Tafsiran Rut 3:10: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi & Ibn Ezra

“He said: Blessed are you to God” [3:10]. Boaz said: blessed are you to God, my daughter. Your act of grace is greater than the first one, in not following the young men, whether rich or poor. Now my daughter, do not be afraid. Whatever you will say, I will do it for you. All the elders of this city know that you are a virtuous woman. Our sages say: a woman would rather have a bachelor who is young, even if he is poor, rather than an old one with a lot of money.⁶⁶Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth, Remez 606. Therefore, Boaz said to Ruth, your latter grace is that you followed an old man, which I am. The first acts of grace were when you converted and you also did lovingkindness with your mother-in-law and with the dead, who had shrouds. We learn from Scripture that one should have a good attribute if a poor person comes to the rich one and is ashamed before him that he has to borrow money from him. Even if the rich person has no money to lend him, the rich person should still have only good words with the poor person.

[Your] earlier [kindness]. That you did for your mother-in-law.¹²When you abandoned your home and fortune to stay with your mother-in-law. Your last act of kindness, i.e., your willingness to marry an older man to perpetuate your late husband’s name is a greater sacrifice on your part.

חסדך האחרון מן הראשון (your latter kindness is greater than the first): This phrase highlights that Ruth's recent act of kindness (presumably her loyalty and willingness to stay with No῾omi and follow her instructions) surpasses the kindness she showed to her deceased husband. No῾omi had acknowledged Ruth's kindness, suggesting that it would be unusual for someone to revert to their old ways after converting to a new faith.