The familiar story contained in Megillas Ruth takes on deeper allegorical meanings in this adaptation of the commentary of Rabbeinu Ovadia of Bartenura. ,Not Beyond Redemption: Bartenura on Megillas Ruth,The familiar story contained in Megillas Ruth takes on deeper allegorical meanings in this adaptation of the commentary of Rabbeinu Ovadia of Bartenura.
Megillas Ruth documents the stirring story of the Moabite convert who followed her destitute Jewish mother-in-law Naomi back to the Holy Land. Boaz, a great Jewish leader and relative of Ruth, agreed to redeem her as part of efforts to reclaim her dead husband’s family estate. Their marriage resulted in the birth of Oved, the grandfather of King David.
Despite being a relatively short work, Megillas Ruth is thematically very broad. It contains no overt halachic laws or timeless prophecies. Yet it touches upon important concepts including compassion, loyalty, and the reward for kindness.[1] Nevertheless, its central purpose — and the principal reason for its composition by Shmuel Hanavi[2] — was to record the lineage of King David, whose dates of birth and death fall on the festival of Shavuos, when this work is customarily read.[3]
In this essay, we will adapt and develop some of the ideas contained within an allegorical commentary to Megillas Ruth authored by Rabbeinu Ovadiah of Bartenura, the medieval Italian scholar best known for his Mishnah commentary.
A simple reading of the story relates a dramatic tale of exile and tragedy, alienation and despair, culminating in hope, return, and salvation. But a deeper reading of Megillas Ruth charts Klal Yisrael’s tempestuous relationship with Hashem, one that would be played out in world history and feature a turbulent journey of national exile and Messianic redemption.
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