Introduction
Before us is the continuation of Chapter 3 in Megillat Rut: Ruth going down to the threshing floor, the nocturnal encounter with Boaz, and his promise to redeem her. This is one of the most delicate and charged chapters in the Megillah: on the one hand, an act that at first glance appears contrary to conventional standards of tzniut (modesty), yet on the other hand, it involves two righteous individuals whose sole intention was for the sake of Heaven, and from whom the Davidic dynasty would eventually emerge. We will follow the order of the verses according to the commentary of the Malbim, interweaving the words of Chazal and the Midrashim.
"And She Went Down to the Threshing Floor" - The Symbolism of the Threshing Floor
וַתֵּרֶד הַגֹּרֶן וַתַּעַשׂ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוַּתָּה חֲמוֹתָהּ. (ג, ו) - "And she went down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her." (3:6)
Ruth went down to the threshing floor only after everyone had finished their work and gone home, slipping in secretly. The commentators noted with precision: "and she did" - there, at the threshing floor, she did according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her, and not beforehand. That is, the washing, anointing, and changing of her clothes were done only at the threshing floor itself, and not in the city, so that people would not notice her.
Chazal explain that the threshing floor (*goren*) hints that she acted purely for the sake of Heaven, and therefore righteous and pious descendants would descend from her who would sit in a semicircle resembling a threshing floor (*chatzi goren*) - namely, the Sanhedrin. As is said regarding the Sanhedrin: "Your navel is like a round goblet, let not mixed wine be lacking." "A round goblet" refers to the Sanhedrin, who sat in a round, semicircular threshing-floor formation, like a crescent moon. "Let not mixed wine be lacking" refers to the Lesser Sanhedrin of twenty-three members, which is like the dilution of wine to one-third, representing one-third of the Great Sanhedrin - a prayer that it, too, should never be lacking.
There is an additional allusion in the threshing floor: David would descend from her, who bought the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite, upon which the Beit HaMikdash was built. Thus, her going down to the threshing floor foreshadowed that she would merit that her descendant David would acquire the threshing floor upon which the Temple would be built.
"And Boaz Ate and Drank, and His Heart Was Merry"
וַיֹּאכַל בֹּעַז וַיֵּשְׁתְּ וַיִּיטַב לִבּוֹ וַיָּבֹא לִשְׁכַּב בִּקְצֵה הָעֲרֵמָה, וַתָּבֹא בַלָּט וַתְּגַל מַרְגְּלֹתָיו וַתִּשְׁכָּב. (ג, ז) - "And Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the grain pile; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down." (3:7)
Indeed, that is what took place: he ate, drank, and went to rest. The commentators scrutinized the expression "and his heart was merry" - implying that until now his heart had not been merry. And why? Because there had been famine in the land, and it is improper for a person to indulge and satisfy himself while others are starving. Now that the famine had ended, he could allow himself this comfort, and therefore only then was his heart merry. Having eaten his fill, he slept soundly and did not sense who lay down at his feet.
Some say that he did not fall asleep at all, as indicated by the wording of the verse: "and he went to lie down" - he came to lie down, but was not yet sleeping. Why, then, did he not notice her? Because Ruth was miraculously able to see without being seen. This is hinted at by the phrase "and she came softly" (*balat*), related to "with their sorceries" (*belateihem*) said of the Egyptian magicians, an expression of concealment and occult invisibility. She could see while remaining unseen, which is why he did not perceive her.
"And the Man Trembled and Turned" - Midnight and Boaz's Test
וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה וַיֶּחֱרַד הָאִישׁ וַיִּלָּפֵת, וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה שֹׁכֶבֶת מַרְגְּלֹתָיו. (ג, ח) - And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and turned about, and behold, a woman lay at his feet. (3:8)
What is the significance of midnight? King David said, "At midnight I arise to give thanks to You." And how did he know when it was midnight? He had an instrument - a northern wind would blow and stir the strings of his harp, and he would rise to study Torah. And where did this practice originate? With his great-grandfather, Boaz, who would rise at midnight to immerse himself in Torah study.
Then suddenly he saw a woman lying at his feet - "and the man was startled." What was this terror? Regarding Yitzchak it is said, "And Yitzchak trembled with an exceedingly great trembling," which Chazal expounded as his seeing Gehinom open beneath him. The Hebrew word for trembling, *charadah*, is inherently tied to Gehinom, and indeed nothing ought to terrify a person more than Gehinom. Why, then, was Boaz so alarmed? On the surface, what was so terrible about a woman being there? Rather, he saw Gehinom opening before his very eyes: the yetzer hara came and whispered to him - you are unmarried and she is unmarried; she is ritually pure, and she is meant for you anyway, as you already know she is your relative and you have the status of a redeemer. What more is needed?
Chazal say: Greater is that which is said concerning Boaz than what is said concerning Yosef HaTzaddik and Palti ben Laish. In the case of Yosef HaTzaddik, she was an Egyptian, a gentile woman forbidden to him - and the descendants of Noach strictly fenced themselves off from illicit relations - and she was also a married woman. In the case of Palti ben Laish, she was a married woman. Here, by contrast, she was pure, permissible, and designated for him, yet despite this, he mastered his inclination. Therefore his name is Boaz, from the word *oz*, strength, and from him the monarchy emerged - "And He shall give strength [oz] to His king." One who possesses the inner strength to master his passions is the one who merits the crown of royalty.
This was the source of his terror - the dread of judgment. And what is the meaning of "vayilafet"? Chazal explained that his flesh became like the tops of turnips, meaning that his entire body stiffened in shock.
"I Am Ruth Your Maidservant - Spread Your Robe"
וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אָתְּ? וַתֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי רוּת אֲמָתֶךָ, וּפָרַשְׂתָּ כְנָפֶךָ עַל אֲמָתְךָ כִּי גֹאֵל אָתָּה. (ג, ט) - And he said, "Who are you?" And she said, "I am Ruth, your maidservant; spread your robe over your maidservant, for you are a redeemer." (3:9)
What did she mean by "your maidservant"? She sought to assure him: Do not imagine, Heaven forbid, that there is any promiscuity here, that I have come to such a place at such an hour for improper ends. I am your maidservant - and as is well known, a master who acquires a Hebrew maidservant is commanded to designate her as a wife for himself; if he does not designate her for himself, he designates her for his son; and if he neither marries her nor marries her to his son, he must help redeem her and let her go free. In other words, just as there is a binding obligation between the Hebrew maidservant and the master who must designate her, so too is there a sacred bond between you and me through the mitzvah of yibbum.
And what is the meaning of "spread your robe [kanaf - literally wing or corner] over your maidservant"? The Malbim explains that in its plain sense, this is a poetic metaphor: just as doves spread their wings over their mates during pairing, so too are you commanded, as it were, to take me as a wife. Furthermore, she was hinting to him that this union would not be contrary to the commandments of the Torah. For we find in the Gemara regarding that harlot who charged four hundred zuz for her fee, when a certain student came before her up to the seventh bed, just as he was about to disrobe, his four tzitzit struck him across the face - the tzitzit were what saved him from a forbidden union. Ruth said to Boaz: Here, there is no need for tzitzit to intervene and save you, for this is not a forbidden union. On the contrary, "spread your corner" - the corner and the tzitzit are invited here, for this union is a mitzvah. You do not need to avert your tzitzit out of dread of sin; on the contrary, this is an act of holiness.
Another explanation: When a man marries a woman, a chuppah is spread over their heads. Thus, "spread your corner" is an allusion to the wedding canopy - that you should take me in marriage through permissible means and through proper kiddushin.
Chazal noted: Come and see the profound difference between Potiphar's wife and Ruth. Potiphar's wife seized Yosef by his garment and demanded, "Lie with me," through physical force and coercion; whereas Ruth said, "Spread your robe" - I am telling you what is fitting and right to do, and you will choose to do so of your own free will.
Why Did Naomi Send Ruth on Such a Mission?
Naomi’s plan was for Boaz to see Ruth lying at his feet like a chick that has fallen from its nest, so that his compassion would be aroused toward her, prompting him to redeem her and take her as a wife. Yet this requires explanation: how could Naomi place Boaz into such a difficult trial? Ostensibly, this goes against modesty and everything we would expect from a woman of Naomi’s or Ruth’s spiritual stature. And without question, had Boaz not withstood the test, he would have stumbled. Why would she ever do such a thing?
The holy Ari sets forth a crucial principle that resolves many difficulties: when the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to bring forth a great and holy soul from the upper worlds and bring it down to earth, the Sitra Achra (the forces of impurity) holds it back. Why? First, the greater the soul, the greater the sustenance the Sitra Achra can draw from it. Second, the Sitra Achra fears that if such a soul enters the world, it will bring about a complete revolution and dismantle it. Therefore, it lays claim to these souls and refuses to release them.
What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He, as it were, outwits the Sitra Achra and brings the soul down through an impure and debased setting. Avraham Avinu - to whom was he born? To Terach, an idol worshiper, and his mother’s state at the time of conception was in impurity, Heaven forbid. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: There is a great soul, and I have a place to bring it down. And the Sitra Achra thinks: This is fine - from a vile idolater and a woman in a state of impurity, what could possibly emerge? This soul will never slip from our grasp; it will remain with us forever.
And we should know that the loftier a soul is, just as it can bring about revolutions for the good, it can also bring about enormous devastation for the bad. Esav possessed a soul no less magnificent than Yaakov’s. They studied in the same cheder, in the same Talmud Torah, and everything was identical. Yaakov became the head of the Jewish nation, while Esav became the master of Mount Seir and the head of Edom. A great soul means immense potential, and what one does with it ultimately depends on the individual. Incidentally, Esav was ruddy, and he could have been just like King David, who was also ruddy; but he chose to channel it in a different direction, and the outcome speaks for itself.
Based on this, explains the Ari, one can understand why pure things so often emerge from tainted realms. Anyone who traces the lineage of the House of David observes this at every step along the way. How did the royal line begin? With the daughters of Lot - nothing could seem more degraded than this, an act of incest that even the gentile nations consider abhorrent and vile. From this Moab was born, and from Moab came Ruth. Next, Yehudah - how did he father Peretz? Through Tamar, who sat by the crossroads, where he said, "Come, let me come in to you," and she replied, "What will you give me?" That too, on the surface, was hardly a pristine act. Then Boaz fathers Oved - and that, as well, occurs in a manner that seems far from untainted. Later comes King David: Yishai fathered him while believing she was his maidservant, and people suspected David of being illegitimate, since Yishai was unaware that it was his own wife who had conceived from him. And later, David fathers Shlomo through Batsheva, where once again the circumstances were not entirely clean of suspicion. All along the way, in bringing forth the lineage of the House of David, one sees circumstances that seem completely unsuited to the exalted and holy level we would have expected.
The same applies here. Naomi understood this, realizing that this union had to come about through a circuitous path, because the great soul of the Davidic dynasty was destined to emerge from it. Therefore, she sent Ruth to the threshing floor in a manner that appeared questionable and far from straightforward, so that from within it, the kingdom of the House of David could emerge.
And what is the meaning of "for you are a redeemer"? Ruth and Naomi were seeking to sell the ancestral land of Machlon, and the Torah states: "His redeemer who is closest to him shall come and redeem that which his brother has sold." She was saying to him: You are the redeemer destined to purchase the field - if so, take me as your wife as well, and through this the name of the deceased will be remembered upon his inheritance, and people will say that this woman was the wife of Machlon. We should note that this was not a strict Torah law, for according to the Torah, the law of yibbum (levirate marriage) applies solely to a brother, and here there was no technical requirement of yibbum. Rather, it was a recognized custom in their days that an extended relative could also do so in order to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his inheritance and to acquire his estate.
Blessed Are You to Hashem - You Have Made Your Latest Kindness Greater than the First
וַיֹּאמֶר בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ לַה' בִּתִּי, הֵיטַבְתְּ חַסְדֵּךְ הָאַחֲרוֹן מִן הָרִאשׁוֹן, לְבִלְתִּי לֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי הַבַּחוּרִים אִם דַּל וְאִם עָשִׁיר. (ג, י) - And he said, "Blessed are you to Hashem, my daughter; you have made your latest kindness greater than the first, by not going after the young men, whether poor or rich." (3:10)
"Blessed are you to Hashem" - I see that your intention is purely for the sake of Heaven. "You have made your latest kindness greater than the first" - what was the first kindness, and what is the latest? The first kindness was what you did for your late husband by marrying a man of the seed of Israel. Yet there you chose a young man, whereas here you surpassed that by choosing an elderly man. How old was Boaz? Some say he was eighty years old, while others say he was four hundred. Even eighty is an advanced enough age that a young woman would not seek such a match; yet you nevertheless do so, which proves that your intentions are truly for the sake of Heaven. And the latest kindness is what you now seek to do for the soul of your deceased husband through this quasi-yibbum: caring for his soul even though he is no longer alive, and not chasing after the young men, "whether poor or rich." For even a poor young man is usually preferred by a woman over a wealthy old man - what interest could she have in an elderly man? All the more so when you could have easily found a wealthy young man, given your beauty, and faced no pressure to settle for a poor one. The fact that you come seeking to marry an elderly man proves that your only desire is to perform an act of unadulterated chesed.
There are additional explanations of the "first kindness." Some say it refers to her conversion to Judaism, and now, by seeking to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his inheritance, she is performing a kindness even greater than conversion itself. Others say the first kindness was what she did for her mother-in-law by sustaining her. Still others say it refers to the kindness she performed for her late husband by burying him and providing his shrouds even though she was under no legal obligation to do so, since we saw that she waived her ketubah.
Homiletically, it is suggested: "You have made your latest kindness greater than the first" - one mitzvah leads to another (mitzvah goreret mitzvah). When a person performs a mitzvah, it draws another mitzvah in its wake. Boaz was saying to her: If you are performing an act of chesed now, what is its source? It stems from the fact that you also performed chesed in the past, and that earlier kindness drew this one along. That is the deeper meaning of "your latest kindness" - where did it come from? "From the first."
Do Not Fear - For You Are a Woman of Valor
וְעַתָּה בִּתִּי אַל תִּירְאִי, כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמְרִי אֶעֱשֶׂה לָּךְ, כִּי יוֹדֵעַ כָּל שַׁעַר עַמִּי כִּי אֵשֶׁת חַיִל אָתְּ. (ג, יא) - "And now, my daughter, do not fear; all that you say I will do for you, for all the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of valor." (3:11)
"And now" - if you see that I am not ready to take you as a wife immediately, do not think that I am brushing you off with an excuse; rather, it is specifically *now*, right away, that I cannot do so. Why? Because there is another redeemer who precedes me in family kinship, and therefore I must delay the matter. "Do not fear" - do not worry that I am merely putting you off; you have nothing to fear, I will ensure that you attain your levirate marriage, but there is someone who comes before me, and it is incumbent upon me to approach him first. "All that you say I will do for you" - I promise to fulfill your entire request, including "spread your wing over your handmaid": if he refuses, I will do it myself.
Furthermore, he says to her: do not worry that tomorrow or the next day, when I speak with people, they will say to me, "What do you want with a convert? She is not of your stature and not on your level," and that my mind will change. Why is there no need to fear? "For all the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of valor." Everyone knows that you are a woman of valor, and no one will attempt to dissuade me from marrying you. In other words, do not worry that the delay will lead to cancellation; a delay is indeed necessary, as there is someone who takes precedence over me.
In addition, it is explained that he hinted to her that from the two of them the monarchy of the House of David would emerge: she is an "eshet chayil" (a woman of valor), and regarding him it is said, "ish gibbor chayil" (a mighty man of valor). Grapes of the vine paired with grapes of the vine - both are people of valor.
And Yet There Is a Redeemer Closer than I
וְעַתָּה כִּי אָמְנָם כִּי (אם) גֹאֵל אָנֹכִי, וְגַם יֵשׁ גֹּאֵל קָרוֹב מִמֶּנִּי. (ג, יב) - "And now, though it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is a redeemer closer than I." (3:12)
He says to her: indeed, I am a redeemer; I agree that I am a redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I. And who is he? Chazal say: Salmon, Elimelech, and Tov were brothers. Tov takes precedence over Boaz, for Tov was Elimelech's brother, whereas Boaz was the son of Salmon, meaning Elimelech's nephew. Thus, an uncle takes precedence over a nephew, and therefore "there is a redeemer closer than I."
Let us note the precision in the verse: "ki omnam ki im go'el anochi" - the word "im" (if) is written (*ketiv*) but not read (*keri*). And why? Because ultimately he was indeed the redeemer, and it is as though he prophesied without realizing what he prophesied. In his spoken words he introduced doubt: "if I am a redeemer," perhaps the other man will agree. But in the reading it remains "for I am a redeemer" without "if" - in the end, I will be the redeemer.
Stay Tonight - The Oath to the Yetzer
לִינִי הַלַּיְלָה, וְהָיָה בַבֹּקֶר אִם יִגְאָלֵךְ טוֹב יִגְאָל, וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ לְגָאֳלֵךְ וּגְאַלְתִּיךְ אָנֹכִי חַי ה', שִׁכְבִי עַד הַבֹּקֶר. (ג, יג) - "Stay tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good, let him redeem; but if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning." (3:13)
He tells her: stay here until morning, and then I will be able to speak with Tov. And why did he ask her to stay the night? Because that generation was lax in matters of immorality, and had he sent her away now alone, she might, Heaven forbid, be harmed. And why did he not escort her himself? So people would not suspect them, thinking a woman had been arranged for him at the threshing floor. Thus, on the one hand she could not be sent away unescorted, yet on the other hand he could not escort her; therefore, the only option was "stay tonight."
"If he will redeem you, good, let him redeem" - the right of redemption belongs to him first. "And if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as Hashem lives" - I swear to you that I will redeem you. And at the end: "Lie down until morning" - she wanted to rise from lying at his feet, but he told her: Lie down, I have no fear that my evil inclination will entice me to be with you forbiddenly, because I have made an oath against my inclination. Thus, the oath "as Hashem lives" applies both to what precedes it and to what follows it: to what precedes it - "then I will redeem you, as Hashem lives", I swear to redeem you if he does not; and to what follows it - "as Hashem lives, lie down until morning", you have nothing to fear, for I have sworn against my inclination not to commit this sin.
The Spark of the Holy Shelah
It is cited in the sefer Avot HaRosh by Rabbi Chaim Palagi in the name of the Maggid, who said to Rabbi Shmuel of Eisenstadt: in the words "and he trembled" and "and he was seized", it is hinted that an involuntary nocturnal emission came from Boaz at that moment. This is hinted at in Chazal's statement that his flesh became like the tops of turnips - a turnip is hard, hinting that his body hardened and an emission occurred. From that holy spark emerged the Shelah HaKadosh. As is known, the Ari z"l writes in several places that sparks of unintentional emissions are especially lofty, and the sparks from Adam HaRishon's emissions were on a higher level than what he actually fathered, though this is not the place to explain why.
This matter is hinted at in Megillat Rut itself. All the verses of the Megillah begin with the letter vav - "Ve'atah ki omnam", "Vatishkav", "Vayomer", "Vatavo", and so on - except for these verses: "Yiten Hashem", "Shuvnah venotai", "Halahen teshabbernah", "Ba'asher telchi", "Ani mele'ah halachti", "Eineyich basadeh", "Yeshallem Hashem", "Lini halaylah". The initial letters of these verses spell: Yeshayah b"a"l - Yeshayahu ben Avraham Levi, who is the holy Shelah, Rabbi Yeshayahu, whose father was named Avraham and whose family was Levi. This matter is also cited in the sefer Melo HaOmer by the Maharal Tzuntz.
And She Rose Before One Could Recognize Another
וַתִּשְׁכַּב מַרְגְּלוֹתָו עַד הַבֹּקֶר, וַתָּקָם בְּטֶרֶם יַכִּיר אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ, וַיֹּאמֶר אַל יִוָּדַע כִּי בָאָה הָאִשָּׁה הַגֹּרֶן. (ג, יד) - "And she lay at his feet until morning, and she rose before one could recognize his fellow; and he said: 'Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.'" (3:14)
It is possible to explain this homiletically: as we have seen, "at his feet [margelotav]" hints at chalitzah, and "and she lay [vatishkav]" hints at marriage. Rut said to him: either chalitzah or marriage. And since it was not yet clear which it would be, both were written together - "and she lay at his feet": it may be "and she lay", or it may be "at his feet", for I do not yet know.
"And she rose before one could recognize his fellow" - they arose while it was still dark. "And he said: Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor" - to whom did he say this? To his youth, who had just arrived for his work, instructing him not to reveal to anyone that a woman had been at the threshing floor at night. Let people assume she had been with his maidens, had come from the field, and slept there. Some say he did not say this to the youth, but rather uttered it as a prayer: May it be Hashem's will that it not become known that the woman came to the threshing floor, for if it became known, a desecration of Hashem's Name would result.
Bring the Cloak - Six Measures of Barley
וַיֹּאמֶר הָבִי הַמִּטְפַּחַת אֲשֶׁר עָלַיִךְ וְאֶחֳזִי בָהּ, וַתֹּאחֶז בָּהּ, וַיָּמָד שֵׁשׁ שְׂעֹרִים וַיָּשֶׁת עָלֶיהָ וַיָּבֹא הָעִיר. (ג, טו) - "And he said: 'Bring the cloak that is upon you and hold onto it.' So she held onto it, and he measured six barleys and placed it upon her, and he entered the city." (3:15)
He asked for her cloak in order to place food inside it, enough for a meal for her and her mother-in-law. And how much did he give? "Six barleys" - meaning one-sixth of a se'ah, which is a kav. For their practice was to divide every large measure into six, as in the expression "and you shall give a sixth [veshishitem] of an ephah", and this measure was called "six". Why did he do this? Beyond her need for food, it was also to remove suspicion from her, so that people would see her returning with grain and know that she had come for food.
In the verse, there is also a textual variant written "Havah" - in the masculine form, and so it appears in several books. The reason for this: he spoke to her in the masculine so that onlookers would not realize in the dark that a woman was standing there.
And the quantity: one-sixth of a se'ah, a kav, about 670 grams. Is this a lot or a little? Let us remember that in the first round she gleaned about twelve kilograms, whereas here he gives only about 670 grams. Why so little? We will explain shortly.
And let us note the allusion: "Bring the kerchief that is upon you" - the final letters of "הַמִּטְפַּחַת אֲשֶׁר עָלַיִךְ" (ha-mitpachat asher alayich) are tav, resh, and chaf, forming the word keser (כתר, crown). This hinted to her that she would be privileged to have wearers of the crown of royalty descend from her - not mere kerchiefs, but a royal crown.
Who Are You, My Daughter?
וַתָּבוֹא אֶל חֲמוֹתָהּ וַתֹּאמֶר מִי אַתְּ בִּתִּי, וַתַּגֶּד לָהּ אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָהּ הָאִישׁ. (ג, טז) - "She came to her mother-in-law, and she said, 'Who are you, my daughter?' And she told her all that the man had done for her." (3:16)
Boaz accompanied her on the way, and when they reached the city their paths parted, and Rut went to her mother-in-law alone. "And she said, 'Who are you, my daughter?'" - because even when she arrived it was still night, and it was impossible to recognize her. In other words: Who is knocking at the door, is it my daughter? "And she told her all that the man had done for her" - that he had sworn to her that she would certainly be redeemed, whether through Tov or through him.
Others explain "Who are you, my daughter?" in a different way: she was asking her, in what frame of mind are you? Are you hopeful or in despair? What is happening with you, how did it go - is he truly willing to redeem you, or do you see that the matter will not lead to redemption?
These Six Barleys He Gave Me
וַתֹּאמֶר שֵׁשׁ הַשְּׂעֹרִים הָאֵלֶּה נָתַן לִי, כִּי אָמַר אֵלַי אַל תָּבוֹאִי רֵיקָם אֶל חֲמוֹתֵךְ. (ג, יז) - "And she said, 'These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, "Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law."'" (3:17)
Seemingly, why did she need to add, "for he said to me, 'Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law'"? It is obvious that he gave it to her for sustenance! Rather, it is not so simple: one might have thought he gave it to her as money for kiddushin (betrothal). Therefore, she preceded by saying: Do not mistakenly think he gave me this sixth of an ephah as kiddushin money; no, he explicitly said to me that this is not kiddushin - "Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law," so that we would have what to eat.
Wait, My Daughter, Until You Know
וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁבִי בִתִּי עַד אֲשֶׁר תֵּדְעִין אֵיךְ יִפֹּל דָּבָר, כִּי לֹא יִשְׁקֹט הָאִישׁ כִּי אִם כִּלָּה הַדָּבָר הַיּוֹם. (ג, יח) - "And she said, 'Wait, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall, for the man will not rest unless he settles the matter today.'" (3:18)
From where was she so certain that he would resolve the matter this very day? There are two explanations. One explanation: she knew Boaz and was aware of his righteousness, and knew that the righteous are eager in fulfilling mitzvos. Since this involved a mitzvah, she knew he would not postpone the matter to tomorrow or the next day, but would hurry to conclude it.
However, the Malbim, in his characteristic way, sees an additional depth in the verse. How much food did he send with her? About six hundred and seventy grams. Is that more than breakfast and lunch? Barely. And what will they eat tomorrow and the next day? If you were with him and he desires you, let him give you four or five kilos! Why did he give so little? Naomi tells her: From this, I deduce that you will no longer remain alone. This very day you are going to marry him. How do I see this? From the fact that he brought such a meager amount, barely enough for today - a sign that he has no plans beyond today, and this is the last day you will need charity, for by evening you will already be married to him. And this is the meaning of "Sit tight, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest unless he concludes the matter today" - from the meager food he gave you, just enough for today, I understand that he will finish the matter today.
And indeed, it is said that the holy spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) flickered within her. "For the man will not rest unless he concludes the matter today" - by way of allusion, she knew, as it were, that the moment he married her, he would pass away. And so it was: on that very night that Rut was married and conceived, on that very night Boaz passed away. Thus, "concludes the matter today" encompasses both: today the matter will conclude, and, as it were, the man himself will conclude his life.
In summary:
In this chapter, we saw how Rut goes down to the threshing floor in secret, doing everything her mother-in-law instructed. Boaz awakes at midnight and faces the most difficult trial - an unmarried, pure woman destined for him - yet he overcomes his inclination and takes an oath against his yetzer, thereby earning the name "Boaz" from the root of oz (strength), and meriting the monarchy that descends from him. Rut, for her part, does not act like Potiphar's wife, but requests with gentle language, "Spread your robe" - chuppah, a mitzvah, and perpetuating the name of the deceased upon his inheritance. And we learned from the holy Arizal that the entire path of the Davidic dynasty comes through a circuitous route, in order to outfox the Sitra Achra and bring a great soul into the world. Boaz promises, swears, and sends a meager portion of food hinting that the matter will be settled this very day, while Naomi, in her wisdom and Ruach HaKodesh, grasps from this that the matter will come to completion on this very day.