Rashi on the Prophets and Writings

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges judged Before King Saul reigned, when the generations were governed by judges, and this was in the days of Ibzan, as our Sages said (B.B. 91a, Targum ad loc.): Ibzan is Boaz.
and a man went He was very wealthy, and the leader of the generation. He left the Land of Israel for regions outside the Land because of stinginess, for he begrudged the poor who came to press him; therefore he was punished.

Ephrathites Heb. אֶפְרָתִים, important people, likewise, (I Sam. 1:1): “the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite,” a palace dweller (Ruth Rabbah 2:5). Look how important they were, for Eglon the king of Moab married off his daughter to Mahlon, for the master said (ibid. 9): Ruth was the daughter of Eglon. Another explanation: Ephrathites: Bethlehem was called Ephrath.

Naomi’s husband Why is this stated? From here they (our Sages) derived (Sanh. 22b): A man does not die except concerning his wife. (And Scripture states, “Naomi’s husband”; that is to say that because he was her husband and ruled over her, and she was subordinate to him, therefore the divine standard of justice struck him and not her.)

both...also What is the meaning of “also”? First their possessions were smitten, and their camels and their cattle died, and afterwards they too died.

Then she went forth from the place Why is this stated? It is already stated, “and she returned from the fields of Moab,” and from where would she return if not from the place where she was? But Scripture wishes to tell [us] that the departure of a righteous person from a place is conspicuous, and makes an impression. Its splendor has turned away; its majesty has turned away; the praise of a city has turned away, and likewise (Gen. 28:10): “And Jacob went forth from Beersheba.”

for I have become too old to marry that I should marry someone and bear sons, that you should marry them, for they are not forbidden to you and you are not forbidden to them as far as the prohibition against marrying the wife of a brother who is deceased, for she does not require a levirate marriage because Mahlon and Chilion were not halachically married to them because they were gentiles, and had not converted, and now they were coming to convert, as it is stated (verse 10): “[No], but we will return with you to your people.” From now on, we will become one people.
that I should say that I have hope for even if my heart told me that I have hope to marry again and to bear sons.
Even if I had a husband tonight and more than this, even if I conceived male offspring tonight.
and even if I had borne sons or even if I had already borne sons.

Would you wait for them Heb. תְּשַּׂבֵּרְנָה. This is a question: Would you wait for them until they grew up? This is an expression similar to (Ps. 146:5): “his hope (שִּׂבְרוֹ) is in the Lord his God.”
Would you shut yourselves off Heb. תֵּעָגֵנָה. An expression of being bound and imprisoned, like (Taanith 3: 8): “He made a round hole (עָג עוּגָה) and stood within it.” Others interpret it as an expression of עִגוּן, anchoring, being unable to marry, but that cannot be, for if so, the “nun” should have been punctuated with a “dagesh” or it should have been spelled with two “nuns”.
for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me Said Rabbi Levi: Wherever it says “the hand of the Lord,” it refers to a plague of pestilence, and the classic example is (Exod. 9:3): “Behold the hand of the Lord will be.”

Lo, your sister-in-law has returned Heb. שָּׁבָה. In this word, the accent is above (on the first syllable) under the “shin,” because it is in the past tense, but [in the verse] (Esther 2:14): “and in the morning she would return (שָּׁבָה),” the accent is below (on the last syllable) on the “beth,” because it is the present tense, and so it is in all similar cases.

Do not entreat me Heb. תִּפְגְעִי, do not urge me.
for wherever you go, I will go From here our Sages derived that a [prospective] proselyte who comes to convert is told some of the punishments [for violating the commandments], so that if he decides to renege, he can renege, for out of Ruth’s words, you learn what Naomi said to her: “We may not go out of the boundary [of 2,000 cubits on all sides] on the Sabbath.” She replied to her, “Wherever you go, I will go.” “We are prohibited to allow a female to be secluded with a male who is not her husband.” She replied, “Wherever you lodge, I will lodge.” “Our people is separated from the other peoples with 613 commandments.” [She replied,] “Your people is my people.” “Idolatry is forbidden to us.” “Your God is my God.” “Four types of death penalties were delegated to the beth din (court) [to punish transgressors].” “Wherever you die I will die.” “Two burial plots were delegated to the beth din [to bury those executed], one for those stoned and those burned, and one for those decapitated and those strangled.” She replied, “And there I will be buried.”

So may the Lord do to me as He has commenced to harm [me], for His hand has gone forth against me to slay my husband and to cause me to lose my property.
and so may He continue if anything but death separates me from you.

so she stopped speaking to her From here they derived that we do not overburden him and we are not overly meticulous with him (i.e., with a prospective convert).

And they both went on Said Rabbi Abbahu: Come and see how dear the proselytes are to the Holy One, blessed be He: Since she decided to convert, Scripture compared her to Naomi.
that the entire city was astir The entire city became astir. They had gathered to bury Boaz’s wife, who had died on that very day.
Is this Naomi? Heb. הֲזאֹת. The “hey” is vowelized with a “hataf” because it is in the interrogative. Is this Naomi who used to go out in covered wagons and with mules? Have you seen what happened to her because she went out from the Holy Land?

I went away full with wealth and sons. Another interpretation is that she was pregnant.
has testified Heb. עָנָה, has testified against me that I dealt wickedly before Him. Another explanation: The Divine Standard of Justice has humbled me, as (Hosea 5:5): “And the pride of Israel shall be humbled (וְעָנָה).”

at the beginning of the barley harvest Scripture is speaking of the harvest of the Omer.