Megillat Ruth

Chapter One:

The story of Megillat Ruth begins with Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two sons Machlon and Chilion. Elimelech gets tired of poor people going up to his doorstep and begging for food (Rashi). So they moved from Bethlehem to Moab. In Moab Machlon and Chilion marry two Moabite women known as Ruth and Orpah. After a little bit Elimelech, Machlon and Chilion die leaving Ruth, Orpah and Naomi widows. Then Naomi said “Return to your mother’s houses and may Hashem deal kindly with you as you have dealt kindly with you. Ruth and Orpah replied “No we will return with you to your people.” Naomi convinced Orpah to go but Ruth remained.

Naomi said to Ruth “Look your sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods, return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back from following you. “For where you go I will go; where you lodge I will lodge; your people are my people, and your god is my god; where you die I will die and be buried.”  

וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל-תִּפְגְּעִי-בִי, לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ:  כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ, וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין--עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי, וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי.
בַּאֲשֶׁר תָּמוּתִי אָמוּת, וְשָׁם אֶקָּבֵר; כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה לִי, וְכֹה יוֹסִיף--כִּי הַמָּוֶת, יַפְרִיד בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵךְ.

 

When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to stay she stopped arguing. When they arrived in Bethlehem everyone was asking is this Naomi and Naomi said Call me Mara not Naomi for my life has turned around. This is the time of the Barley Harvest.