An Artistic Exploration of

Megillat Ruth
Sarah Gorbatov
“Naomi: The Megilla’s Most Complex, Intriguing Character”
This artwork portrays the complexity of Naomi’s character in the Book of Ruth
and the various ambiguities surrounding her persona. It examines Naomi’s
wavering belief that she’s either innocent or guilty of her family’s iniquitous
decision to leave their home in Bethlehem and move to Moav. Some rabbinic
sources alleviate Naomi’s culpability in regards to her being nothing more than
the wife of her husband, and therefore his speechless and thoughtless pawn.
Other sources find her responsible since she never even considered preventing
her husband and sons from sinning, and thus took part in the sinning herself. In
my painting, I drew Naomi’s face in a rather stern, resolute expression, as seen in
her thick and scrunched eyebrows and her glittering, determined eyes that follow
you any which way you face her. Her pupils form the shape of stars to signify
that she is looking upward toward God, perhaps in search of approval,
forgiveness, or help. Her brutally stenciled features, which denote her anguish
and bitterness, are not enveloped by hair, suggesting that she isn’t allowed even
so much as her own identity in the story and that, further, she herself is
confounded by the possibility of being an individual with an actual say as to what
she wants. The contrast of Naomi’s smoke-grey face with the warm and cool
colors encircling it conveys her being an unintelligible character, seemingly and
deceivingly simple, and yet, under the surface, extraordinarily enigmatic and
motivated by a myriad of conflicting aims. The writings on the various colors are
essentially a mindmap of Naomi’s thought processes, what influenced her to
travel with Elimelekh and her sons to Moav, and how she felt thereafter.
Compassion, Blame, & Trial: Naomi’s Three Possible Motivations

In the Book of Ruth, after having borne the death of her husband and sons as well as a devastating famine,
Naomi decides to leave her home in Moav and travel to Bethlehem in search of food and continuity for her
family line. When she announces this to her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, they begin to whine and
protest. However, Naomi explains that she is too old to bear sons for them to remarry, and even if she were
capable of such a miracle, the two widows would need to hold their breath until the sons came of age, and that
just wasn’t practical. At first glance, this justification of Naomi’s—that it is better for Orpah and Naomi to
remain in Moav for the sake of their own welfare and prosperity—seems sensible, even honorable.
Nonetheless, as with most details in Megillat Ruth, if we delve deeper we discover that this is purely one of
many different approaches as to why Naomi dissuades Ruth and Orpah from accompanying her. The first, as
we have noted, proposes that Naomi is motivated by nothing more or less than her earnest concern for her
daughters-in-law seeing as she addresses them as “daughters” repeatedly and goes as far as to bless them.
Contrastingly, the second approach suggests that Naomi genuinely does not want her daughters-in-law to join
her since she both finds them culpable for the deaths of her sons and is embarrassed by them. If we explore the
exact phraseology of Naomi’s speech we recognize that she actually asserts, “Return, my daughters. For I am
very bitter from you.” Naomi claims, furtively but still ferociously, that her bitterness has been caused by Ruth
and Orpah and that they are accountable for the divine punishment enacted against Elimelekh, Machlon,
Khilyon, and Naomi herself. Had the two Moavite women not married Machlon and Khilyon, God would not
have become enraged in the first place and then reprimanded them. Further, Naomi’s return to Bethlehem
would have been much more humiliating and distressing with her two widowed Moavite daughters-in-law
alongside her. Lastly, when Ruth proclaims her undying devotion to Naomi, Naomi doesn’t thank her. In fact,
she ceases speaking to her entirely, and when the two ultimately arrive in Bethlehem, she simply ignores Ruth
and treats her as if a stranger. A third and final approach regards Naomi’s dissuasion as a trial, a test to
determine the sincerity of Ruth and Orpah so that they may convert. In my drawing, I decided on presenting
the three women very minimally with as little color, strokes, and interruptions as possible, so as to put them on
display in a candid and unrefined light. This, therefore, allows us to examine each of their characters closely
and carefully and without needless prejudice. I also attempted to connect Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah by
separating them just a hairbreadth apart and using thin, individual lines to form their faces and the negative
space between them. The faces themselves are characterized in a certain way: Naomi’s is the uppermost one, as
well as the most fleshed-out and realistic. This is because all throughout the story, Naomi is the central
character and the one whom around everything circulates. She is the root of the predicament and the receiver
of the solution. When she is present, which she is beginning to end, everything else is subdued and our eyes are
on her. Ruth’s face, to the right of Naomi’s, is the most abstract and intriguing, yet also the most determined
and undaunted. It is also closer to Naomi’s than that of Orpah’s, which is simple, restrained, and looking off
into the distance. At the top, center, and bottom of the drawing, I have included the three terms which I believe
best summarize what motivated Naomi to discourage her daughters-in-law from traveling with her to
Bethlehem, coupled with either brief phrases from the text itself or interpretations of those phrases. Finally, I
used pastel to color the background a sort of mint green since, in various other biblical stories, the color green
denotes immortality, life, and renewal. This is particularly meaningful because, as the story progresses, we
learn that Ruth is the one to provide Naomi’s family line with continuity as well as instill a new and a much
more virtuous state during the period of the Judges.
Boaz: The Book of Ruth’s “Ish Gibor Chayil”
In Megillat Ruth, Boaz is the unsung hero, the solution to the tragedies that unfolded in the first chapter of the
narrative, and a man of strength and honor. When he and Ruth are first introduced, she has just been spurned
from countless other fields, waited for hours upon hours, been harassed by his own hostile farmhands and
servants, and failed to accomplish what she had sought out to: obtain food for herself and Naomi. Ruth is just
about to leave Boaz’s field and try her luck elsewhere when she happens upon him, and he instantly begins to
calm her and reassure her safety in his arms, welcoming her into his field and offering her food and a place to
rest. No one in Bethlehem has yet been so kind to Ruth, but Boaz is different. He is generous beyond words and,
more appreciably, capable of recognizing Ruth after she has been, day in and out, ignored and neglected. For this
artwork, I illustrated a shield and sword to represent Boaz’s extraordinary character, his courage, and his
relationship with Ruth. In the shield, I have written Boaz’s persuasive stream of words in which he declares his
admiration for Ruth and that he will be the one to nurture her. Markedly, I have penned four summative words I
believe encapsulate Boaz’s purpose and fruitfulness in the megilla. I have painted the exterior of the shield red to
signify that Boaz and Ruth will redeem the Jewish people and beget the Davidic Dynasty, seeing as red, in other
biblical stories, means flesh and is, therefore, the root word for mankind. Surrounding the shield is the phrase ish
gibor chayil, meaning a “man of substance,” a strong, mightful, wise, and industrious man. These are all
characteristics that are attributed to Boaz repeatedly throughout the course of the story, and hence anticipate his
ultimate role as the progenitor of David. Nonetheless, Boaz traced his actions not to his own selflessness, but
rather to that of Ruth’s, her willingness to accompany Naomi, abandon her home, and join the Jewish people, and
her undeviating bravery and morality. Thus, the sword in the drawing symbolizes Ruth’s character and refers to
her both as Boaz’s counterpart and as an eshet chayil, or a “woman of substance.” Inside the blade of the sword, I
have written an earlier part of Boaz’s speech praising Ruth, accompanied by his blessing for her. I have painted
the sword partially blue to denote God’s involvement in the unfurling of the story and, specifically, Boaz and
Ruth’s union, since, in Judaism, the color blue indicates divinity. Further, blue suggests equilibrium since its hue
is midway between white and black and day and night. This relates to the narrative’s harmonious and congruous
nature, as well as the entire megilla’s chiastic pattern. The yellow in both the shield and sword emphasizes the
integral, almost metaphysical connection between Boaz and Ruth. Together, Ruth as a savior and Boaz a
protector, they are capable of not merely resolving Naomi’s more personal predicaments such as lack of food and
continuity, but also the disorder and weakness of the period of the Judges all through the creation of the Davidic
Dynasty.
Ruth: The Eponymous Yet Excluded Heroine of Megillat Ruth

Throughout the course of the megilla, our eponymous heroine, Ruth, suffers grueling misfortune after
misfortune. First, her husband, Machlon, dies on accord of a divine punishment issued against him, his brother,
and his father. Then, she willingly departs from her home and parents in order to assist and support Naomi, and,
in return, Naomi does not express the slightest hint of gratitude, does not utter a word of thanks to Ruth. In fact,
once she and Ruth arrive at Bethlehem, she distances herself from her, ignoring her and pretending as if she’s but
a stranger. Nevertheless, Ruth never leaves Naomi’s side and keeps her vow of providing her with food and
continuity. When Ruth embarks on finding a field owner to grant her sustenance, she is recurrently and
seemingly eternally disdained and disregarded. Once she finally encounters a field with servants and workers
who do not instantly repulse her, the overseer of these servants and workers speaks ill of her and attempts to
dissuade Boaz from welcoming her into his care. He rattles on, as if a broken record, about Ruth’s Moavite status
and her association with Naomi. Moreover, at Boaz’s field, not merely does Ruth suffer the overseer’s malice,
but, at this point, she has also been sexually harassed by some of the workers, grown exceedingly exhausted after
having endured her travels and endeavors, and failed to achieve what she had desperately meant to: obtain food
for herself and Naomi. Thereafter, once Boaz happily supplies Ruth with food, Naomi manipulates and coerces
her into sleeping with him all with the aim of having him agree to marry Ruth and have children. That is,
children who will later be considered Naomi’s descent. However, despite all of this tragedy, Ruth never
capitulates, never ceases serving Naomi, and never absconds from being the true protagonist and heroine of the
story. After all, it is Ruth, together with Boaz, who saves Naomi and her family line, as well as the Jewish people
as a whole during this anarchic period of the Judges. For this artwork, I have drawn Ruth’s hand half stenciled
with pencil and the other half colored with oil pastel to represent both her adversities and her overcoming them
and reconstructing them to be successes. The left half is grim and desolate and does not invite much joy or
triumph, much like Ruth’s burdensome life, and the right half is vibrant, spirited, and more somatic, symbolizing
Ruth’s victories, strength, and unwavering will. On the left-hand side of the drawing is either rain or tears
(whichever you want to interpret it), demonstrating, once again Ruth’s despondency and despair, but also God’s
collusion in her hard dealings. Only when Boaz blesses Ruth and calls upon God to reward her for her
compassion and self-abnegation, only once another individual recognizes her and her righteousness, do her
predicaments clear a path for her peace and pleasure. On the righthand side of the drawing is a pitch-black sky
surrounding the half of Ruth’s hand that is colorful. Yet, there are still shimmering stars in the black of the night,
and this illustrates that no matter the dilemma or the difficulty, Ruth proves that she will always defend herself
and her loved ones and see her troubles through.
“Ruth and Boaz: Saviors in a Sea of Sin”
While the majority of the Book of Ruth entails rather mundane depictions of ordinary life during the
period of the Judges, there are two individuals who particularly attract our attention with their resistance
against the chaos and downfall that would otherwise fall upon the Jewish people. These individuals are
Ruth and Boaz, who rebel against the alienation and detachment of society in an attempt to pave the path
toward a better tomorrow for their nation. In my art piece, I decided to recreate Michelangelo's masterful
fresco The Creation of Adam, having the right hand represent that of both God’s and Boaz’s and the left
that of Ruth’s. Upon Boaz encountering and embracing Ruth, Boaz wishes for God to reward Ruth’s
selflessness and compassion for Naomi, and Ruth then, seemingly, expresses her gratitude toward God
for orchestrating her good fortune and Boaz’s hospitality after so many failed attempts of finding a
redeemer. Yet, she proclaims, “You are most kind, my lord,” and this proclamation is written in such a
way that “lord” is not capitalized, suggesting that Ruth is, in fact, thanking Boaz and drawing a
comparison between him and God. As for Ruth’s hand, just as Adam’s in the fresco, it is grasping the
open, extended hand opposite it, expecting to need to plead for help but soon discovering help has been
readily offered. The cracks emanating from Ruth and Boaz’s hands are, more evidently an imitation of
those in The Creation of Adam, but, more profoundly, an artistic display of the potency a single act of
kindness, of chesed can have, and not merely for the people involved, but for everyone in totality. The
vigorous black strokes enclosing the buoyant blue sky illustrate the darkness and disorder of the
tumultuous era during which Ruth and Boaz exist. Nonetheless, there remain, dispersed throughout the
tenebrosity, several white strokes, playing into how Ruth and Boaz will be the ones to find the light in
this darkness as they prove to be the ideal portrait of kingship and a model for their descendants and the
Davidic Dynasty. The stars throughout the black border again symbolize the significance of even the
smallest measure of altruism, but further, they relate to another one of my artworks—Naomi: The
Megilla’s Most Complex, Intriguing Character—through which I detail Naomi looking upward toward
the beautifully freckled night sky and within that, toward God for guidance and for the protection and
well-being of Ruth. In Ruth’s hand, I’ve included what I believe to be the most momentous verse in all
of the narrative, as well as in Boaz’s hand, his response in which he calls her “daughter.” Lastly, I chose
to draw hands in order to connect this artwork to another one of mine about the nuisances and
abstractions of Ruth’s character, which I conveyed by distorting an image of a hand. In The Creation of
Adam, the moment when God gives life to Adam is portrayed. Similarly, in my own art piece, Boaz gives
life to Ruth.