Megillath Ruth

Last week we comprehended the day of Shavuot and tried as much to grasp the underline message of what this feast is all about, amongst its study we also cantered across the story of Megillat Ruth – a scroll which is read each year during this feast of Shavuot ( Pentecost)

When we internalize the 2 dimensions of the story of Ruth which we studied last – about the significance of the Barley harvest and somehow it is squeezed into the intricacies of the flow of the Torah, today we are not going to talk about the commandment given for the Sotah although it does reflect much in the story – in short Naomi and her husband Elimelech with their 2 sons went into Moab and strayed away from the Derekh – and also machlon and Kiliyon intermarrying with 2 Moabite women is much like the story of spiritual harlotry ( sotah), but we are not going in that direction right now – there is a far more overarching precedent being set in this story than meets the eye of anyone who is trying to read this megillah.

Now, the foundation of Torah is Kindness and Justice and compassion – and everything we read in scripture must have a strong element of these attributes attached to it, otherwise the storyline would not connect and we would be left picking up fragmented episodes of people written here and there in the scripture and making our theological assessment of them, sometimes even bordering on morality – which I feel is a dangerous angle to interpret the scripture from.

Ok, so lets move on now – why do I slice in Compassion and kindness and justice into the story here – because the precedent repeats itself all throughout the Torah – lets see what I am talking about.

Ruth from Moabite stock, a descendent of LOT – Nephew of Avraham is converting and grafting herself into the Jewish Life, and she ends marrying Boaz. Seems a simple and nice story, a scandalous story of this girl who marries Boaz and ends up having a great grandchild by the name of King David, with the lineage that emerges with the grafting in and the bringing together the ONE family and integrating them into the promise and covenant of HaShem.

On reflection – has something looked familiar here read before – who does this remind you of?

Avraham – yes the great father of our faith

Ruth is not born in a jewish setting but has grafted herself in – but why? The answer lies with what Boaz says at first time, "I heard about what you've done for your mother-in-law, after your husband died, you took care of her. It was a great kindness" Later on, he even seems to characterize Ruth's willingness to marry him, as opposed to any of the various young men, as a kind of act of loyalty to her dead husband Machlon. Boaz is related to Machlon, there is some sense of loyalty to her dead husband and her choice to marry Boaz; He is so impressed upon with her kindness that he finally gives in to marry her and integrate her into the faith

Avraham is not born a jew – he becomes one – Ruth the same

Avraham leaves his father and family and land – Ruth does the same

Avaham is know for his kindness and hospitality – Ruth has shown the same

Somehow the promise of Kings coming from Avraham and Sarah comes to reality in Ruth because she displays the same characteristics of Avraham which made him great – Boaz recognizes this and is not willing to marry her and great her into the covenant of given to Avraham.

But form where does this Kindness angle actually come into the story – it is the Commandment of Yibbum ( Levirite marriage) and I really don’t understand why it is called so, anyways the foundation of this really  illogical and seemingly immoral commandment is Kindness and Compassion – it is the old way of keeping together family values, inheritance and the guarding of the Torah that it should not be violated if it is found in the hands of Gentiles and unworthy people who really are not found with the values of Kindness, Compassion and Justice ingrained into them, they really cannot ingraft or attach themselves to the jewish people or the covenant of HaShem if they are devoid of it.

The concept of yibum is that when a brother dies young and childless, there is a mitzvah upon the brother to marry the widow of the deceased and have children, v'lo yimcha shmo misrael– "so that the deceased name is not blotted out from among Israel", so that they can perpetuate his name. Now Avraham and Nachor both engage in yibum. Haran dies, here comes Nahor and then marry someone from his family; he marries his brothers daughter Milchah whereas Avraham marries the other Daughter Isschah (sarai) – why because of the upholding the family Name – inheritance and mostly keeping the family together as one unit – separated and sanctified form the outside world

What is the need of Avraham to do this act of Kindness to his Niece and Nephew (Lot) – because they lost their father and there was no one to overseer their lives. So Avraham take responsibility of Lot like Son to a father and Sarai he marries so that her life is spared from the impurities and contamination from the outside world.

Rectification of Lot lineage comes through Ruth – whereas the rectification of Milchach comes through their daughter Rivkah – who marries Isaac – FAMILY IS IMPORTANT TO GOD

In todays context of Life – we cannot fit into the laws of Yibbum – firstly because humanity moved on and we have become very a complex species – we are not honorable anymore – our conscience is seared to the point that even little acts and deeds are spelt out on moral values and we look at Life in Morality which I said earlier sometimes it is very dangerous to read scripture in view of morality. Moreover God himself has placed conditions and conscience laws in each one of us to guide us to good and bad values – because we are not honorable people anymore – so HaShem has conditioned our internal lives accordingly.

What I am trying to say to everyone is this – to enter into the kingdom and graft ourselves into the covenant God made with Avraham and also to be born again through Yeshua or lord – There is a pre-condition – we need to have Kindness and Compassion and a sense of Justice in each one of us God will recognize and then bring us into the kingdom

I urge each one to introspect, reflect and search each of our lives to bring in these attributes and precedents so the blessings and ingrafting flows

Barukh HaShem and blessed be the God , father of our Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach