She strikes while the iron is hot (I)

We don’t know if Ruth was pretty.  We do know that she was bold and risk-taking. She, a Moabite, married a young man from a Jewish family hat had migrated to Moab to escape the drought at Bethlehem, Judah. In a few years tragedy struck. First her father-in-law died and then her own husband, followed by his brother. Difficult to pull on, Naomi, her mother-in-law, decided to return to her own people in Bethlehem.

Poor and unable to give her a good life, Naomi suggested that Ruth go back to her parents, marry again, and live happily.  She flatly refused. She said, “Wherever you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your god my God.” She wanted to accompany Naomi although the future looked bleak.

That’s how Ruth arrived in Bethlehem. Fortunately it was harvest time. As they had to find food, Ruth offered to go and glean some barley fields. It was a custom among the Jews to allow poor people to pick up leftover grains after the reapers had harvested the crop.

Ruth seems to have stood out from the crowd of women in the field she entered because the farm’s owner, Boaz, noticed her and took an instant liking to her. Discreet enquiries with his supervisors revealed that she was a widow, a foreigner, who had chosen to serve Naomi, her old and widowed mother-in-law, rather than stay back in her country and marry again. Boaz realised that he was related to Naomi’s husband. Anyway he became protective towards her. Apart from gifting her extra grains, he asked his workers not to lay a hand on her. He also invited her to eat and drink with the regular workers.

This went on till the end of the harvesting season. That’s when Naomi felt that Ruth should try to marry Boaz. Although middle-aged, he appeared to be an excellent choice because he was rich, decent, and generous.

Like many other tribes and communities, the Jews practised Levirate marriage when a married man died without an heir. The dead man’s brother was expected to be a go’el (kinsman-redeemer), marry the widow, and raise children in the name of the dead man. The dead man’s property also would go to the children of this new union. If there was no brother willing or available to take on this responsibility, the nearest male relative could be asked. Naomi felt that this was the route Ruth should explore although Boaz was not really the nearest male relative.

One evening Naomi told Ruth to wash and perfume herself and put on her best clothes. She added: “I’d like Boaz to be your go’el and marry you. Tonight he will be sleeping on the threshing floor guarding the barley that has been winnowed. Wait until he finishes eating and drinking. Once he’s asleep, quietly crawl under his blanket and lie next to him. Then let him take it forward.”

Ruth did exactly as her mother-in-law asked her to. In the middle of the night Boaz was startled to find a young woman lying next to him. She revealed her identity and whispered, “I am Ruth. Please put your cloak over me as you are my go’el. In plain words, ‘be my man and marry me.’

Boaz instantly agreed. The circumstances were such that perhaps he had little choice. Then he realised that there was a hurdle. There was another man who was more closely related to Naomi’s dead husband. Boaz assured her that he would sort that out the following day. He asked her to lie under the blanket until morning and leave before anyone saw her. The Bible (The Book of Ruth), from which this story is taken, is silent on whether there was anything more than a warm, hushed conversation between the two during the wee hours.

In the morning, Boaz fulfilled his promise. He met the other male relative in the presence of some elders, and presented Ruth’s case in such a way that he got the ‘rival’ out of the way. He married Ruth with the blessings of the community.

Ruth holds a special place in Jewish genealogy because King David was her great grandson.

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The story of Ruth is probably three millennia old. It illustrates many strategies of smart persuasion. Would you like to identify and comment on them? If you wish to read the original book of Ruth in a modern translation, here is the link.