Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire Tanach one perek at a time. Today we’re beginning the 2nd of the Megilos, Megilas Rus. This is just an introduction, and in the next class we’ll hopefully start the Megilah itself.

I’m excited to be learning Rus, as it touches on the roots of Mashiach. In a humorous vein, I like to say that the reason why we read it is to connect us to our roots!

On a personal level, Rus was the first sefer of Nach I ever got into to learning many years ago, so I’m grateful to be studying this with everyone.

The Back Story

The Rus Rabbah 2:15 asks why Megilas Rus was written, as it doesn’t contain laws of tumah or tahara, spiritual cleanliness, or issur v’heter, things that are or aren’t allowed. The answer is that it teaches us about the good reward that people who are gomlei chessed, do kindness, will receive.

Chazal were searching for a reason because as a rule we only have prophecies that were needed for future generations, and Rus seemingly doesn’t contain any of those.

Bava Basra 14b says that Shmuel wrote Megilas Rus to establish the legitimacy of Dovid Hamelech, who comes from Peretz, who descended from Rus. The Zohar Chadosh, Medrash Rus 78a, says that it is to let everyone know that Dovid’s lineage was like “refined silver.”

It’s important to highlight this because it’s not explicitly stated in Rus itself, but is the undercurrent of the whole story. Much of this is brought in Sefer Shmuel I, perek 17, (it can be looked up in the NachDaily archives for further information.) Dovid’s nemesis, Doeg Ha’adomi, tried to completely invalidate Dovid, not only as the King, but as a Jew!

It’s brought in Rus Rabba 8 and Yevamos 76b that Doeg said to King Shaul “You’re asking if Dovid is fitting for kingship. You should be asking whether he’s even Jewish!”

There’s an issur in the Torah brought in Bamidbar 23:4-5 which expressly forbids intermarriage with the descendants of Lot, who are the Moavites and Ammonites even after they convert. Why? Because they didn’t greet you with bread and water when you were tired and worn down after leaving Egypt. Not only that, but, they hired Bilam to curse you!

However, female converts from Moav and Amon are excluded from this because the women weren’t expected to go out to greet the men passing through their land with bread and water. As the famous saying goes, “Moavi v’lo Moavis – you can refuse a Moavi into Am Yisrael but not a woman.

Rus, of whom Dovid was a direct descendent, was the daughter of Eglon, king of Moav. Doeg and others attempted to put doubt into the hearts of Am Yisrael about Dovid’s lineage to uproot him from the Jewish people or make him seem to be a halachic mamzer.

This was none other than the Satan himself, trying to extinguish the light of Mashiach. By discrediting Dovid as a Jew, Mashiach, his descendent, would also no longer be in the ranks of the Jewish nation. Doeg Ha’adomi’s name comes from the word da’aga, to worry. Doeg should have worried about himself, and not put the whole world in jeopardy!

Parenthetically, we find that Avraham went through great lengths to save his nephew Lot because he knew that the seed of Mashiach was contained in him. His intervention was needed to ensure the final redemption.

Shmuel Hanavi understood this well, so he penned this short Megilah to establish the veracity of Dovid Hamelech’s lineage.

It should also be noted that although the halacha of Moavi v’lo Moavis is expressed in the Torah, it wasn’t as well known and

established in those days. It is precisely because of this story that we all are aware of the implications.

Yevamos 77a tells us that Amasa, one of Dovid’s main warriors rose, holding his sword in the air and said, “Whoever doesn’t follow this halacha will be stabbed with a sword! I have a tradition from the Beis Din, Court of Law, of Shmuel (who was still alive at the time), Amoni v’lo amonis, Moavi v’lo Moavis!” It seems that this was the defining moment when this halacha was finally clarified for all generations.

May we merit the revelation of Mashiach Ben Dovid, when all will understand that Am Yisrael, Hashem, and the Torah all are One. We will see with our own eyes that the holy and pure Rus was to be the vehicle to eventually bring down the soul of Dovid Hamelech, the soul of Mashiach, into this world.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily when we begin the first perek of Rus, learning more about the timeframe and backdrop of this story.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.