This coming week (Thursday, August 14) is the 20th day of the Hebrew month of Av. The Talmud[1] relates a narrative that occurred on this very day, in the process of re-establishing Jewish life in the ...

In ancient days, in the land of Moab, a young girl named Ruth often felt like a stranger among her people. She felt different from her family and from her friends. Her closest friend, a girl named ...

You may be familiar with the story in the book of Ruth. Elimilech, Naomi, and their two sons moved from Bethlehem to Moab during a cycle of famine in Judah. The Moabites and Israelites were ...

The book of Ruth begins with the line, “In the days when the judges judged’ (וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ שְׁפֹ֣ט הַשֹּׁפְטִ֔ים, Ruth 1:1). The Book of Ruth, traditionally read as part of the service on Shavuot, ...

Parashat Pinchas begins with a continuation of the narrative of Israel’s immoral behavior found at the conclusion of Parashat Balak. That behavior was induced by Balaam, the heathen prophet hired by ...

Among the books of the Hebrew Scriptures that I frequently return to is the book of Ruth. It’s a good story, and it has a lot to tell us about the providence of our Creator and the loving-kindness ...