Рут 1:4 Комментарий: Tze'enah Ure'enah

“They married Moabite women” [1:4]. They took Moabite women as wives. One took Orpah and the other took Ruth and they lived there for ten years.

Our sages say that the children married the Moabites and they did not convert nor did they have immersion.¹⁸Ruth Rabbah, 2.9. It was also not yet interpreted in the house of study that a female Moabite or Ammonite may become an Israelite, but a male Moabite or Ammonite may not enter the community of Israel, This law was not yet interpreted, so why did these two children, Machlon and Chilion, marry Moabite women? The considered the Torah as not significant. When Boaz married Ruth, the halakhah was immediately decided that an Israelite might marry a woman from Ammon and Moab. However, an Israelite woman may not marry an Ammonite or Moabite man. Some sages say that they did convert, but not completely and they demonstrate this from the verse where Naomi says to her daughters-in-law, dear daughters-in-law go back to your mother’s house. It would have been different if they had considered themselves as proper Israelites. How could Naomi have said to them, go back and become gentiles and cause good women to sin? Our sages also show from scriptural verses that they observed some Jewish practices, as the verse says, “your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods” [1:5]. This means that Naomi said to Ruth, your sisterin- law Orpah is returning to her people and to her god. You also return to your god. We hear from this that she had become somewhat Israelitish. She was called Orpah because she turned her back¹⁹Lit. neck. to her mother-in-law, since Oprah means back.²⁰Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth, Remez 600.

What kind of merit did the king of Moab have that his daughter Ruth married an Israelite and the Davidic dynasty issued from her? The story occurred in the days of the Judges, when the king of Moab ruled over Israel and caused them great troubles. They served the king of Moab for 18 years, until they screamed to God. God sent a helper called Ehud the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was left-handed. Israel sent a nice present to the king of Moab through the hands of Ehud. Ehud made for himself a double-edged sword, a cubit long. He was able to wear it under his garment, so that it could not be seen. He girded it on his right side, since he was left-handed. He had it close to hand and he brought the present to the king. The king was a stout man and fat. When he finished his speech, he dismissed his colleagues who brought the present. He thought that one person could run away more easily. When the king was sitting on his throne, Ehud said to the king, I have a secret to tell you. The king told everyone to leave. Ehud said to him: My lord King, I have a message from God, which is God’s command. The king stood up from his throne, out of respect for God, and Ehud stabbed him with the sword in his belly and his innards spilled out and the sword remained stuck in his body. Ehud ran up and locked the king in the room and left. He helped all of Israel get out of its troubles.²¹Judges, 3:14–28. Because he stood up from his throne out of respect for God, blessed be He, God, blessed be He, said: because you rose out of respect for me, I will also establish a son for you who will sit on God’s throne.²²Ruth Rabbah, 2.9. They lived there for ten years. This teaches us that the decree lasts for ten years.²³Yalkut Shimoni, Ruth, Remez 600.