The silence of the night at the threshing floor is abruptly broken, plunging the leader of the generation into a moment of sudden fear, confusion, and a profound moral test. The timing of this event is far from random. It occurred exactly at midnight, an hour when Boaz would routinely wake from his sleep to study Torah. This spiritual practice was eventually passed down to his great-grandson, King David, who would also rise at midnight to thank God [אגרת שמואל, אשכול הכופר]. This specific hour, known as a time when God delights with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, suddenly transformed into a scene of intense spiritual struggle for Boaz [אגרת שמואל].
Having gone to sleep alone, Boaz was deeply shaken to discover a foreign presence beside him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His initial reaction was one of overwhelming panic. Believing the figure to be a demon or an evil spirit, he nearly cried out for help [רש״י]. In his fear and anger over the intrusion into his bed, it would have been natural for him to curse the unknown figure. However, his profound trust in God allowed him to control his emotions, ultimately leading him to bless her instead [תורה תמימה].
Boaz’s immediate physical and emotional reaction was complex. The primary approach among commentators is that he turned from side to side in panic, or stretched his limbs upon waking and bent toward his feet to figure out who was there [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, אשכול הכופר]. Another perspective suggests a sense of holding or gripping, whether the woman held him to calm his panic, or he simply felt an overwhelming fear wrapping around him from all sides [רש״י, תורה תמימה]. A completely different approach views his reaction through a lens of profound moral struggle. According to this view, Boaz experienced a fierce physical temptation in the presence of the woman, yet he completely conquered his desires. Because of this extraordinary self-control, he is counted alongside Joseph and Paltiel as one of three righteous men who faced a severe test of temptation and swore to God that they would not sin [תורה תמימה, צאינה וראינה, אגרת שמואל].
As Boaz inspected his surroundings in the dark, he realized a woman was lying at his feet. Commentators offer several explanations for how he identified her gender in the darkness of the night. Some suggest that the moonlight allowed him to see she had no beard, that he recognized her feminine clothing, or that she simply spoke to him in a womanly voice, which eased his fear [אבן עזרא]. Another approach describes Boaz reaching out to touch her head; upon feeling her hair, his initial terror subsided, as tradition holds that demons do not have hair [רש״י, צאינה וראינה, נחל אשכול, אגרת שמואל].
Once he confirmed she was human, he gently asked about her identity and status to determine if she was unmarried and pure [צאינה וראינה, נחל אשכול, אגרת שמואל]. In response, Ruth made it clear that her intentions were entirely pure and for the sake of heaven. She sought to establish a name for her deceased husband through a proper and lawful marriage—an act of selfless kindness that ultimately earned Boaz’s heartfelt blessing [אגרת שמואל].