דברי הימים א, פרק ח׳, פסוק ח׳

The relocation of a man named Shaharaim to the land of Moab serves as a focal point for both historical accounts of migration and deep symbolic traditions. On a literal level, Shaharaim is a member of the tribe of Benjamin, possibly introduced earlier in the historical records under a different name [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. His journey to Moab was likely driven by a severe famine or other difficult circumstances [רד״ק], though he may have also arrived there as an exile [רש״י].

A symbolic tradition, however, identifies Shaharaim as Boaz. According to this view, his name reflects that he was completely free from sin, and his connection to Moab points directly to his eventual marriage to Ruth the Moabite [חומת אנך].

The circumstances surrounding the children he fathered in Moab are understood in two primary ways. One approach connects his family expansion to a specific timeline of events. It suggests he had children after being released from his own exile [רש״י], or after he himself banished and exiled certain family leaders from their homes [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. An alternative reading suggests that the narrative is simply listing the names of three distinct wives who bore him children. In this view, what appears to be a description of a banishment is actually the proper name of his first wife, followed by his other two wives, Hushim and Baara [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].

While the primary approach among commentators views Hushim and Baara simply as the historical names of his wives, the symbolic tradition connects these names directly to the decisive actions of Boaz. The name Hushim indicates that he acted with the swiftness and urgency of a leopard. The name Baara signifies that he clearly explained and established the legal ruling that the ancient prohibition against marrying Moabites applied exclusively to men, leaving Moabite women permitted for marriage [חומת אנך]. Furthermore, the earlier concept of a banishment or sending away is understood in this tradition as a reference to the Sanhedrin or the tribe of Judah publicly issuing this very ruling [חומת אנך].