וּבֹ֨עַז עָלָ֣ה הַשַּׁעַר֮ וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב שָׁם֒ וְהִנֵּ֨ה הַגֹּאֵ֤ל עֹבֵר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר־בֹּ֔עַז וַיֹּ֛אמֶר ס֥וּרָה שְׁבָה־פֹּ֖ה פְּלֹנִ֣י אַלְמֹנִ֑י וַיָּ֖סַר וַיֵּשֵֽׁב׃
און בוֹעַז איז אַרױפֿגעגאַנגען צום טױער, און האָט זיך דאָרטן געזעצט, ערשט דער אױסלײזער פֿון װעמען בוֹעַז האָט גערעדט, גײט פֿאַרבײַ. האָט ער געזאָגט: קום אַהער זעץ זיך דאָ, דער און דער. איז ער צוגעקומען און האָט זיך געזעצט.
Rashi
A kinsman. A relative; he was the son of Elimelech’s brother. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said, “Elimelech, and Salmone1Rus 4:21. the father of Bo’az, and the anonymous kinsman,2Ibid. 4:1. and the father of Naomi,3Therefore Bo’az and Naomi were cousins. were all sons of Nachshon,4Shemos 6:23 and Bamidbar 10:14. the son of Aminadav.5Maseches Bava Basra 91a. Yet the merit of their fathers was no avail them when they left the Land [of Yisroel] to go abroad.”
Rav Hirsch
ישב בשער העיר. Das Tor war nicht ein Sitz für Privatleute. Nur von Königen finden wir ein Sitzen im Tore (Sam. II. 19, 9. Jirmij. 38, 7). oder wie bei Boas (Ruth 4, 1) zur Vornahme einer öffentlichen, amtlichen Handlung. Auch an ein Wohnen im Tore ist nicht zu denken, es müsste dann wie bei Rachab בחומה heißen. Es bezeichnet daher, wie die Weisen bemerken, eine hervorragende öffentliche Stellung, die Lot in der Kommune inne hatte.
Siftei Chakhamim
They appointed him to be their judge. You might ask: How does Rashi know that he was a judge? The answer is: It is written he was “sitting at the gate,” and “the gate” is usually the place of judgment, as we find with Boaz (Ruth 4:1). Furthermore, it is written later וישפט שפוט (v. 9), implying he was a judge.
Rashi
והוצאת את האיש ההוא אל שעריך וגו׳ THEN THOU SHALT BRING FORTH THAT MAN [OR THAT WOMAN WHO HAVE DONE THAT EVIL THING] UNTO THY GATES — He who renders אל שעריך in the Targum by לתרע בית דינך, unto the gate of thy court, is in error, for thus we have learned (Sifrei Devarim 148:2; Ketubot 45b): אל שעריך — this means the gate (the city) in which he has worshipped the idol. Or, perhaps this is not so, but it means the gate where he is being judged (the judges sat “at the gate of the city”; cf., e.g., Ruth 4:1 ff.)?! The term שעריך, however, is used below (i.e. here, which is the latter part of this section) and is used above (v. 2), and this suggests an analogy. What is the meaning of שעריך that is mentioned above? Evidently the gate (the city) wherein he served the idol! So, too, does שעריך mentioned below (in our verse) denote the gate in which he served the idol. The correct rendering in the Targum is therefore לקרויך “thou shalt bring him forth unto thy cities” (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 16:18).