Biography
The test of childless Ruth and Orpah
Elimelech and his sons all died in Moab, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah widowed. Ruth and Orpah did not bear Jewish children, too. The story in the book tells that Naomi plans to return to Israel, and that she tests her daughters-in-law. She gives them the advice to return to their mother's home: which would mean drastically violating Halakha, Jewish Law and reverting to Moabite culture and idolatry, idol worship.Ruth in Israel
While Orpah returns and leaves Judaism, Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi, thus proving her former conversion to be a real one. The Talmud discusses this and hints that Ruth and Orpah might have been very young, when they converted, e. g. in a family conversion together with their parents. Since they had been young, their conversion had been imbued in abeyance. The Talmud calls her a convert, though. In Israel, Ruth then takes part in a levirate marriage, according to Jewish law. By marrying a relative of Mahlon's, she is doing an act which will ensure that Mahlon's paternal lineage is not forgotten. Any child she bears in the levirate marriage will be considered as if it were Mahlon's child. Actually, she marries a relative of Elimelech, Boaz. Her child, Obed (biblical figure), Obed (biologically Boaz's but counted as if Mahlon's), becomes the paternal grandfather of King David, David ha-Melech (King David).Meaning of the names
Mahlon literally means "sickness" and Chilion "wasting", so the names align closely with the characters' role in the story (as do the other characters' names). This stylisation helps give a consciously fairytale-like quality to the story.Christopher E. Ortega (2015)References
