רות, פרק ג׳, פסוק י״ז

Ruth's return from the threshing floor is charged with intense anticipation about what lies ahead for her and Naomi. To ease her mother-in-law's anxieties, Ruth presents a gift from Boaz that carries both practical and symbolic weight. The primary approach among commentators is that this gift of six measures of barley is not a form of payment, a dowry, or betrothal money intended for marriage [מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. Instead, it serves a simple and immediate need. Boaz wanted to ensure Ruth did not return empty-handed and that the two women would have food to eat for their morning meal [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם].

A natural question arises as to why a wealthy and respected man would offer such a modest present. Ruth carefully emphasizes that the barley was given directly to her, preserving the dignity of everyone involved. If Boaz had sent such a basic gift straight to Naomi, it would have been considered insulting and beneath his high social standing. However, because it was given to Ruth, who was completely impoverished, so that she could personally present it to Naomi, it became a fitting and respectable offering within her circumstances [אלשיך].

Beneath the surface of this exchange lies a deeper layer of meaning regarding how Boaz's statement is recorded. According to tradition, a specific word indicating that Boaz spoke directly to Ruth is read aloud but is entirely missing from the written text, which simply notes that he spoke [תורה תמימה]. This unusual omission points to a duplication in the events or the spoken words. Some explain that this indicates Ruth repeated her account to Naomi twice [מנחת שי].

Others view this unwritten detail as a hint at two distinct statements from Boaz, one public and one hidden. The public instruction was simply that Ruth should not go back to her mother-in-law with nothing. The hidden message, which Ruth secretly whispered to Naomi, was a spiritual promise that six blessed sons would eventually descend from her, corresponding directly to the six measures of barley [חומת אנך]. A different approach suggests Boaz never actually spoke the missing word out loud. Instead, he only thought about these future spiritual blessings in his heart, which is why it remains unwritten. When Ruth presented the gift, she pointed only to the physical, visible barley she had actually received, while the deeper spiritual blessing remained an unspoken thought in Boaz's mind [אלשיך].