Midrasch zu Rut 3:3

“Wash and anoint yourself, place your garment upon you, and descend to the threshing floor. Do not disclose yourself to the man until he finishes eating and drinking” (Ruth 3:3).
“Wash and anoint yourself” – wash yourself from the taint of your [previous] idol worship, and “anoint yourself,” these are the mitzvot and righteous acts. “Place your garment upon you.” Was she naked? Rather, these are the Shabbat garments. From here, Rabbi Ḥanina said: A person should have two outer garments, one for weekdays and one for Shabbat. Rabbi Samlai taught this in public. The Torah scholars wept and said: Our outer garments during the week are our outer garments on Shabbat. He said to them: We are required to change.²⁰³Even if it is the same garment, wear it a bit differently.
“Descend to the threshing floor” – she said to her: ‘My merit will descend with you.’²⁰⁴Although it is pronounced veyaradet, you descend, it is written veyaradeti, I will descend. Another matter, “descend to the threshing floor” – from here [it may be derived] that one situates threshing floors only at the lowest point of the city. It was told that Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta received a field from Rabbi Ḥiyya. He said to him: ‘How much does it produce?’ He said to him: ‘One hundred kor.’ He sowed and he harvested and it produced less than one hundred. He said to him: ‘Didn’t the master say that it produces one hundred kor? I sowed and harvested and it produced less than one hundred.’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘ But it produced less.’ He said to him: ‘Where did you situate the threshing floor?’ He said to him: ‘At the highest point in the city.’ He said to him: ‘But is it not written: “Descend to the threshing floor”? Nevertheless, go and winnow it [again] and it will produce the rest.’

(Fol. 113a) And honor (the Sabbath) by not performing thy usual pursuits, by not following thine own business, and speaking (vain) words (Is. 58, 13). Honor it means that thy Sabbath clothes shall not be the same as that of the week days. R. Jochanan called his garments "my honors." Not doing thy usual pursuits, means that thy Sabbath walk shall not be as thy walk on weekdays; Not following thine own business, means that thine own business may not be followed, but Heavenly business (charity, etc.) is permitted; And speaking (vain) words, i.e., the mode of thy speaking on the Sabbath shall not be like that on the weekdays — speaking is prohibited, but thinking is permitted. All these are plain, but "that thy Sabbath walk shall not be as "thy walk on the week day" what does this signify? It means the same as the question which Rabbi asked of R. Ishmael, the son of R. Jose: "May one make large strides on the Sabbath?" R. Ishmael replied: "May one do so even on weekdays? For I say that a large step deprives one of a five-hundredth part of the light of one's eyes. A remedy for this is the drinking of the wine on which the Habdala benediction has been performed on the Sabbath evening." [Hence there is a different walk on the Sabbath.] (Ib. b.) R. Ami said: "Whoever eats from the earth of Babylon is regarded as if he were eating the flesh of his ancestors; according to some, it is as if he ate abominable and creeping things, for it is written (Gen. 7, 23) And it wiped off every living substance, etc." Resh Lakish said: "Why was it called Sinar? Because all the dead of the flood were buried there." R. Jochanan said: "And why was it called Metzula? Because all the dead of the world were drowned there."

Give instructions to the wise and he will become yet wiser (Pr. 9, 9). "This refers," said R. Elazar, "to Ruth, the Moabite, and to Samuel of Ramath. As to Ruth, although Na'omi said to her, (Ruth 3, 3.) Therefore bathe, and anoint thyself and put thy garments upon thee, still Ruth did otherwise, as it is written (Ib. ib. 6.) And she went down at the threshing floor, and then it says, And she did in accordance with all that her mother-in-law commanded her. Concerning Samuel, although Eli said to him (I Sam. 3, 9.) Go, lie down, and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shall say, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth, Samuel did otherwise, at it is written (Ib. ib. 10.) And the Lord came, and placed Himself and called as at the previous times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant heareth, and he did not say Speak Lord [lest it might not be the Sheehina on account of which God's name cannot be mentioned]." And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers (Ib. 2, 3). R. Elazar said: "She went and came, to and fro. until she found such men as were fit company for her." And Bo'az said, etc., Whose maiden is this? (Ib.) Was it proper for Bo'az to inquire whose maiden she was? R. Elazar said: "He noticed an act of wisdom committed by her, viz., two ears of corn she picked up, but three she did not." In a Baraitha we are taught: "He noticed that she was very modest, the standing sheaves she gleaned while she was standing and the sheaves that were lying on the ground, she gleaned while sitting." And keep close company with my own maidens. (Ib.) Was it proper for Bo'az to be attached to women? R. Elazar said: "As soon as Bo'az saw Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung unto her (Ib. 1, 14), he thought it proper to be attached to her.'" And Bo'az said unto her, at meal time. 'Come near hither.' (Ib.) R. Elazar said: "By the word Halom (hither) he intimated to her that from her is destined to come forth the kingdom of David, who also used the expression, Halom (hither), as it is said (II Sam. 7, 18.) Then King David went in, and sat down before the Lord, and said. Who am I, O Lord Eternal? And what is my house that Thou hast brought me thither (halom)?" And dip thy morsel in the vinegar (Ruth 2, 14). "We infer from this," said R. Elazar, 'that vinegar is good for [relieving] heat." But R. Samuel b. Nachmeini said: "This was also an intimation to her, viz., it is destined that a son shall come forth from thee whose deeds will be as sour as vinegar (evil acts) and this refers , to King Menashe." And she seated herself beside the. reapers. (Ib.) R. Elazar said: "She took a seat beside the reapers, and not between them; this was also an intimation to her, viz., the kingdom of David is destined to be divided." And he reached her parched corn, and she ate, etc., (Ib.) R. Elazar said: "She ate, refers to the days of David [when Israel had already enjoyed rest]; Was satisfied, refers to the times of Solomon; And had some left; refers to the days of Hezekiah." Others say: "And she ate, refers to the days of David and Solomon; And was satisfied, refers to the days of King Hezekiah; And had some left, refers to the days of Rabbi; for the master said the officer of the stables of Rabbi was richer than the King Shabur (Persian Shah)." We are taught: "And she ate; refers to this world; And was satisfied, refers to the world to come; And had some left, refers to the time of Messiah."

(Exod. 12:29:) AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THAT THE LORD SMOTE ALL THE FIRST-BORN…. This text is related (to Ps. 119:62): AT MIDNIGHT I WILL ARISE TO THANK YOU.⁶¹See PRK 7:4; PR 17:3. David said: I am obliged to stand and thank you for what you did with my great grandfather and my great grandmother at midnight. When? When Naomi and Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, returned. What is written (in Ruth 1:19): <AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT, WHEN THEY CAME TO BETHLEHEM,> THE WHOLE CITY WAS EXCITED [OVER THEM, AND THE WOMEN SAID: IS THIS NAOMI?]⁶²Cf. Ruth R. 3:6. This is the woman who went away in a covered wagon!⁶³Gk.: skepaste. The word can also denote a sedan chair. This Naomi is the one who went away and dressed in fine wool!⁶⁴Gk.: melote (“sheepskin”). (Lam. 4:5:) THOSE WHO WERE REARED IN PURPLE <HAVE EMBRACED REFUSE HEAPS >…. Both of them dwelt in a single house. (Ruth 3:1:) THEN [HER MOTHER-IN-LAW NAOMI SAID TO HER:] {NAOMI SAID UNTO HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW RUTH:} SHALL I NOT SEEK A RESTING PLACE [FOR YOU]…? Hence they said that a woman has a resting place, not in her father's house, but in her husband's house. (Ruth 3:2:) AND NOW, IS THERE NOT OUR ACQUAINTANCE BOAZ? What is <meant that he is> OUR ACQUAINTANCE (moda'tanu)? He is one of our relatives (qarov). {Is not (according to Ruth 2:21) THE MAN RELATED (qarov) TO US…?} [Thus it is stated (in Ruth 2:21): THE MAN IS RELATED (qarov) TO US…. ] But as a prince of <his> generation, why did he go out and sleep on the threshing floor?⁶⁵Below, Lev. 9:8. Simply because the generation was extremely lawless. So he went out and slept on the threshing floor. <He did so> in order to ward off the lawless. However (according to Ruth 3:3), YOU (Ruth) ARE TO WASH AND ANOINT YOURSELF. She did not do so. Rather Ruth was extremely pure. She said: Whatever woman saw me thus would say: This is a whore. What did she do (according to vs. 6)? SHE WENT DOWN TO THE THRESHING FLOOR AND DID JUST AS HER MOTHER-IN-LAW HAD COMMANDED HER. <It was only> after she went down, <that> she did everything that her mother-in-law had commanded her.