In this pasuk, passage, we are eavesdropping on a conversation between Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. Ruth, the daughter of the king of Moab, has just returned from her first day of gleaning in the field of Boaz. The wording of the above pasuk suggests that Boaz was helped more by giving tzedaka to Ruth, than Ruth was helped by Boaz’s tzedaka. The Sages of the Midrash discuss the unusual wording of this passage: Midrash Rabbah Ruth V:9 AND HER MOTHER-IN-LAW SAID UNTO HER: WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TO-DAY? (ib. 19). It was taught in the name of R. Joshua: More than the householder does for the poor man, does the poor man do for the householder, for Ruth said to Naomi: THE MAN’S NAME FOR WHOM I WROUGHT TO-DAY. She did not say, ‘who wrought for me,’ but FOR WHOM I WROUGHT. I wrought him many benefits in return for the one morsel of food which he gave me. R. Jose said: ya’an ubeya’an; the word ya’an (because) has the same letters as ‘ani (a poor man). R. Shiloh of Noveh said: Your wealth depends upon the poor man. R. Nahman said: It is written, Because that (bigelal) for this thing the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy work: (Deuteronomy XV, 10) it [poverty] is a wheel (galgal) which comes round to all in the world, like the wheel of a pump which empties that which is full and fills that which is empty. Bar Kappara said: There is no man who does not come to this state [poverty], and if he does not his son does, and if not his son, his grandson. It was taught: R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations will be on account of Israel, while the vengeance taken of Israel will be on account of their poor. The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations will be on account of Israel, as it is said, And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel (Ezek. XXV, 14); the vengeance taken of Israel will be on account of their poor, as it is said, And he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin in thee (Deuteronomy XV, 9). R. Abun said: The poor man stands at your door, and the Holy One, blessed be He, stands at his right hand. If you give unto him, He who stands at his right hand will bless you, but if not, He will exact punishment from you, as it is said, Because He standeth at the right hand of the needy (Psalm CIX, 31). R. Abbahu said: We should be grateful even to the impostors among them. It has been stated: R. Johanan and Resh Lakish went down to bathe in the public baths of Tiberias, and a poor man accosted them. He said to them, ‘Give me something.’ They answered, ‘When we come out we will give it.’ When they came out they found him dead. They said: ‘ Since we did not assist him during his life, let us attend to him after his death.’ When they arose from washing his body, they found a purse of dinars by him, and they said: ‘ It is well.’ Whereupon R. Abbahu said: ‘We should be grateful even to the impostors among them, for were it not for the impostors among them, were a man to see a beggar begging alms and refuse him, he would be punished with death immediately.’
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 02:10:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015