רות ד׳

פלני אלמני. ולא נכתב שמו לפי שלא אבה לגאול:

So-and-so. But his name was not written because he did not wish to redeem.¹The person’s name was Tov (See above 3:13). His name is omitted because he did not discharge his duty as a kinsman. He therefore did not merit to be recorded as Tov [=good].

פלני אלמני. מתורגם בנביאים (שמואל א' כא) כסי וטמיר:

So-and-so. פְּלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי is rendered [into Aramaic] in the Prophets as, “concealed and secret.”

פלני. מכוסה ונעלם לשון (דברים יז) כי יפלא (בראשית יח) היפלא מה' דבר:

So. פְּלֹנִי means] covered and concealed, [as in] the expression of, “If there be concealed יִפָּלֵא”²Devarim 17:8. and “Is there anything concealed הֲיִפָּלֵא from Adonoy?”³Bereishis 18:14.

אלמני. אלמון מבלי שם, (ס"א אלמוני שהיה אלמן מד"ת שהיה לו לדרוש עמוני ולא עמונית מואבי ולא מואבית והוא אמר פן אשחית את נחלתי):

And so. אַלְמֹנִי means widowed, without a name. (Another version: [He is called] אַלְמֹנִי because he was widowed of the words of the Torah, for he should have expounded, “[only] an Ammonite [is forbidden in marriage to a Jewish woman], but not an Ammonitess [i.e., an Ammonite woman is not forbidden in marriage to a Jewish man]; a Mo’avite, but not a Mo’aviteess.” Yet he said, “for I would mar my own inheritance.”)

ואדעה כי אין זולתך. קרוב לגאול:

That I may know [now], for beside you there is no one. [Who is as] close [as you] to redeem.

ומאת רות המואביה. אתה צריך לקנות והיא אינה מתרצה אלא אם כן תשאנה:

And from Rus the Mo’avitess. You must buy [the inheritance], and she is not willing [to sell] unless you marry her.

פן אשחית את נחלתי. זרעי כמו (תהלים קכז) נחלת ה' בנים לתת פגם בזרעי שנאמר (דברים כג) לא יבא עמוני ומואבי וטעה בעמוני ולא עמונית:

For I would mar my own inheritance. נַחֲלָתִי =] my offspring, as in, “the inheritance of Adonoy is children;”⁴Tehillim 127:3. to give my offspring a stigma, for it is stated, “Neither an Ammonite nor a Mo’avite may enter [into Adonoy’s community],”⁵Devarim 23:4. but he erred [by not interpreting it as] “an Ammonite but not an Ammonitess.”⁶He was not aware that the Torah prohibited only the male Mo’avites from entering the ranks of Bnei Yisroel, but the females were permitted. Alternatively, he knew that females were permitted to enter the ranks of Bnei Yisroel, but he feared that in future generations the ruling may be challenged, as it was in Dovid’s time by Do’eg.

על הגאלה. זו מכירה:

Concerning redemption. This is a sale.

תמורה. זו חליפין:

And exchange. This is an exchange.

שלף איש נעלו. זהו קניין כמו שאנו קונין בסודר במקום נעל, ורבותינו ז"ל נחלקו בדבר מי נתן למי יש אומרים קונין בכליו של קונה ובועז נתן לגואל ויש אומרים קונין בכליו של מקנה וגואל נתן לבועז:

A man would take off his shoe. This is an act of acquisition, just as we acquire title with a scarf in lieu of a shoe. And our Rabbis of blessed memory differed on this matter,⁷Maseches Bava Metzia 47a. as to who gave [the shoe] to whom. Some say that one acquires title with the utensil of the acquirer, and Bo’az gave [his shoe] to the redeemer, and some say that one acquires title with the utensil of the seller, and the redeemer gave [his shoe] to Bo’az.

וזאת התעודה בישראל. משפט העדות:

This was the form of validation in Yisroel. תְּעוּדָה =] the law of testimony.

להקים שם המת על נחלתו. מתוך שאשתו יוצאה ובאה בנחלה ומכנסת ומוציאה אומרים זאת היתה אשת מחלון שמו נזכר עליה:

To perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his inheritance: Since his wife goes and comes on the estate and brings in and takes out [items], people say, “This is Machlon’s wife,” and thereby his name is remembered upon it.

כרחל וכלאה. אף על פי שהיו משבט יהודה ומבני לאה מודים הם על רחל שהיתה עיקרה של בית והקדימו רחל ללאה:

Like Rachel and like Leah. Even though they were from the tribe of Yehudah and of the descendants of Leah, they conceded that Rachel was the mainstay of the household and they mentioned Rachel before Leah.⁸Alternatively, the blessing was for (Naomi)[Ruth] who was the daughter of idolaters. They blessed her that she should be in her own righteousness like Rachel and Leah who also were daughters of an idolater [Lavan], but because of their marriage to a great and righteous man [Yaakov], they created the House of Yisroel.

וקרא שם. כלומר יגדל שמך:

And be famous. I.e., may your name become great.

כבית פרץ. שיצאנו ממנו:

Like the house of Peretz. From whom they were descended.⁹Otherwise they should have blessed Bo’az to be like Ephrayim and Menashe.

ואלה תולדות פרץ. לפי שייחס את דוד על שמה של רות המואביה חזר ויחסו על שם יהודה: חסלת מגלת רות:

These are the generations of Peretz. Since [Scripture] traced Dovid’s lineage to the name of Rus the Mo’avitess, it returned and traced his lineage to Yehudah’s name.¹⁰The symbol of royalty.