THE STORY OF RUTH
Introduction
The story of Ruth is a story that comes from the Hebrew Bible and is included in the third division or the Writings of the Bible. The story follows about a Moabitess woman named Ruth, who was married to Mahlon, who is one of the two sons of Naomi, their mother, and their deceased father or Naomi's husband, Elimelech. After both sons and Elimelech died, Naomi and her two daughters-in-law decided to go back to Bethlehem, but Naomi asked Orpah to go back to her home yet Ruth wanted to stay with her, after her husband just passed away. Ruth then met a man named Boaz, who was her husband's closest male relative, and Naomi suggests that she should marry him because it was Jewish Custom to have the widow to marry their closest male relative. After reading the story, there were a few questions that were circulating in my head. Those questions are different, but one question has really got me wondering if it still happens today: "Is the Jewish Custom to marry a childless widow to the closest male relative?" Everything in my head is circling around that question.
In this blog of mine, I will be talking about my opinion about the custom that happened in the story and how the story is being related in what today's world is now.
BODY
The Judge Shamgar slaughters 600
men with an ox goad.
From a medieval German manuscript
In the story, it mentions that Israel is being ruled by judges before. According to Wikipedia.com, there were judges called the Biblical Judges, which were described in the Hebrew Bible, and mostly in the Book of Judges. They're people who served roles as military leaders in times of crisis, in the period before an Israelite monarchy was established. A cyclical pattern is regularly recounted in the Book of Judges to show the need for the various judges: apostasy of the, hardship brought on as punishment from God, crying out the Lord for rescue.
About the thing that Ruth said to her mother-in-law - "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me" - actually came from the actual bible and is known as Ruth 1:16-17.
Judah and Tamar, by Rembrandt (1650s).
An early example of aYibbum-like practice
is the biblical story of Judah and Tamar.
The part when Naomi told her daughter-in-law about Boaz being their
closest male relative in the family, he should marry her since it was a Jewish
custom for a widow to marry her husband’s closest male relative after he passed
away. Now, this was a true custom in Judaism and it is called Yibbum or Levirate Marriage. It is also said to be one of the most complex
types of marriages mandated by Torah
law by which, according to the law, the brother of a man who died without
children has an obligation to marry the widow. However, if either of the parties
refuses to go through with the marriage, both are required to go through a
ceremony known as halizah, involving a symbolic
act of renunciation of their right to perform this marriage. Jewish law has
seen a gradual decline of yibbum in
favor of halizah, to the point where
in most contemporary Jewish communities, and in Israel by mandate of the Chief
Rabbinate, the former is prohibited.
Though, the concept of yibbum
is not unique to Judaism. Known as levirate marriage (when the marriage is to
the deceased’s brother) or widow inheritance (when it is to any surviving male
relative), has been practiced by other societies with a strong clan structure.
It is or was known in societies including Punjabis, Jats, Huns, Mongols, and
Tibetans. In my honest opinion, I don't agree with this kind of custom to people, because if you marry the closest male relative, you won't get to marry the person you really have the most time. You enjoy the company of that person your whole entire life, and if you were to marry your family's closest male relative, then that relationship with that special someone your whole entire life will change. In short, I disagree with this being a custom to some people, but there are people that still do this custom.
But is levirate
marriage still practicing today? Well, it is still being practiced today in
Orthodoxy, but the policy is not to have the couple marry. The custom came from the
Bronze age custom of supporting a childless widow who had no claim on her
husband’s estate, and no means of supporting herself. A woman who might be
infertile (they had no idea in that time whose ‘fault’ it was that no kids
happened) was unlikely to marry again. Therefore, kindness allowed the woman a
second shot at a married life. Today, childless widows have claim on their
husband’s estate and can support themselves. So the custom is no longer carried
out, outside a ceremony of release.
CONCLUSION
After what happened in the story, I have to come a realization that the childless widows who follow along with levirate marriage don't have a choice. The childless widows need to find someone else, instead of their closest male relative, so they can express their love and support for each other and for the family as well. And the fact that Ruth didn't want to go back to her home and decided to stay with her mother-in-law is because she cares deeply for her and wanted to be with her forever until they die, as stated in what she said to her and what is says in the bible. Love always require a second chance and I know it for some other people, especially if your loved one passed away into the afterlife, but just know that they'll always be there.
REFERENCES
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ruth
The story of Ruth is a story that comes from the Hebrew Bible and is included in the third division or the Writings of the Bible. The story follows about a Moabitess woman named Ruth, who was married to Mahlon, who is one of the two sons of Naomi, their mother, and their deceased father or Naomi's husband, Elimelech. After both sons and Elimelech died, Naomi and her two daughters-in-law decided to go back to Bethlehem, but Naomi asked Orpah to go back to her home yet Ruth wanted to stay with her, after her husband just passed away. Ruth then met a man named Boaz, who was her husband's closest male relative, and Naomi suggests that she should marry him because it was Jewish Custom to have the widow to marry their closest male relative. After reading the story, there were a few questions that were circulating in my head. Those questions are different, but one question has really got me wondering if it still happens today: "Is the Jewish Custom to marry a childless widow to the closest male relative?" Everything in my head is circling around that question.
In this blog of mine, I will be talking about my opinion about the custom that happened in the story and how the story is being related in what today's world is now.
BODY
 |
| The Judge Shamgar slaughters 600 men with an ox goad. From a medieval German manuscript |
In the story, it mentions that Israel is being ruled by judges before. According to Wikipedia.com, there were judges called the Biblical Judges, which were described in the Hebrew Bible, and mostly in the Book of Judges. They're people who served roles as military leaders in times of crisis, in the period before an Israelite monarchy was established. A cyclical pattern is regularly recounted in the Book of Judges to show the need for the various judges: apostasy of the, hardship brought on as punishment from God, crying out the Lord for rescue.
About the thing that Ruth said to her mother-in-law - "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me" - actually came from the actual bible and is known as Ruth 1:16-17.
About the thing that Ruth said to her mother-in-law - "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me" - actually came from the actual bible and is known as Ruth 1:16-17.
 |
| Judah and Tamar, by Rembrandt (1650s). An early example of aYibbum-like practice is the biblical story of Judah and Tamar. |
The part when Naomi told her daughter-in-law about Boaz being their
closest male relative in the family, he should marry her since it was a Jewish
custom for a widow to marry her husband’s closest male relative after he passed
away. Now, this was a true custom in Judaism and it is called Yibbum or Levirate Marriage. It is also said to be one of the most complex
types of marriages mandated by Torah
law by which, according to the law, the brother of a man who died without
children has an obligation to marry the widow. However, if either of the parties
refuses to go through with the marriage, both are required to go through a
ceremony known as halizah, involving a symbolic
act of renunciation of their right to perform this marriage. Jewish law has
seen a gradual decline of yibbum in
favor of halizah, to the point where
in most contemporary Jewish communities, and in Israel by mandate of the Chief
Rabbinate, the former is prohibited.
Though, the concept of yibbum
is not unique to Judaism. Known as levirate marriage (when the marriage is to
the deceased’s brother) or widow inheritance (when it is to any surviving male
relative), has been practiced by other societies with a strong clan structure.
It is or was known in societies including Punjabis, Jats, Huns, Mongols, and
Tibetans. In my honest opinion, I don't agree with this kind of custom to people, because if you marry the closest male relative, you won't get to marry the person you really have the most time. You enjoy the company of that person your whole entire life, and if you were to marry your family's closest male relative, then that relationship with that special someone your whole entire life will change. In short, I disagree with this being a custom to some people, but there are people that still do this custom.
But is levirate
marriage still practicing today? Well, it is still being practiced today in
Orthodoxy, but the policy is not to have the couple marry. The custom came from the
Bronze age custom of supporting a childless widow who had no claim on her
husband’s estate, and no means of supporting herself. A woman who might be
infertile (they had no idea in that time whose ‘fault’ it was that no kids
happened) was unlikely to marry again. Therefore, kindness allowed the woman a
second shot at a married life. Today, childless widows have claim on their
husband’s estate and can support themselves. So the custom is no longer carried
out, outside a ceremony of release.
CONCLUSION
After what happened in the story, I have to come a realization that the childless widows who follow along with levirate marriage don't have a choice. The childless widows need to find someone else, instead of their closest male relative, so they can express their love and support for each other and for the family as well. And the fact that Ruth didn't want to go back to her home and decided to stay with her mother-in-law is because she cares deeply for her and wanted to be with her forever until they die, as stated in what she said to her and what is says in the bible. Love always require a second chance and I know it for some other people, especially if your loved one passed away into the afterlife, but just know that they'll always be there.
REFERENCES
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ruth
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yibbum
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_judges
-https://www.quora.com/Is-the-levirate-marriage-system-still-practiced-in-Judaism-Ive-seen-an-interesting-film-about-this-called-Loving-Leah
