רות רבה ה׳Ruth Rabbah 5

Section 1א׳

הוּא הָיָה עִם דָּוִיד בַּפַּס דַּמִּים (דברי הימים א יא, יג), רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר בַּחֲקַל סוּמַקְתָּא. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר בַּפַּס דַּמִּים, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם פָּסְקוּ דָמִים. (דברי הימים א יא, יג): וְהַפְּלִשְׁתִּים נֶאֶסְפוּ שָׁם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַתְּהִי חֶלְקַת הַשָֹּׂדֶה מְלֵאָה שְׂעוֹרִים, כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר שְׂעוֹרִים, וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר (שמואל ב כג, יא): עֲדָשִׁים, רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אָמַר עֲדָשִׁים הָיוּ אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיְתָה עִנְבוּתָן דּוֹמִין לִשְׂעוֹרִין. רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים שֶׁבָּאוּ גְּבוֹהִים כִּשְׂעוֹרִים וְהָלְכוּ נְמוּכִים כַּעֲדָשִׁים. (דברי הימים א יא יד): וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְתוֹךְ הַחֶלְקָה וַיַּצִּילוּהָ, וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר (שמואל ב כג, יב): וַיַּצִּילֶהָ, אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶחֱזִירוּהָ לִבְעָלֶיהָ, שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עֲלֵיהֶם כְּשָׂדֶה מְלֵאָה כַּרְכּוֹם. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן אָמַר שָׁנָה אַחַת הָיְתָה וּשְׁתֵּי שָׂדוֹת הָיוּ. פְּשִׁיטָא לֵיהּ לְאַבֵּד וְלִתֵּן דָּמִים מַה צְּרִיכָה, אִין תֹּאמַר לְאַבֵּד אֲבָל לֹא לִתֵּן דָּמִים, עַד כַּדּוּן הִיא צְרִיכָה אֵי זוֹ מֵהֶן לְאַבֵּד שֶׁל עֲדָשִׁים אוֹ שֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים, שֶׁל עֲדָשִׁים אֹכֶל אָדָם, שֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים אֹכֶל בְּהֵמָה. שֶׁל עֲדָשִׁים אֵין הָעֹמֶר קָרֵב מֵהֶן, וְשֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים קָרֵב מֵהֶן. שֶׁל עֲדָשִׁים אֵין מַפְרִישִׁין מֵהֶן חַלָּה, שֶׁל שְׂעוֹרִים מַפְרִישִׁין חַלָּה. רַבָּנָן אָמְרִין שָׂדֶה אַחַת הָיְתָה וּשְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים הָיוּ, וַהֲלֹא נִלְמַד מִשֶּׁל אֶשְׁתָּקַד, שֶׁאֵין לְמֵדִין מִמַּעֲשֶׂה. (דברי הימים א יא, יז): וַיִּתְאָו דָּוִיד וַיֹּאמַר מִי יַשְׁקֵנִי מַיִם, רַבִּי חִיָּא אָמַר הֲלָכָה נִצְרְכָה לוֹ. וַיִּבְקְעוּ הַשְּׁלשָׁה, וְלָמָּה שְׁלשָׁה שֶׁאֵין הֲלָכָה מִתְבָּרֶרֶת אֶלָּא בִּשְׁלשָׁה. וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ מַיִם מִבּוֹר בֵּית לֶחֶם אֲשֶׁר בַּשַּׁעַר וַיִּשְׂאוּ וַיָּבִאוּ אֶל דָּוִיד וְלֹא אָבָה דָוִיד לִשְׁתּוֹתָם. וְלֹא אָבָה שֶׁתִּקָּבַע הֲלָכָה לִשְׁמָן, עֲשָׂאָהּ מַסֶּכְתָּא וּקְבָעָהּ הֲלָכָה לְדוֹרוֹת, מֶלֶךְ פּוֹרֵץ לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ דֶרֶךְ וְאֵין מְמַחִין בְּיָדוֹ. בַּר קַפָּרָא אָמַר חַג הָיָה, וְנִסּוּךְ הַמַּיִם הָיָה, וּוִתּוּר בָּמָה הָיָה. וַיִּבְקְעוּ הַשְּׁלשָׁה, וְלָמָּה הָיוּ שְׁלשָׁה, אֶחָד הוֹרֵג וְאֶחָד מְפַנֶּה אֶת הַהֲרוּגִים, וְאֶחָד מַכְנִיס הַצְּלוֹחִית בְּטָהֳרָה. רַבִּי חוֹנְיָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵף הִלְכוֹת שְׁבוּיָה נִצְרְכָה לֵיהּ. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּרַבִּי אָמַר בִּנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ תָּבַע.

“He was with David at Pas Dammim” (I Chronicles 11:13) – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A red field. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: At Pas Dammim, because the bloodshed stopped there. “The Philistines gathered there to wage war; there was a portion of a field full of barley” (I Chronicles 11:13). One verse says barley and one verse says: “lentils” (II Samuel 23:11). Rabbi Yaakov said: They were lentils, but their kernels were like barley. Rabbi Levi said: The Philistines who came were as tall as barley, and they left as lowly as lentils. “They stood in the midst of the portion and they rescued it” (I Chronicles 11:14), but another verse says: “He rescued it” (II Samuel 23:12). This teaches that they returned it to its owner, to whom it was as dear as a field filled with saffron. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It was the same year, but they were two fields. It was clear to him [that it was permitted] to destroy and to pay money; why is it necessary [to ask]? If you say [it was permitted for him] to destroy and not to pay money, the question remains which of them to destroy, the lentils or the barley? The lentils are food for people, the barley is food for animals. The Omer is not sacrificed from lentils, but it is sacrificed from barley. From lentils, one does not separate ḥalla, from barley, one separates ḥalla. The Rabbis say: It was one field and they were [incidents that occurred in] two [different] years. Could they not learn from the previous year? One does not learn from an incident. “David desired, and said: Who will give me water to drink?” (I Chronicles 11:17). Rabbi Ḥiyya said: He needed a halakhic ruling. “The three breached” (I Chronicles 11:18). Why three? It is because halakha is clarified only with three. “They drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was near the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but David would not drink it, [and he poured it out [vayenasekh] to the Lord]” (I Chronicles 11:18). He did not want the halakha to be determined in their names; he stated it unattributed [masekhta] and established a halakha for the generations: A king breaches to make a road for himself and no one objects. Bar Kappara said: It was the festival of Sukkot, it was the libation of water, and it was the time when improvised altars were permitted. “The three breached,” why were they three? There was one to kill, one to clear away the dead, and one to bring in the flask [of water] in ritual purity. Rabbi Ḥonya said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: He needed a ruling regarding a woman captive. Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi said: He demanded the construction of the Temple.

Section 2ב׳

וַתִּפֹּל עַל פָּנֶיהָ וַתִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה וגו' (רות ב, י), מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּתְנַבְּאָה שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהַכִּירָהּ כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל הָאָרֶץ.

“She fell on her face, and prostrated herself to the ground, and said to him: Why have I found favor in your eyes, to acknowledge me, and I a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10). “She fell on her face, and prostrated herself to the ground…[to acknowledge me [lehakireni]],” it teaches that she prophesied that he was destined to be intimate with her [lehakirah] in the way of the world.

Section 3ג׳

וַיַּעַן בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי (רות ב, יא), לָמָּה שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי, הֻגַּד לִי בַּבַּיִת, הֻגַּד לִי בַּשָֹּׂדֶה. כֹּל אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂית אֶת חֲמוֹתֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אִישֵׁךְ, שֶׁאֵין תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בְּחַיֵּי אִישֵׁךְ. וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ זוֹ אִיפַרְכִיָּא שֶׁלָּךְ. וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ מֵעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים שֶׁלָּךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ב, כז): אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ יְלִדְתָּנִי. וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ, זוֹ שְׁכוּנָתָהּ. וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעַתְּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם, שֶׁאִלּוּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם, לֹא הָיִית.

“Boaz answered and said to her: It has been told to me, everything that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband; and you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know before” (Ruth 2:11). “Boaz answered and said to her: It has been told [huged hugad] to me.” Why [is the term “told” stated] twice; “huged hugad to me”? I have been told [what you have done] in the house and I have been told [what you have done] in the field. “Everything that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband,” and, it goes without saying, during the life of your husband. “And you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth,” – your country. “You left your father and your mother” – your idol worship, as it is stated: “They say to a tree, you are my father, and to a stone, you have given birth to me” (Jeremiah 2:27). “The land of your birth” – this is her neighborhood. “And you went to a people that you did not know before,” as had it been before, you would not have been.