{"id":56309,"date":"2019-05-28T15:43:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T12:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=56309"},"modified":"2022-12-20T16:17:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T14:17:31","slug":"selfish-v-selfless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/selfish-v-selfless\/","title":{"rendered":"Selfish v. Selfless"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[837,337,407],"acf":{"old_id":"56309","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":37404,"related_cahpter":"229","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Judges as Context and Counterpoint","content":"

There is much we can continue to learn by comparing the last chapters of Judges and the Book of Ruth. \u00a0We begin Chapter 18 by noting the familiar phrase, \u201cIn those days there was no King\u201d (18:1). This will serve as a direct contrast to Ruth, which ends with the birth of King David.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 18 tells the story of the tribe of Dan searching for a place to \u201cla\u2019shevet\u201d to dwell in. \u00a0The book of Ruth will similarly start with Naomi\u2019s family looking for a place to \u201cshev\u201d, settle, as well as Naomi\u2019s resettling in her home in Beth-lehem (Ruth 1:4,22). The way those in Judges and Ruth choose to \u201csettle\u201d, however, show vast differences in moral priorities and piousness.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tribe of Dan, in searching for a place of their own, first steal Micah\u2019s idols and convince Micah\u2019s priest to abandon him. They do not repent when Micah confronts them. When they arrive at Laish, the city they desire, where the \u201cpeople are quiet and secure,\u201d the people of Dan \u201cput them to the sword and burned down the town\u201d (Judges 18:27). They then rename the city Dan and set up Micah\u2019s idols in the city. The people of Dan find a place to settle, therefore, through stealing, idolatry, killing innocent people and setting a quiet city on fire, all deplorable acts. <\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, when Naomi seeks to re-settle in Beth-lehem, she first releases her widowed Moabite daughters-in-law from coming with her, putting their needs first as she explains, she has no more sons to give them. Ruth then chooses the virtuous act of helping others over remaining settled in her home of Moab, as she \u2018sticks\u2019 to Naomi, and proclaims, \u201cwherever you lodge, I will lodge\u201d <\/span>(1:16). Boaz praises Ruth for these actions by implicitly comparing Ruth to Abraham: \u201chow you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you had not known before\u201d (2:11). <\/span><\/p>\n

In this way the actions of Naomi and Ruth serve as a contrast and \u201cTikkun\u201d for those in Judges. While the tribe of Dan puts their own need to \u201csettle\u201d before the needs and lives of an entire city, Naomi and Ruth demonstrate putting others first, and create a home together through bonds of righteousness and loyalty. <\/span><\/p>\n

All of these actions foreshadow additional parts to the ending of each book. At the end of Judges after a gruesome civil war, everyone will separate and disperse, \u201cevery man to his tribe and to his family\u201d (Judges 21:24). The Book of Ruth, in contrast, will end with the public celebration of a union of a new home, that of Ruth and Boaz, which will lead to the birth of King David.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a fuller exploration about the contrast between the end of the Book of Judges and the Book of Ruth, please see: Raskas, Jennifer R.<\/span> \u201cThe Book of Ruth: A Contrast to the End of the Book of Judges.\u201d<\/span><\/a> Jewish Bible Quarterly. Volume 43:4 (2015): p. 223-232<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":56310,"id":56310,"title":"jud18-me-we","filename":"jud18-me-we.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/selfish-v-selfless\/jud18-me-we\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jud18-me-we","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":56309,"date":"2019-05-28 12:43:47","modified":"2020-09-21 13:23:48","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1603,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-300x250.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":250,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-768x641.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":641,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-1024x855.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":855,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1282,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1603,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-1200x1002.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":1002,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud18-me-we-503x420.jpg","home_baner-width":503,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"Special Series: The Tikkun of Ruth II","main_caption":"Selfish v. 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