Book of Ruth; 1947 ARTIST-SIGNED LIMITED EDITION #968 of 1500

Condition and Terms

This book is in excellent pre-owned condition. There are no attached bookplates or embossed seals. There is a bit of ordinary wear, but those few imperfections are cosmetic-only and obvious from the photos.

The accompanying slipcase is in brand new condition. I had it professionally made to look identical to the original. Unfortunately, the cost of this custom-made new slipcase makes our listing higher than average for this title. However, it is far sturdier than any original slipcase too.

Please see the photographs for the best description, and feel free to ask questions if you feel that the photos do not suffice. Please also do not hesitate to request additional photos if needed.

Returns are only allowed due to shipping damage or item not being as described. Due to USPS insurance claims procedures, partial refunds are not allowed due to shipping damage. Items damaged in shipping must be returned in the original packaging as received. The USPS requires inspection of the packaging and item damaged.

Synopsis

The Book of Ruth illustrates the difficulty of trying to use Hebrew laws given in actual practice. Naomi planned to provide security for herself and Ruth by arranging a levitate marriage with Boaz. She instructed Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet after he had gone to sleep and to lie down. When Boaz woke up, surprised to see a woman at his feet, Ruth explained that she wanted him to redeem (marry) her.

Since there was no heir to inherit Elimelech's land, custom required a close relative (usually the dead man's brother) to marry the widow of the deceased in order to continue his family line. This relative was called the goel, the "kinsman-redeemer". As Boaz was not Elimelech's brother, nor was Ruth his widow, scholars refer to the arrangement here as "Levirate-like". A complication arises in the story: another man was a closer relative to Elimelech than Boaz and had first claim on Ruth. This conflict was resolved through the custom that required land to stay in the family: a family could mortgage land to ward off poverty, but the law required a kinsman to purchase it back into the family (Leviticus 25:25). Boaz met the near kinsman at the city gate (the place where contracts were settled); the kinsman first said he would purchase Elimelech's (now Naomi's) land, but, upon hearing he must also take Ruth as his wife, withdrew his offer. Boaz thus became Ruth and Naomi's "kinsman-redeemer."

The book can also be read as a political parable relating to issues around the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (the 4th century BCE). The realistic nature of the story is established from the start through the names of the participants: the husband and father was Elimelech, meaning "My God is King", and his wife was Naomi, "Pleasing", but after the deaths of her sons Mahlon, "Sickness", and Chilion, "Wasting", she asked to be called Mara, "Bitter".[4] The reference to Moab raises questions, since in the rest of the biblical literature it is associated with hostility to Israel, sexual perversity, and idolatry, and Deuteronomy 23:3-6 excluded an Ammonite or a Moabite from "the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation". Despite this, Ruth the Moabite married a Judahite and even after his death still regarded herself a member of his family; she then married another Judahite and bore him a son who became an ancestor of David. Concerning this, the Mishnah says that only male Moabites are banned from the congregation. Unlike the story of Ezra-Nehemiah where marriages between Jewish men and non-Jewish women were broken up, Ruth teaches that foreigners who convert to Judaism can become good Jews, foreign wives can become exemplary followers of Jewish law, and there is no reason to exclude them or their offspring from the community.