Ruth, a princess of Moab, leaves her homeland, along with Naomi and Orpah, after suffering terrible losses to become the mother of the royal house of Israel. Now, in a revolutionary reading of the Book of Ruth, Moshe Miller provides an entirely new perspective on this beloved story.
Beneath the simple surface of the Book of Ruth, the Sages trace a web of primal issues, including the Serpent in the Garden of Eden; the jealousy of Cain; the painful break between Abraham and Lot; and the mystery that is the mitzvah of yibum. The fiber that binds together all these issues is the theme of love. Love is the key to this story, which culminates in the unique love of Ruth and Boaz, the ancestors of the once and future king, David, whose very name means love!
Don't let this synopsis lure you into thinking it's just a romantic rendition of one of Tanach's most moving episodes. With a subtitle that reads "unravelling the book of Ruth", it is presented as a drama in four acts and turns out to be an ingenious and textually sensitive analysis of a Megillah that we know so well that we don't stop to ask ourselves if we can't get to know it a little better.
You can borrow this book from Beit Knesset Hanassi's
downstairs library.
