A Sword in the Beis Midrash -- Part 2

As far as your first question: The Brisker Rav explains that Boaz, Avner, and all the others deduced based on the principles known as the “13 midos” that a Moabite woman may marry into the Jewish people. Yet Shmuel and his beis din had the tradition of Moshe from Sinai, which was apparently not known to Boaz and the others.

By the way, in “chedushei Hagrez” by the Brisker Rav to Ruth it says that Amasa was the one who said this in the beis midrash. Yet it seems it is an error. It was Amasa’s father, Yisra, who said it.

I did not understand your second question, please explain. And what is "halacha 18?"

Great questions. This is the exact topic of next week\'s class, class 6 on Ruth. I did not get to it in this class, but will cover it in next class. Please stay tuned.

First of all, not mamazarim, just forbidden to marry regular Jewish women or men. Second, his name was Tov, not Ki Tov. Third, Boaz can take that risk. Halachikly it is not a problem, but Tov did not want to take that risk. In addition, Boaz had no children, for all of them died in his life time (Bava Basra 91a), so Tov may have thought that Boaz will not leave any children.

The Brisker Rav does bring the Semag, but not the Rambam. In the sefer Beis Halevi on Torah, in the back of it, they inserted some of the commentary of Reb Velvele Brisker on Tanach. In the section of Ruth you will find this commentary.

A correction: Zimri had relations with a Midyanite woman, not a Moabite woman.

As far as your question: We discussed this in the "comments" section of class 4. Here is the point: Some commentators argue that the two women, Ruth and Arpah, converted. Yet the literal reading of Ruth ch. 1 indicates that they did not convert (see Malbim to Ruth chapter 1), rather they "married Moavite women." This demonstrates the spiritual and moral downfall of the family, of Elimelech and his two sons. It may be that Naomi could do little to stop it.

You must also recall that they married these women after their father Elimelech died.

The Midrash Rabah on Ruth 1:9 states these enigmatic words:

וַיִּשְׂאוּ לָהֶם נָשִׁים מוֹאֲבִיּוֹת: תני בשם ר\' מאיר, לא גיירום ולא הטבילו אותם ולא היתה הלכה להתחדש, ולא היו נענשין עליהם, "עמוני" ולא עמונית, "מואבי" ולא מואבית

Meaning: They did not convert them; they did not immerse them in a mikvah [for conversion]. They did not yet have the law that Moabite women may marry into the Jewish people, so that they would not get punished over them.

The commentators of the midrash debate its meaning. It is an engimatic midrash. Some say it means that they did convert them because they thought that in any case they would be forbidden to marry them.

According to the Zohar (Zohat Chadash Rus), they did convert, but it was unclear if the conversion was sincere. When Arpah left, it proved retroactively that her conversion was insincere. Ruth, on the other hand, demonstrated that her conversion was authentic.