Ruth Rabbah 1

¹“It was in the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A man of Bethlehem of Judah went to reside in the fields of Moav; he, his wife, and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1). “It was in the days when the judges judged [ shefot hashofetim ].” Woe to the generation that judged their judges, and woe to the generation whose judges require judgment, as it is stated: “They also did not heed their judges” (Judges 2:17). Who were they [those judges]? Rav said: They were Barak and Deborah. Rabbi Yehosha ben Levi said: They were Shamgar and Ehud. Rav Huna said: They were Deborah, Barak, and Yael. Shefot – one, shofetim – two, hashofetim – three. ²Rabbi asked Rabbi Betzalel: What is that which is written: “For their mother has committed harlotry” (Hosea 2:7)? Is it possible that Sarah our matriarch was a harlot? He said to him: ‘Heaven forbid; rather, when are matters of Torah rendered contemptible before the common people? It is when their owners debase them.’ Rabbi Yaakov bar Avdimi came and rendered it a [midrashic] dictum: When do matters of Torah become like harlots before the common people? When their owners debase them. Rabbi Yoḥanan derives it from here: “The poor man’s [ misken ] wisdom is contemptible” (Ecclesiastes 9:16). Was the wisdom of Rabbi Akiva, who was poor, contemptible? Rather, what is a misken ? It is one who is contemptible in his words, like an elder who sits and teaches: “You shall not pervert justice” (Deuteronomy 16:19), and he perverts justice; “you shall not show partiality” (Deuteronomy 16:19), and he shows partiality; “you shall not afflict any widow or orphan” (Exodus 22:21) and he afflicts them. Samson followed his eyes, as it is stated: “Take her for me, as she is fitting in my eyes” (Judges 14:3). Gideon worshipped idols, as it is stated: “Gideon made it into an ephod” (Judges 8:27). Woe to a judge who shows partiality in judgment. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (Leviticus 19:15) – this teaches that a judge who corrupts judgment is called by five names: unjust, hated, detestable, proscribed, abomination. The Holy One blessed be He calls him five: wicked, blasphemer, violator of the covenant, one who infuriates, and defiant. He causes five results in the world; he defiles the land, desecrates the Name, expels the Divine Presence, causes Israel to fall by the sword, and exiles them from their land. Woe to the generation that is corrupted in this way. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment [in measure, in weight, or in volume]” (Leviticus 19:35) – in a judicial ruling. If it is about judicial rulings, it is already stated about judicial rulings! If so, why is it stated, “…in judgment in measure [in weight, or in volume]”? It teaches that one who measures is called a judge, and if he falsifies, he is called five names and he causes five results. Woe is the generation whose measures are false, as Rabbi Benaya said in the name of Rabbi Huna: If you see a generation whose measures are false, a kingdom comes and besets that generation. What is the reason? “Scales of deceit are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 11:1), and it is written: “Pride comes, shame comes” (Proverbs 11:2). Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba: It is written: “Will I find merit with scales of wickedness, [or with a pouch of deceitful weights?]” (Micah 6:11). Is it possible that a generation whose measures are false will find merit? Rather, “in a pouch of deceitful weights.” Rabbi Levi said: Moses indeed alluded this to Israel in the Torah: “You shall not have in your purse [alternate weights]” (Deuteronomy 25:13); “you shall not have in your house alternate measures” (Deuteronomy 25:13), and if he did so, ultimately, a kingdom will come and beset them, as it is written: “As it is an abomination to the Lord anyone who does [ oseh ] so, anyone who does [ oseh ] injustice” (Deuteronomy 25:16), and it is written: “Remember what Amalek did [ asah ] to you, on the way, as you were leaving Egypt” (Deuteronomy 25:17). ³Rabbi said: Blessings bring blessings upon their purveyors; curses bring curses upon their purveyors. Blessings bring blessings upon their purveyors, as it is written: “A whole and just weight shall be [yours]” (Deuteronomy 25:15), and if you do so: “shall be yours” (Deuteronomy 25:15). Curses bring curses upon their purveyors, as it is written: “You shall not have in your purse different weights, large and small” (Deuteronomy 25:13), and if you do so, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘You sought to use large and small? By your life, that wicked one [who uses corrupt weights] will not manage to possess even something small,’ as it is written: “You shall not have in your purse.” Similarly, “you shall not make with Me [gods of silver and gods of gold]” (Exodus 20:20). The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘You sought to make for Me “gods of silver and gods of gold” – by your life, that wicked one will not manage to make even one of wood,’ as it is written: “You shall not make for yourselves” (Exodus 20:20). ⁴“There was a famine in the land.” Ten famines came to the world. One during the days of Adam; one during the days of Lemekh; one during the days of Abraham; one during the days of Isaac; one during the days of Jacob; one during the days of Elijah; one during the days of Elisha; one during the days of David; one during the days when the judges judged; and one that is yet progressing and coming to the world. One during the days of Adam, as it is stated: “Accursed is the ground because of you” (Genesis 3:17); one during the days of Lemekh, as it is stated: “From the ground that the Lord had cursed” (Genesis 5:29); one during the days of Abraham, as it is stated: “There was famine in the land and Abram descended to Egypt” (Genesis 12:10); one during the days of Isaac: “There was a famine in the land, beside the first famine” (Genesis 26:1); one during the days of Jacob, as it is stated: “For these two years there has been famine in the land” (Genesis 45:6); one during the days of Elijah, as it is stated: “There will not be dew or rain these years, except by my word” (I Kings 17:1); one during the days of Elisha, as it is stated: “There was a great famine in Samaria” (II Kings 6:25); one during the days of David, as it is stated: “There was a famine during the days of David, three years” (II Samuel 21:1); one during the days when the judges judged, as it is stated: “There was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1); and one that is advancing upon the world, as it is written: “I will send famine in the land, not famine for bread, not thirst for water” (Amos 8:11). Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: It would have been appropriate for the main manifestation of them to have been during the days of Saul, and it was not appropriate for them to have been during the days of David. [But] because Saul was an offshoot of a sycamore tree, and would have been unable to withstand it, the Holy One blessed be He transferred it and brought it to David, who is the offshoot of an olive tree and [he] was able to withstand it. A parable says: Shila sinned and Yoḥana pays for it? So, all of them did not come upon lowly people, but rather upon mighty people who could withstand them. Rabbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: [It is analogous] to a glazier who had a basket filled with cups of cut glass. When he sought to hang his basket, he would bring a peg, hammer it [into the wall,] and then hang his basket. So, all of them did not come upon lowly people, but rather to mighty people. Rabbi Berekhya would read in reference to them: “He gives strength to the weary” (Isaiah 40:29). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Ḥelbo: Two [famines] came during the days of Adam. 25:3 it says ‘Abraham’ instead of ‘Adam.’ Rav Huna in the name of Rav Aḥa: One was during the days of Abraham, and one was during the days of Lemekh. The famine that was during the days of Elijah was due to a drought. One year it produced [a harvest] and the other year it did not produce. But the famine during the days of Elisha was due to [economic] panic, as it is stated: “Until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty of silver” (II Kings 6:25). [Regarding] the famine that came during the days that the judges judged, Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Dosa: They were forty-two se’a and they became forty-one se’a . . Some commentators suggest that the text should be read: they were [sold] at a rate of two se’a [per sela ] and became one se’a [per sela ]. See Etz Yosef. But is it not taught: A person may not depart to outside the Land of Israel until two se’a are bought for a shekel? . Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: When is that so? It is when one cannot find anything [else] to buy. But if he can find [other food] to buy, even [at] one se’a for a shekel, a Jew may not leave the Land of Israel. But is it not taught: During a time of pestilence, a time of war, gather everyone inside, but during a time of famine, scatter? Why was Elimelekh punished? It is because he sank the hearts of Israel. [It is analogous] to a prominent person who lived in a province, and the residents of the province would depend upon him, and would say that if drought years would come, he could provide food for the province for ten years. When a drought year came, his maidservant went out, and went into the market with her basket in her hand. The residents of the province said: This is the one who we relied upon, that if there would be a drought he could support us for ten years? His maidservant is standing in the market with her basket in her hand! So, Elimelekh was one of the prominent residents of the province, and one of the leaders of the generation. When the years of famine arrived, he said: ‘Now, all Israel will come around to my door, this one with his basket and that one with his basket.’ He arose and fled from them; that is what is written: “A man of Bethlehem of Judah went.” ⁵“A man…went” – Like a stump [with nothing]? Rather, come and see how much more the Holy One blessed be He appreciates entering the Land of Israel than leaving it. Below, it is written: “Their horses…their mules…their camels” (Ezra 2: 66–67), but here it is written: “A man…went” – like a stump. As opposed to below [the exiled Judeans returning to the land, as described in Ezra], because they were departing from the Land to outside the Land, the verse did not attribute their property to them. “A man…went” – like a stump. “To reside in the fields of Moav” – Rabbi Levi said: Every place you find field, it is a city; [where you find] city, it is a province; province, it is a country. Field, it is a city – as it is stated: “Go to Anatot, to your fields” (I Kings 2:26). City – it is a province, as it is stated: “Pass in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem” can refer to either a large city or a province. (Ezekiel 9:4). Province – it is a country, as it is stated: “One hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). “He, his wife, and his two sons” – He was primary; his wife, secondary to him; and his sons, secondary to them.