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.
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