"let your eyes be on the field that they reap"

Synopsis

Rabbi Yehuda reads the title verse from the book of Ruth. We are told that Boaz the judge of Yisrael saw Ruth's humility since she looked only in front of her, and he praised her eyes. He saw that she brought prosperity, for the more she gleaned, the more there was to glean in that field. Boaz saw that the Holy Spirit was upon her, and her eyes gave blessings. Now we are told of another explanation, where Boaz saw that many kings and rulers were destined to issue from her; the kings are like eyes because the eyes lead the body. Now we hear that 'the field' being reaped is Zion and Jerusalem, for the eyes that will issue from her shall rule in that field where the Torah is received. "And when you are thirsty" means that if you desire to be attached to a man and raise a seed you should "go to the vessels" who are the righteous, the vessels of Hashem - only God makes use of these vessels.

450. "And they made the Head plate (Heb. tzitz) of the holy crown" (Shemot 39:30). Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion and read from the scroll of Ruth, "let your eyes be on the field that they reap..." (Rut 2:9). We have to examine the relevance of this verse here. Rabbi Yitzchak said to him, in the same way, there are many verses in the Torah that seem as if they do not need to be written, yet we see high secrets in them all. Rabbi Yehuda said that whoever looks at the verse but not closely, is like someone who never tasted a dish.

450. וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת צִיץ נֶזֶר הַקֹּדֶשׁ. ר' יְהוּדָה פָּתַח קְרָא בְּרוּת, עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן וְגוֹ'. הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בֵּיהּ, אֲמַאי אִצְטְרִיךְ הָכָא לְמִכְתַּב. א"ל ר' יִצְחָק, אִי הָכִי כַּמָּה קְרָאִין אִינּוּן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאִתְחֲזִיאוּ דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיכוּ לְמִכְתַּב, וְחָמֵינָן דְּכֻלְּהוּ רָזִין עִלָּאִין. א"ר יְהוּדָה, הַאי קְרָא מַאן דְּחָמֵי וְלָא אִסְתָּכַּל בֵּיהּ, כְּמָה דְּלָא טָעִים תַּבְשִׁילָא דָּמֵי.

451. אֶלָּא רָזָא הָכָא, וּבְרוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא אִתְּמַר, בְּגִין דְּחָמָא בֹּעַז דַּיָּינָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, עַנְוָותָנוּתָא דְּהַהִיא צַדֶּקֶת, דְּלָא מְסַלְּקָא עֵינָא לְמֵחֱמֵי בַּאֲתָר אַחֲרָא, אֶלָּא לְקַמָּהּ. וְחָמָאת כָּל מַה דְּחָמָאת, בְּעֵינָא טָבָא, וְתּוּקְפָּא דְּמִצְחָא לָא הֲוָה בָּה, שִׁבַּח עֵינָהָא.

452. For some eyes cause that there will be no blessing upon that place. AND BOAZ saw a benevolent eye in her, and also that she brings prosperity, for the more she gleaned, the more was to be gleaned in the field. And Boaz saw that the Holy Spirit was upon her. Then he said "let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them." And if you say that it is for the other gleaners THAT HE TOLD RUTH "ON THE FIELD THAT THEY REAP, AND GO AFTER THEM"; THEREFORE why did he tell her to go after them and not to glean after them? What is the meaning of 'go after them'? He said that about her eyes, that brought many blessings, and therefore "go after them," after your eyes. No one in the world has permission to follow their eyes, but you SHALL GO after your eyes for they bestow many blessings.

452. בְּגִין דְּאִית עַיְינִין דִּבְגִינֵיהוֹן לָא שַׁלְטָא בִּרְכָתָא בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר, וְאִיהוּ עֵינָא טָבָא חָמָא בָּה, דְּכָל מַה דְּאִסְתַּכְּלַת הֲוָה בְּעֵינָא טָבָא. וְתוּ, דְּחָמָא, דַּהֲוָה אַצְלַח בִּידָהָא, כָּל מַה דַּהֲוַות לַקְטָא, אִתּוֹסַף בְּחַקְלָא. וּבֹעַז אִסְתָּכַּל דְּרוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא שַׁרְיָיא עָלָהּ, כְּדֵין פָּתַח וְאָמַר, עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן וְגוֹ'. אִי תֵּימָא בְּגִין אִינּוּן לַקְטִין כָל אִינּוּן אַחֲרָנִין, הֵיךְ אָמַר דְּתֵּהַךְ אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ, לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִכְתַּב אֶלָּא וְלָקַטְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, מַאי וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, אֶלָּא בְּגִין עֵינָהָא קָאָמַר. עֵינָהָא דַּהֲווֹ גַּרְמִין בִּרְכָאן סַגִּיאִין, וְע"ד, וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, בָּתַר עֵינַיִךְ. כָּל שְׁאַר בְּנֵי עָלְמָא לֵית לְהוּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵיהַךְ בָּתַר עֵינוֹי. וְאַנְתְּ לְבָתַר עֵינַיִךְ, דְּעֵינַיִךְ גַּרְמִין בִּרְכָאן סַגִּיאִין.

453. Another explanation concerning "let your eyes be on the field that they reap." Boaz looked at the Holy Spirit and saw that many high kings and rulers are destined to issue from her, and they are the eyes of all. She is like Tamar who "sat by the entrance of Einayim (lit. 'eyes')" (Beresheet 38:14), for she sat at the opening and through her issued high kings and rulers, called eyes. It is written: "through the eyes of the congregation" (Bemidbar 15:24), for as the members of the body follow the eyes alone and the eyes lead the body; so are kings and the Sanhedrin and all the rulers, everybody follows them. This is why he mentioned "your eyes," which are those kings and rulers destined to issue from her.

453. ד"א עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן. בֹּעַז חָמָא בְּרוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא, דִּזְמִינִין לְנָפְקָא מִינָּהּ מַלְכִין עִלָּאִין שַׁלִּיטִין דְּאִינּוּן עַיְינִין דְּכֹלָּא. כְּמָה דַּהֲוַות תָּמָר, דִּכְתִּיב בָּהּ, וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּפֶתַח עֵינַיִם. אִתְיַישְּׁבַת בְּפִתְחָא דְּנָפְקִין מִינָּהּ מַלְכִין שַׁלִּיטִין עִלָּאִין, דְּאִקְרוּן עַיְינִין, כד"א אִם מֵעֵינֵי הָעֵדָה. כְּמָה דְּכָל שַׁיְיפֵי גּוּפָא לָא אָזְלִין אֶלָּא בָּתַר עַיְינִין, וְעַיְינִין אִינּוּן מִנְהָגִין לְכָל גּוּפָא. אוּף הָכִי מַלְכִין וְסַנְהֶדְרִין, וְכָל אִינּוּן שַׁלִּיטִין, כֹּלָּא אַזְלִין אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ וּבְגִין כַּךְ אָמַר לָהּ עֵינַיִךְ אִלֵּין מַלְכִין וְשַׁלִּיטִין, דִּזְמִינִין לְמֵיפַק מִינָּהּ.

454. HE ASKS: It is written "in the field," what is a field? HE ANSWERS: it is Zion and Jerusalem, as is written: "Zion...be ploughed like a field" (Michah 3:12), and "as the smell of a field which Hashem had blessed" (Beresheet 27:27), which is Jerusalem. Therefore it is written: "let your eyes be on the field," for the eyes that will issue from her shall rule no place save the field. "that they reap": for from that field all the people receive Torah and shining light, as is written: "for out of Zion shall go forth Torah" (Yeshayah 2:3).

454. בַּשָּׂדֶה. מַאן שָׂדֶה. דָּא צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַםִ, דִּכְתִּיב צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ. וּכְתִיב כְּרֵיחַ שָׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרֲכוֹ יְיָ', דָּא יְרוּשָׁלַםִ. וְע"ד כְּתִיב עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה, דְּאִינּוּן עַיְינִין דִּילָהּ, דִּזְמִינִין לְמֵיפַק מִינָּהּ, לָא יְהוֹן שַׁלִּיטִין אֶלָּא בַּשָּׂדֶה. אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן, דְּהָא מֵהַהוּא שָׂדֶה, הֲווֹ נַקְטִין כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, תּוֹרָה, וּנְהוֹרָא דְּנָהִיר, דִּכְתִּיב כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תּוֹרָה.

455. "And you shall follow them": with the good deeds I see in you. "Have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you?" (Rut 2:9), is to be understood AT FACE VALUE, for a woman's mind is easily swayed. THEREFORE HE WARNED THE YOUNG MEN NOT TO TOUCH HER. "And when you are thirsty" (Ibid.) is clean language, ITS MEANING IS that if you desire to be attached to a man and raise a seed, "go to the vessels" (Ibid.), to the righteous called the vessels of Hashem, as is written: "be clean, you that bear the vessels of Hashem" (Yeshayah 52:11). For the righteous are destined to be brought by the whole world as a gift to the King Messiah. These are the vessels the Holy One, blessed be He, takes delight in. They are broken vessels in this world for the sake of observing the Torah. And the Holy One, blessed be He, is waited upon only by them. And when you are attached to them, "drink..."

455. וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, בְּאִלֵּין עוֹבָדִין דְּכַשְׁרָן, דַּאֲנָא חֲמֵינָא בְּךָ. הֲלֹֹא צִוִּיתִי אֶת הַנְּעָרִים וְגוֹ'. כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ דִּילֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּאִתְּתָא דַּעְתָּא קַלָה. וְצָמִית, לִישָׁנָא דִּנְקִיוּת נָקַט, וְצָמִית, דְּאִי תִּיאוּבְתִּךְ לְאַדְבְּקָא בְּבַר נָשׁ לְקַיְּימָא זַרְעָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְהָלַכְתְּ אֶל הַכֵּלִים, אִלֵּין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּאִקְרוּן כְּלֵי יְיָ', דִּכְתִּיב הִבָּרוּ נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי יְיָ'. דִּזְמִינִין צַדִּיקַיָּיא לְאַיְיתָאָה לוֹן כָּל עָלְמָא, דּוֹרוֹנָא לְמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא, וְאִינּוּן כְּלֵי יְיָ', מָאנִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְהֲנֵי בְּהוּ, אִלֵּין אִינּוּן מָאנִין תְּבִירִין, תְּבִירִין אִינּוּן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּגִין לְקַיְּימָא אוֹרַיְיתָא. וְשִׁימוּשָׁא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתְּמַּשׁ בְּהוּ, לָא אִשְׁתָּמַּשׁ אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ הָנֵי כֵּלִים. וְכַד תִּתְדְּבַק בְּהוּ וְשָׁתִיתָ וְגוֹ'.