drastic Willem (1652-80) "Ruth and Naomi,"
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
At the end of the first chapter, Ruth arrived in Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi in the period of the barley harvest.
In the second chapter, Ruth, to keep herself and her mother-in-law, went to glean after the reapers in a field, who turns out to be then of Boaz, Naomi's next of kin. He is therefore entitled to purchase up Naomi, that should take care of them, just as God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt. In addition, Booz may exercise the levirate, a custom prescribed in Deuteronomy to the effect that if a man dies without leaving children, his next of kin must marry the widow and children conceived with it which will be considered a full children of the deceased. Another rule laid down in the Torah regards the gleaning: the poor, the orphan and the widow is entitled to collect what is left in the harvest and, as a counterpart, the owners of land and orchards must advance, wasting .
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how they treat those less educated and less intelligent than me? I would put a little 'back to the' low culture '?
Booz comes to the field where harvesting is taking place and is attracted by the figure of Ruth, which, although not a very young age and widowhood, has a presence of mind and is concerned that the servants did not importunino; He justifies this attention particularly telling about what she has done and is doing to his mother-in-law. Ruth Boaz consoles, as it did with Naomi. We introduce here the theme of consolation, of which a first dynamic is that St. Paul lists in II Corinthians: said he was comforted by God and that it subsequently consulate. Ruth, however, without first being comforting and being comforted also in a state of distress, showing another possible dynamics of consolation.
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as the console? I am among those who hide behind their own personal desolation and consolation?
The words that comforted Ruth Boaz (Ruth 2, 11) reminiscent of the sacrament of marriage, in which the intending spouses are called to leave the house and the land of their parents and form a family in a new community, and the act that God asks Abraham to do (Genesis 12, 1). Ruth is presented here as a bride generous, not to mention that she is a foreigner.
After the meal, which was asked Ruth, Boaz ordered his servants to deliberately drop some ear so that she can pick it up. Booz helps Ruth without humiliating them: what it will reap the fruit of his labor.
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how to help others? Be careful not to humiliate them?
In this chapter, in addition to the generosity and the ability to console seen in the previous year, are further highlighted as Ruth is a woman laborious presented in beauty of maturity and able to balance between wasting (forward from his meal of roasted ears of corn that leads to Naomi) and not to waste (collects "almost an ephah of barley"). is a difficult balancing act, intended to make others enjoy both for their generosity and for his parsimony.
The chapter ends with Naomi who receives an inkling of the importance of Boaz to Ruth and begins to realize that to be comforted.
Chiara Tanelli
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