Kabbalah Library

500. This righteous one does not speak false words, saying that Boaz told her to stay with the boys, since she was kosher. It is written, “And Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field.’” And above, it is written, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain,” indicating that the spirit of holiness was sparkling in her.

“Let me go to the field.” A field, for in her words, she was meticulous implying the great faith, a field that the Lord has blessed, a field of holy apples, Malchut, faith.

501. It is written, “And a chance happened.” And it is written in Balaam, “And God chanced Balaam.” “Chance,” from the words nocturnal ejaculation and impurity [in Hebrew]. But here, it is different, and it is written, “a chance happened,” since here it implies honor, preciousness, as it is written, “How precious is Your grace, God.”

502. And what precious thing encountered her? Boaz’s portion of the field, for that field is the portion of the righteous. Boaz was righteous, and she went there and entered a part of the field, and learned through it and knew him from those reapers, as it is written, “and gleaned in the field after the reapers.” The disciples of the wise are called “reapers of the field.”

503. “And behold, Boaz came.” The righteous, Yesod, came loaded with several blessings and several sanctities. “And he said to the reapers.” The reappears above are the courthouse, the great Sanhedrin, which is in the field, in Malchut, who are seventy angels, and they are the courthouse of Malchut, and they are called the “great Sanhedrin.”

“And he said to the reapers, ‘May the Lord be with you!’” Now Yesod of ZA, who is Boaz, is giving them blessings and sanctities in the name of HaVaYaH, ZA. “And they answered, ‘May the Lord bless you,’” giving him strength to draw the abundance from the origin of life, from the next world, Bina.

504. “Whose young woman is this?” The passion of Boaz the righteous was to ask about her since his love was for her. This scroll is an intimation to the written Torah, Yesod of ZA, who is Boaz, and the oral Torah, Malchut, Ruth. This is why the sages have established saying this scroll on the [festival of] Shavuot, at the time of the giving of the Torah, for then is the coupling of the two Torot, the written Torah and the oral Torah, ZA and Malchut.

505. “Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field.’” These are the holy Merkavot [pl. of Merkava] that holy Jacob chose those holy herds, the degrees that are corrected with the middle line, the quality of Jacob, which do not mingle with others, as it is written, “He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock.”

It is written about this, “Do not go to glean in another field,” do not want a different Malchut and different Merkavot, which are not corrected with the middle line.

“Or leave this one,” of those Ketarim [crowns] of yours, which are drawn from the posterior of Malchut, from the first state. From them, too, never move away. And by this, you will never move from your husband ZA.

506. “But keep close to my young women.” There are many names to Malchut. One of them is Koh, as it is written, YevarchuKoh [will bless You], and you are called Koh [so], and so [Koh] you will keep close to my young women, who are those Merkavot, the young women who were chosen for you, meaning the seven damsels from the king’s house, and she merits being given them, to adhere to them. These are the posterior vessels of Malchut, which adhere to her when she returns to face-to-face.

507. Promptly, “and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her.” He took one measuring line, the middle line, and made a measuring, a unification of the two lines right and left, and measured VAK, HGT NHY, that are suitable for her, to unite in their unification, and gave her gifts and presents, since without those, Malchut cannot enter the next world, Bina, for before she has VAK from ZA, she cannot receive GAR from Bina.

508. “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” The six measures of barley are the upper VAK, HGT NHY, on which the next world, Bina, Naomi, stands. Barley are as it is written, “Lift up your heads, O gates [spelled like barley in Hebrew].” “Put it on her,” placed on her, to lead her and to bless her. This is why she became a bride consisting of VAK.

509. “Blessed be the man who recognized you.” “Blessed” is Solomon, the king that peace is his, ZA. This is why it is written, “And king Solomon was blessed.” “Blessed be the man who recognized you,” for with this name, Naomi said to Ruth, “You will be blessed by all those VAK. At that time, Naomi, the next world, Bina, gives her additional blessings, GAR, on top of the ones she has, as it is written, “So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.” This is an addition of sanctities and blessings that Naomi, Bina, gave to Ruth, Malchut.

510. “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men,’” for her craving is always to adhere to the youths, the holy Cherubim, Matat and Sandalphon, the carriers of her posterior vessels, for all her craving is in them, since through them, the Hochma of the left is extended. This matter is a holy matter.

511. Did Ruth utter a lie to Naomi? Since Boaz said, “Stay close to my young women,” and not with the young men. However, the name Koh by which Malchut is called is only when Malchut is established on the two Cherubim Matat and Sandalphon to receive blessings in the twenty-five letters of the unification, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Thus, the twenty-five letters of the unification that are in the correction of the Cherubim, since she was established in them, she is called Koh [twenty-five in Gematria]. And then he said, “Stay close.”

It follows that since Boaz called her Koh, he commanded her to adhere to the boys Matat and Sandalphon, and she did not tell a lie. This is why he said “my young women,” who are the seven damsels, since everything is needed so as not to leave them, the males, who are Matat and Sandalphon, and the females, who are the seven damsels to be given to her from the king’s house, since Matat and Sandalphon correct the seven damsels to be fit for extension of Hochma.

512. This teaches that he showed her the Cherubim. In the book of Adam, although the Temple was ruined, the Shechina [Divinity] will never move from one Cherub. It is likewise here, as it is written, “nor go from here,” meaning she will never move from one Cherub.

513. This is why she said, “with the young men,” who are two Cherubim, “will adhere” indeed, and also to those female Merkavot, which are called the “eyes of the Lord,” as it is written, “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them.” But your eyes are the eyes of the Lord, roaming throughout the land. In the field that they reap, for because they roam throughout the world, then go after them, to know.

514. “And Boaz said to Ruth … ‘I have ordered the young men not to touch you,’” since the Cherubim are never still; they want to suckle from Malchut, as it is written, “That you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.” At that time, when Malchut follows the eyes, to see all the deeds of the world, the Cherubim do not approach her and do not awaken to suckle from her.

515. “And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels.” When you are thirsty, when you yearn to suckle from the upper world, from ZA, by the awakening of those Cherubim, since through them, she is watered from the high potion, ZA, “and drink what the young men have drawn,” who are the Cherubim.” “To the vessels” means the high origins that are called big face, the vessels of ZA, called the “face of a man.”

516. Thus far the views of hidden matters and high holiness in the words of the scroll of Ruth, and it is all in the high form and the hidden secrets. Happy is the generation that has been rewarded with knowing all this, holy words, words of wisdom. It is written about this, “Happy is a man who has found wisdom, and a man who produces intelligence.”