rt.: YSP) TO YOUR NUMBERS, YOURS AND YOUR CHILDREN'S ALSO. In the world to come as well the Holy One will gather the exiles of Israel by means of this word (with the Hebrew root YSP). Thus it is stated (in Is. 11:11): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY, THE LORD WILL EXTEND (rt.: YSP) HIS HAND A SECOND TIME TO PROCURE THE REST OF HIS PEOPLE.