Рут 2:10 Комментарий: Tze'enah Ure'enah

“She prostrated herself” [2:10]. She fell on her knees, bowed to the ground and she said to him. Why have I found grace in your eyes that you recognize me, for I am a stranger? Our sages say that she spoke prophetically to Boaz that he would take her as a wife.⁴⁷Ruth Rabbah, 5.2. Therefore she said, “to recognize me.” This means to recognize me and this is used in regard to sleeping with one’s wife and the verse says to recognize and to know, as we find concerning Adam it is written, “and Adam knew Eve” [Genesis, 4:1]. This means, Adam slept with Eve. I hear from this that he calls sleeping with a woman, and he knew, which is a term denoting wisdom and intelligence. Another reason that it is called this is because every pious man and woman should recognize and know and have a sign between them when they have sexual relations, so that, heaven forbid, he or she should not make a mistake with someone else, as we find concerning Shelomit the daughter of Davri. The Egyptian woke her husband for work and then lay with her. She thought that he was her husband and when she woke up she found who he was.⁴⁸Exodus Rabbah, 28.1. There is much to write about this. That is why sleeping is to know through a sign that this is his wife or that it is husband. The verse also alluded to this, “why are you so kind to recognize me?” [2:10]. This means, I have found grace in your eyes that you recognize me. This is to say, you will take me as a wife and you will have sexual relations, to know with intelligence.

Why is the meaning of “recognize me” so much like the meaning of “And Adam knew Eve” [Genesis, 4:1]? From this verse we learn that every pious woman who needs to go among men, there should be other women with her in order that she should not be suspected of sleeping with someone. She might cause people to sin, because a person is not believed in these matters, particularly in matters relating to sexual issues. However, someone who is involved in these matters and people suspect them, the Holy One removes the suspicion, as we find concerning Jesse, David’s father, who suspected his wife. God, blessed be He, allowed the matter to be revealed and he knew that David was piously born.⁴⁹Ginzberg, Legends, VI, 246, n. 11, suggests the source is an unknown midrash quoted in Midrash Makhiri on Psalms 118.

A story⁵⁰The story as it is presented here is found in Nissim ben Jacob ibn Shahin, An Elegant Composition concerning Relief after Adversity, ed. and trans. By William Brinner. Yale University Press: New Haven, 1977, pp. 127–131. The story is also found in Adolph Jellinek, Bet Ha-Midrash, “Ma’asiyot.” Jerusalem: Bamberger and Wahrmann, 1938, 5: 142–144. occurred that an important Jewish communal leader whose name was Nathan of Zizutah very much wanted to sleep with a woman whose name was Hannah. Her husband was very poor and [Nathan] grew sick [desiring] the woman. The physicians said that they could do nothing to help him until he sleeps with her. The rabbis said: he should rather die than even speak with her. Hannah’s husband had many creditors after him and he was taken away to jail because of his debts. Hannah sat at her spinning wheel day and night and from this [income] she brought her husband food and drink. Finally, the husband spoke to Hannah. My life in prison is miserable. Go now to Nathan of Zizutah and let him lend me money to redeem me from prison. The pious Hannah spoke to him. You know very well that this Nathan is sick because of me and every day he sends messengers to me that I should go to him. I think you must be crazy and she was angry when she left him. Finally, he asked her one more time that she should go to him to borrow money. She responded: give me a divorce and I will go to him so that I will not commit a sin. He said to her. I know for a long time that you would gladly want to see me die in prison, so that you could marry Nathan. In the meantime, you see that I am not dying so you want me to divorce you. Finally, she went and prayed to God and said; I ask you God, protect me from sinning and went to Nathan in his house. The servants and maids said, Nathan’s tasty morsel, when Hannah came into the house. He greeted her with great joy and gave all the servants and maids the day off. Nathan said to Hannah, whatever you want will be given to you. She spoke to him. I desire that you lend me money to redeem my poor husband. He immediately gave her as much money as she needed. Finally, the good Nathan said to Hannah. I have done what you want, now do what I want. She said, I am in your hands. However, I want to inform you that in a brief moment, you can acquire your share in the world to come or lose both this world and the world to come through me, since I have a husband and I am forbidden to you. Imagine that you have fulfilled your desire. Afterwards, you will regret the great sin and scream at the Evil Inclination that misled you. When the man heard her words, he fell on his face to the ground and swore to God and broke his Evil Inclination. The woman went and freed her husband. However, her husband did not believe her and said that she must have slept with Nathan and she said that she was innocent. What did Nathan do? He rode through the streets and God, blessed be He, caused a light to illuminate him and it was very bright. Rabbi Akiva saw someone riding and he called his students and asked them, who is riding? His students said that this was Nathan of Zizutah the pimp. Rabbi Akiva said to his students, do you see anything over him. The students said: we see nothing. Then Rabbi Akiva quickly asked to call him and said to him. My dear son, you are one who will have a share in the world to come. I have seen a light over you. Now tell me what you did. He told him the story of what occurred with Hannah. Rabbi Akiva was very amazed at how he overcame his Evil Inclination and said, you have done a great thing. Therefore, God has shown that you are one who has a share in the world to come, and also in this world. You will certainly have light in the other world, and now study Torah with me. He did so and became a great scholar and sat at the side of Rabbi Akiva.