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Ruth: A Migrant’s Tale
A wide-ranging exploration of the story of Ruth, a foreigner who became the founding mother of the Davidic dynasty
“[A]n insightful exploration of the book’s themes of otherness, kindness, and loyalty. This is a valuable contribution to the literature on Ruth.”— Publishers Weekly
“A virtuoso exploration of the Book of Ruth as an admirable touchstone in the realms of literature, art, and human values. Ilana Pardes foregrounds the timeless emergency of migrants and refugees with compassion and depth.”—Galit Hasan-Rokem, author of Web of Life
The biblical Ruth has inspired numerous readers from diverse cultural backgrounds across many centuries. In this insightful volume, Ilana Pardes invites us to marvel at the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness. She explores the rabbis’ lauding of Ruth as an exemplary convert, and the Zohar’s insistence that Ruth’s Moabite background is vital to her redemptive powers. In moving to early modern French art, she looks at pastoral paintings in which Ruth becomes a local gleaner, holding sheaves in her hands. Pardes concludes with contemporary adaptations in literature, photography, and film in which Ruth is admired for being a paradigmatic migrant woman. Ruth’s afterlives not only reveal much about their own times but also shine new light on this remarkable ancient tale and point to its enduring significance. In our own era of widespread migration and dislocation, Ruth remains as relevant as ever.
“[A]n insightful exploration of the book’s themes of otherness, kindness, and loyalty. This is a valuable contribution to the literature on Ruth.”— Publishers Weekly
“A virtuoso exploration of the Book of Ruth as an admirable touchstone in the realms of literature, art, and human values. Ilana Pardes foregrounds the timeless emergency of migrants and refugees with compassion and depth.”—Galit Hasan-Rokem, author of Web of Life
The biblical Ruth has inspired numerous readers from diverse cultural backgrounds across many centuries. In this insightful volume, Ilana Pardes invites us to marvel at the ever-changing perspectives on Ruth’s foreignness. She explores the rabbis’ lauding of Ruth as an exemplary convert, and the Zohar’s insistence that Ruth’s Moabite background is vital to her redemptive powers. In moving to early modern French art, she looks at pastoral paintings in which Ruth becomes a local gleaner, holding sheaves in her hands. Pardes concludes with contemporary adaptations in literature, photography, and film in which Ruth is admired for being a paradigmatic migrant woman. Ruth’s afterlives not only reveal much about their own times but also shine new light on this remarkable ancient tale and point to its enduring significance. In our own era of widespread migration and dislocation, Ruth remains as relevant as ever.
232 pages, Hardcover
Published October 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 7, 2024
DNF - good but got slow when several chapters were focusing on art and then had to return it to the library haha 😂
November 29, 2022
I reviewed this excellent book for the Jewish Book Council
https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/boo...
https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/boo...
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June 6, 2023Definitely academic, and it doesn't feel like the type of book that I can rate out of 5 stars, but it was definitely very interesting! Love the overview of historical and contemporary perspectives on Ruth in art!
June 8, 2025
I very much liked the first few chapters of this book, which focused on traditional Jewish interpretations of the book of Ruth. I especially liked the author's intertextual analysis (that is, comparing Ruth with other parts of the Hebrew Bible). For example, the author compares the seduction of Lot by his daughters to Ruth's quasi-seduction of Boaz. Although both stories involved an attempt to preserve a family line and a man who was asleep, the Ruth story does not involve incest or blatant sexuality. The author also explains the link between Ruth and the festival of Shavuot. One not-so-obvious link is encoded in her name: it contains the Hebrew letters Resh, Vav and Taf, which reversed mean Tor, which of course requires only a small leap to become Torah (which Shavout celebrates).
Other chapters focus on art and literature, showing how artists and writers have portrayed Ruth over the centuries. The art chapters are sometimes poorly illustrated, because of the difficulty of portraying a large painting in a small black-and-white book. The literary discussions were sometimes interesting but sometimes a stretch, suggesting that any migrant-like character is really Ruth.
Other chapters focus on art and literature, showing how artists and writers have portrayed Ruth over the centuries. The art chapters are sometimes poorly illustrated, because of the difficulty of portraying a large painting in a small black-and-white book. The literary discussions were sometimes interesting but sometimes a stretch, suggesting that any migrant-like character is really Ruth.
February 23, 2023
Is it really possible to analyze a biblical character? The text itself offers limited information, which means that these analytical works often either focus on a specific aspect of the story or use additional, non-biblical material to supplement and expand what is offered. Two new books explore the text in different ways: Ilana Pardes examines differing views of Ruth – Jewish and non-Jewish – that have occurred over the centuries in “Ruth: A Migrant’s Tale” (Yale University Press), while Samuel J. Levine offers a close look at the biblical story of Joseph in “Was Yosef on the Spectrum? Understanding Joseph Through Torah, Midrash, and Classical Jewish Sources” (Urim Publications) with the help of traditional Jewish texts.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...
January 19, 2024
Within this book are nuances that express the migrant story of not only historically what happened to Ruth but in how her life has shaped (the afterlives) so many stories from the Middle Ages, the Late Antiquity, to present day.
There are many chapters that are enjoyable and help create an actual picture to Ruth's life but I'm afraid that there are undertones to agendas that shouldn't be placed with the book and story of Ruth.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but understand the tugs and pulls trying to sway a direction that isn't necessarily the point of Ruth.
There are many chapters that are enjoyable and help create an actual picture to Ruth's life but I'm afraid that there are undertones to agendas that shouldn't be placed with the book and story of Ruth.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but understand the tugs and pulls trying to sway a direction that isn't necessarily the point of Ruth.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews