Introduction
We stand at the conclusion of the Megillah, in the final section of Chapter 4. The negotiations at the gate have concluded, the closer redeemer has drawn off his shoe, and Boaz has proclaimed before the elders and all the people that he is acquiring the estate of Elimelech and taking Ruth as his wife. From here on, the Megillah transitions from legal proceedings to blessing: the blessing of the people and the elders, the birth of Oved, the blessing of the women to Naomi, and finally the genealogy leading to King David. We will follow the order of the verses according to the commentary of the Malbim, adding insights from the Midrash and the masters of Mussar.
Three Blessings at the Gate
וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים עֵדִים, יִתֵּן ה' אֶת הָאִשָּׁה הַבָּאָה אֶל בֵּיתֶךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ שְׁתֵּיהֶם אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַעֲשֵׂה חַיִל בְּאֶפְרָתָה וּקְרָא שֵׁם בְּבֵית לָחֶם. (יא) - And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said: "[We are] witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah, the two of whom built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and achieve renown in Bethlehem." (11)
First of all, they respond to the legal matter: "Witnesses" - we accept the role of witnesses upon ourselves. And immediately afterward, they bestow upon him the wedding blessings, for a wedding is taking place here. The Malbim explains that there are three blessings here: a blessing for the woman, a blessing for Boaz himself, and a blessing for the children.
The first blessing is for the woman: "May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah." That is, even though she is the daughter of a gentile idolater - the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab - since she is coming into your home, and you are a righteous and great man, she will be like Rachel and Leah in her righteousness. After all, the lineage of Rachel and Leah was also no great prize: who was their father? Lavan. Yet once they entered the house of Yaakov, they were righteous and built the house of Israel. So too here: do not say, "Behold, she is the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab"; rather, since she is entering your home, just as Rachel and Leah were born to a gentile and joined the Hebrews to build the house of Israel, she too will build the house of Israel together with you.
The second blessing is for Boaz himself: "And may you prosper in Ephrathah and achieve renown in Bethlehem." The Malbim explains: the name of his city was Bethlehem, and "Ephrath" was his family name - "Ephrathites" meaning people of distinguished lineage. They say to him: may you achieve great success so that you become the crown of your entire family; all the descendants of Ephrathah will take pride in you, and you will be their glory.
And what is the meaning of "and achieve renown in Bethlehem"? It is well known that when a person becomes famous, he brings fame to his city as well. The town of Radin - who would have ever heard of it two hundred years ago? A small town in an obscure corner. But because the Chafetz Chaim lived in Radin, today every observant Jew who hears "Radin" immediately knows: the Chafetz Chaim of Radin! If someone mentions "Brisk" - who would know where Brisk was? But "the Rav of Brisk" - that already means something. If someone says "Stieple" - one might not know it, but "the Steipler" - of course, from the town of Stieple. When a person prospers and achieves greatness, the name of his town becomes renowned on his account. And that is what they blessed him with: "and achieve renown in Bethlehem" - you will gain a great name, and everyone will say: this is Boaz of Bethlehem.
Another explanation: Boaz might have felt some hesitation or distress regarding this match. First, he was marrying a Moabite woman. Second, she had pursued him rather than he pursuing her - she was the one who came to the threshing floor. Therefore they told him: Do not be distressed. "Like Rachel" - for Rachel was also the daughter of a gentile; "and like Leah" - for Leah also pursued Yaakov, telling him, "You must come to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." And yet, "the two of them built the house of Israel." You too have nothing to worry about.
Furthermore: "like Rachel and like Leah" - may she be beautiful like Rachel and modest like Leah. There is also an allusion: the final letters of the words "הַבָּאָה אֶל בֵּיתְךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה" (habba'ah el beitecha k'Rachel u'ch'Leah) spell out "כלה" (kallah, bride), meaning the bride you are marrying is like Rachel and Leah. Furthermore, they said to him: We wish you that what happened to Rachel, who died on the way to Ephrath, will not happen to you - may you "prosper in Ephrathah." Later on, we will see the deep connection between Ruth and Rachel.
The Blessing for Children - Like the House of Peretz
וִיהִי בֵיתְךָ כְּבֵית פֶּרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה תָמָר לִיהוּדָה, מִן הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן ה' לְךָ מִן הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת. (יב) - And may your house be like the house of Peretz, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman. (12)
This is the third blessing - the blessing of children. Here too, Boaz had reservations: after all, the child would be called "in the name of the deceased upon his inheritance," and it was for this exact reason that the closer redeemer had refused to redeem - so that the child would not be named after himself. The elders said to him: Look at Peretz, whom Tamar bore. To whom is he traced? To Yehudah. No one says of him that he is the son of Er and Onan, even though a process resembling yibum took place there, just like here. So do we bless you: the child who will be born will be called by your name, and not only in the name of the deceased, and people will say of him - this is the son of Boaz.
They further explain regarding this blessing: just as Tamar did not bear children from Er and Onan, but rather from Yehudah, so we bless you that this young woman, who did not bear children from Machlon and Chilyon, will bear children with you. And just as Tamar went adorned to Yehudah and "sat at the entrance of Enayim," so did Ruth come adorned to Boaz at the threshing floor. And just as there, they initially thought Zerach was the firstborn, yet in the end the younger brother prevailed - Peretz, "How you have broken through, on you be the breach!" - so too here: initially they thought the redeemer was the elder, Tov, and in the end it turned out that the redeemer was the younger, Boaz. And from Peretz came King David.
The Marriage of Boaz and Ruth
וַיִּקַּח בֹּעַז אֶת רוּת וַתְּהִי לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ, וַיִּתֵּן ה' לָהּ הֵרָיוֹן וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן. (יג) - And Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife, and he came to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. (13)
The verse emphasizes that Boaz did not act like someone performing yibum with his brother's wife, of whom it is said, "her husband's brother shall come to her and take her as a wife." In Torah-ordained yibum, the moment the brother dies, the woman becomes bound to the living brother, requiring no kiddushin at all - cohabitation is required, but not kiddushin; and the enactment requiring ma'amar, meaning formally betrothing her, is merely rabbinic. But here, this was not the original yibum of a brother's wife, but yibum in its broader sense, among relatives. Therefore, actual likuchin was required - taking her as a wife through kesef (money), like any ordinary marriage. This is why it says, "And Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife" - through full likuchin, a formal acquisition of marriage, and only afterward, "and he came to her."
"And the Lord gave her conception" - the verse informs us that this occurred through special Divine providence. For ten years she had been with Machlon, who was young, yet she did not conceive from him and nothing came of it; yet here, after a single night with Boaz, she immediately conceived from him.
The Blessing of the Women to Naomi
וַתֹּאמַרְנָה הַנָּשִׁים אֶל נָעֳמִי: בָּרוּךְ ה' אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִשְׁבִּית לָךְ גֹּאֵל הַיּוֹם, וְיִקָּרֵא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. (יד) - And the women said to Naomi: Blessed is the Lord, Who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name be proclaimed in Israel. (14)
Now comes the blessing concerning Naomi. One must thank Hashem, "Who has not left you without a redeemer," for the son born now is essentially Machlon. As explained in earlier lessons, when a child is born through yibum, it is the deceased's own soul, making this one of the rare examples - perhaps the only one - where we know with certainty which soul has reincarnated into the newborn baby. We also noted the teaching of the Pele Yoetz that it is worthwhile to tell him of the shortcomings of the deceased, so that he may know what he needs to rectify. Thus: "Who has not left you without a redeemer today" - refers to the present, the very occurrence of the birth; "and may his name be proclaimed in Israel" - refers to the future, that he will become one of the greats of Israel, among the renowned and illustrious men of stature.
Another explanation: "Who has not left you without a redeemer" - that from him will emerge the ultimate redeemer, for from Oved came Yishai, and from Yishai came David, and from him the dynasty of the House of David. And another allusion: "He has not left you without a redeemer today" - the final letters of the phrase spell "melech" (king), indicating that the monarchy will emerge from you.
וְהָיָה לָךְ לְמֵשִׁיב נֶפֶשׁ וּלְכַלְכֵּל אֶת שֵׂיבָתֵךְ, כִּי כַלָּתֵךְ אֲשֶׁר אֲהֵבַתֶךְ יְלָדַתּוּ, אֲשֶׁר הִיא טוֹבָה לָךְ מִשִּׁבְעָה בָּנִים. (טו) - And he shall be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has borne him, she who is better to you than seven sons. (15)
"And he shall be to you a restorer of life" - this child, Oved, restores the soul of Machlon, for the soul of the deceased returns and is reborn in the newborn baby. It turns out that he is truly returning to you the soul of your son. "And a sustainer of your old age" - he will sustain you in your old age; and why? "For your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has borne him": just as your daughter-in-law constantly made every effort to sustain you, going out to glean in the field to bring food to you and care for your livelihood, so too will the son who was born of her sustain your old age.
And what is the meaning of "better to you than seven sons"? It is said: Until now, seven generations have passed from Peretz, and Oved is the eighth. Rut brings you a grandson who is better than all seven who preceded him.
Naomi the Nurse - and Let Not the Blessing of an Ordinary Person Be Light in Your Eyes
וַתִּקַּח נָעֳמִי אֶת הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּשִׁתֵהוּ בְחֵיקָהּ, וַתְּהִי לוֹ לְאֹמֶנֶת. (טז) - "Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse." (16)
Chazal say: She did not take him merely to play with him, in the manner of grandparents doting on their grandchildren, but truly as an omenet - an educator. She guided him in the ways of Hashem.
And from here Chazal taught: Let not the blessing of an ordinary person be light in your eyes. See what came of this blessing - she was privileged to have Yishai descend from her, who died only due to the counsel of the primordial serpent, an extraordinary tzaddik, as well as David, Shlomo, and the entire royal dynasty. Who gave the blessing here? "And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said" - the common people blessed Boaz, and all the blessings were fulfilled: he was a restorer of life to her, the monarchy emerged from them, and they were like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the House of Israel. From here we learn that one must never belittle even the blessing of a simple person.
It is told that a man once came to the Rogatchover Gaon, who was an extraordinary genius and exceptionally formidable, bringing another person with him and requesting: "May the Rav bless this Jew." The Rogatchover refused - he was neither a Chasidic Rebbe nor a "baba," and he did not hand out blessings. The man said to him: "Rabbi, nevertheless - 'let not the blessing of an ordinary person be light in your eyes,'" meaning that even if the Rav's blessing is only that of an ordinary layman, it is still precious to us. The man immediately realized that he had essentially called the Rav an "ordinary layman," and rushed to correct himself: "And all the more so the Rav, who is a great Torah scholar and an extraordinary genius!" The Rav quipped: "Instead of me blessing him with a kal vachomer - you bless him without a kal vachomer, as an ordinary person in the literal sense."
The Neighbor Women Named Him
וַתִּקְרֶאנָה לוֹ הַשְּׁכֵנוֹת שֵׁם לֵאמֹר יֻלַּד בֵּן לְנָעֳמִי, וַתִּקְרֶאנָה שְׁמוֹ עוֹבֵד, הוּא אֲבִי יִשַׁי אֲבִי דָוִד. (יז) - "The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, 'A son has been born to Naomi!' And they called his name Oved; he is the father of Yishai, the father of David." (17)
Naomi became his nurse because he was fundamentally her own son, as we explained - this was Machlon. Even the neighbors said so: "A son has been born to Naomi." Not a son to Rut, but a son to Naomi, for Machlon was her son, and now he was reborn through the mystery of yibbum.
By the way, let us note a point of practical halachah: there is no requirement in the laws of yibbum to name the child after the deceased brother. Many people are mistaken about this, because they saw in the Torah the verse "he shall succeed in the name of his dead brother," and believe that if the deceased was named Moshe, the newborn must be named Moshe as well. There is no such law, and we see this explicitly in the text: "And they called his name Oved" - they named him Oved because he was destined to serve Hashem, and they did not call him Machlon; there was no need to do so. "He is the father of Yishai," from whom the Davidic monarchy blossomed.
Souls Held Captive in the Grasp of the Sitra Achra
Here the Malbim offers a wondrous explanation. The Arizal writes in Sefer HaGilgulim that there are sublime, holy souls held captive in the grasp of the Sitra Achra (the "Other Side" - the forces of impurity), which does not allow them to descend into the world, fearing that if they descend, they will revolutionize the world and drive it away. What does the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? As it were, He proposes bringing the soul down into a corrupted, tainted place. The Sitra Achra then consents, reasoning that from such a blemished place nothing good can emerge, and on the contrary - a person of great wickedness will arise. For anyone who is great in wickedness is inherently a great soul who could have developed his powers toward righteousness, but chose to develop them toward evil; Eisav could have been ruddy like King David, but chose not to be. Then, says the holy Ari, the Holy One, Blessed be He, "devises plans so that no castaway remains banished," and slowly extracts that soul from the impure realm, elevating and raising it until it reaches the monumental role He destined for it.
So it was with Avraham Avinu: Who was his father? Terach, the greatest manufacturer of idols. Furthermore, Chazal said that when Terach came upon his wife, Amathlai bat Karnevo, she was a niddah, Heaven forbid - not merely that she had not immersed in a mikveh, but she was actively in her state of niddah. Every form of impurity converged, and out of this emerged Avraham Avinu. This is the way the Holy One, blessed be He, extracts oppressed souls.
And so we see in the royal lineage. From Lot and his daughters came Ammon and Moav, and from them emerged "two good doves" - Rut the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess, who married Shlomo. "I have found David My servant" - Chazal say: Where did I find him? In Sodom. Specifically from a repulsive act - with Lot's daughters - this holy dynasty sprouted. So too with Peretz: How was he born? From an unseemly act, where Yehudah went and came upon Tamar, who appeared to him as a harlot, with the signet ring and cords. This, too, appears negative on the surface, and yet it took place in order to extract a holy soul. And so too the tribes - who bore them? Two sisters. And Moshe Rabbeinu was born from his aunt, for Amram married his aunt, and a person was then permitted to marry his aunt. We even find in the Torah portion that Yocheved had married someone else in the interim; there is an opinion that Eldad and Meidad were born to her while Amram had divorced her, and that he remarried her afterward. This matter is quite perplexing, and commentators question it, but if it is a tradition, we accept it. The rule of thumb, says the holy Ari: the holy tribes came from two sisters, the soul of Peretz came from Tamar, and Rut and Naamah came from Ammon and Moav.
Regarding this, David said: "'Son of Yishai' - how long will my honor be put to shame?" The Midrash relates that they taunted him: "You descend from Rut the Moabitess; who are you and what are you?" He replied to them: "'Commune with your heart upon your bed, and be still, Selah' - reflect in your hearts: did you not descend from two sisters? And therefore, 'and be still' - remain silent forever and voice no claims against me."
This is what the people and the elders at the gate sensed: here was Boaz marrying a Moabitess. Therefore, they said to him, "May Hashem make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah," and "May your house be like the house of Peretz, whom Tamar bore." That is to say: just as with Rachel and Leah, Yaakov married two sisters and from this holy tribes emerged, and just as with the house of Peretz there was a union that outwardly appeared unholy and from it kings emerged - for all of this was necessary to extract those oppressed souls - so too with you, who are marrying a woman surrounded by doubts and questions regarding an Ammonite and a Moabite: may your house be like theirs. Just as Hashem extracted lofty things from the refuse there, so too here, even though the matter appears flawed, from it the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring forth sublime things - as indeed occurred, for out of this sprouted the kingdom of the House of David.
Why Was It Specifically the Neighbors Who Named Him?
Commentators explain: What is the meaning of "And the neighbor women gave him a name"? Was there no brit milah? Why was it necessary for the neighbor women to name him? Rather, they say that Boaz passed away that very night, immediately after taking her in levirate marriage. The people then began to whisper: Machlon married a Moabitess - and died; Chilyon married a Moabitess - and died; Boaz married a Moabitess - and died. Apparently, the exposition "An Ammonite, but not an Ammonitess; a Moabite, but not a Moabitess" is not universally accepted or clear in halachah, and the facts on the ground speak for themselves. Therefore, when the child was born, the women said, "A son has been born to Naomi" - do not associate him with Rut; this is Naomi's son! They did not want to mention Rut in the matter at all. What is more, they did not even want to give him a name, for they feared he might not be a member of Israel at all, having been born to Rut the Moabitess. Thus, only the neighbors gave him a name, as there was no one else there willing to name him.
The Genealogy
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת פָּרֶץ: פֶּרֶץ הוֹלִיד אֶת חֶצְרוֹן. וְחֶצְרוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת רָם, וְרָם הוֹלִיד אֶת עַמִּינָדָב. וְעַמִּינָדָב הוֹלִיד אֶת נַחְשׁוֹן, וְנַחְשׁוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת שַׂלְמָה. וְשַׂלְמוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת בֹּעַז, וּבֹעַז הוֹלִיד אֶת עוֹבֵד. וְעֹבֵד הוֹלִיד אֶת יִשַׁי, וְיִשַׁי הוֹלִיד אֶת דָּוִד. (יח-כב) - Now these are the generations of Peretz: Peretz begot Chetzron. And Chetzron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadav. And Amminadav begot Nachshon, and Nachshon begot Salmah. And Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Oved. And Oved begot Yishai, and Yishai begot David. (18-22)
The text first calls him "Salmah" and immediately afterward "Salmon." The Radak explains: you will often find a name appearing in two different forms in Tanach, and do not wonder at this - it comes to teach that the same person was called by one form at times and by the other at other times. Just as one might ask: "Manny or Menachem?" Some call him Manny and some call him Menachem; someone might be called Avraham, Avram, Avrum, or Abrasha. So too here: he was known by both names. And by the way, a mnemonic for how many pesukim are in Megillat Rut: "Boaz" [the gematria of בעז] - eighty-five pesukim.
Three Times the Root of David Is Recorded - and Everything Hinges on a Single Moment
The commentators observe: three times in Tanach we find the roots of the kingdom of the House of David. The first was with Lot's daughters, from whom Ammon and Moav came. The second was with Tamar, from whom Peretz, the root of the dynasty, was born. The third was with Rut the Moabitess. And the masters of Mussar say: if you examine all three examples, you will see one common feature shared by them all - in each case, the matter's fulfillment depended on a single moment, and had that moment passed, everything would have been undone and never come to fruition.
Lot's daughters: how did they come to commit that act? They said, "There is no man in the land" - that is it, no one is left in the world, and "the world shall be built on loving-kindness," just as the sons of Adam HaRishon married their sisters because there was no one else to marry. They believed that the world had been wiped out and only they remained, and that they had no choice but to "preserve offspring from our father." Had they waited just a little longer, walked outside, and discovered that only Sodom had been overturned while the rest of the world remained intact, neither Ammon nor Moav nor Rut nor anything would have come into being. A single brief moment of ignorance was what brought Ammon and Moav into the world, and from them the monarchy would emerge.
And so it was with Yehudah: it is written that he was walking on the road and passed by Tamar, and an angel came, pushed him, and turned him back. Here too, one single moment - had he missed it, we would not have the lineage of the House of David. And so it was with Boaz: when did he die? Immediately after that night; he impregnated her and passed away. Imagine if Boaz had delayed for just one more day, saying: Today is Monday, let us hold the wedding tomorrow, on Tuesday, when "it was good" was doubled. One more day, even one more hour - and the entire royal dynasty would never have come to be.
From here we learn that when a person tarries, he may suffer an immense loss. The entire kingdom of the House of David was calculated down to the second. And this is what we are told: "Even though he may tarry, nonetheless I will await him" - although there may be delays, know that when the time arrives, it will not be delayed by even a single second, for the kingdom of the House of David does not tarry for an instant; when the time arrives, at that very moment it occurs.
We saw this as well with David when he sent to anoint Shlomo: "And bring him down to Gichon." Chazal expound: They said to him, "Why now? Let us wait until after your passing." He said to them: "How many obstacles may intervene between here and Gichon! Now, at this very moment, take him." For the lineage of the House of David must be established immediately, and if not, the matter may be delayed and ultimately thwarted entirely.
Along these lines, Chazal expounded: "It is a time to act for Hashem; they have voided Your Torah." The plain meaning is: it is time to act for the sake of Hashem, because there are people who have voided Your Torah. The well-known homiletic interpretation is: when it is time to act for Hashem, it is even permitted in certain matters to override the Torah in order to act for Hashem - as Rebbe did when he transcribed the Mishnayot, even though it was forbidden to commit the Oral Torah to writing, because "it is a time to act for Hashem; they have voided Your Torah." And there is an additional insight: some people say, "There is a time to act for Hashem" - there is time, there is no rush, "to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose." To them it is said: whoever speaks thus has in that very attitude "voided Your Torah" - he is dismantling the Torah. There is no waiting for a future "time" to act for Hashem; rather, "Today, if you will listen to His voice" - serving Hashem must be done immediately, at this very moment; and if one does not act right away, who knows how many obstacles will stand in the way.
The Reincarnations of the Souls in the Megillah - The Rama of Fano
Let us conclude with the words of the Rama of Fano in his work Gilgulei Neshamot, who explains the spiritual dimensions of everything we have seen. Naomi stems from the mystical root of Leah, and she is Leah's rectification; Ruth is the rectification of Rachel. This is why it is written, "And Ruth clung to her": for Ruth is Rachel, and Rachel gave over the signs to Leah in their previous incarnation, assisting and supporting her - and so now too, she clung to her, coming to Naomi's aid, going out to glean for her, all mirroring what occurred in the earlier lifetime.
According to this, we can also understand what Ruth said: "Wherever you go, I will go... wherever you die, I will die, and there will I be buried." What is the meaning of "and there will I be buried"? She was saying to her: it will not be as it was in the previous lifetime, when you, Leah, were buried in Me'arat HaMachpelah, while I was buried on the road to Efrat. This time - "and there will I be buried," I will be buried in a Jewish burial place, and not by the side of the road.
And Oved, born through Ruth, was the reincarnation of Yehudah son of Leah. Consider this carefully: Naomi is Leah, and Yehudah is Leah's son - meaning that the child Ruth bears is essentially Naomi's son. This explains why it is written, "A son is born to Naomi": this child is truly the son of Naomi, who is the rectification of Leah.
Furthermore, the Arizal teaches: know that Machlon and Chilyon were the reincarnations of Er and Onan. And why was his name called Onan? Because he was an onen over his grief, and his sin lay in mournful sorrow and despair, until he was reincarnated in Machlon - and Machlon is related to mechilah (forgiveness), for that sin was forgiven him. How do we see this? For he was rectified through Boaz, and through this, what occurred in the previous lifetime was fully repaired.
Summary:
The conclusion of the Megillah teaches how the Holy One, blessed be He, transforms everything that appears deficient and flawed into a vessel for the revelation of kingship. The people and the elders offer three blessings - for the woman, for Boaz, and for the children - and all of them are fulfilled in full, demonstrating that the blessing of an ordinary person should never be light in your eyes. Ruth is taken in full marriage, and through special Divine providence she conceives immediately; Oved, who is born, is the restorer of Machlon's soul and the sustainer of Naomi's old age, and he is better to her than seven sons - than the seven generations from Peretz. Underlying all of this is the mystical concept of the captive souls: from the daughters of Lot, from Tamar and Yehudah, and from Ruth the Moabitess - precisely from places that appear dark - the Holy One, blessed be He, brings forth the root of the Davidic dynasty. In all three instances, everything hung upon a single moment, teaching us that one must never tarry in fulfilling the will of Hashem. May it be His will that Hashem restore for us the kingdom of the House of David swiftly in our days, Amen and Amen.