Rut Shel HaNefesh

For thousands of years, the Book of Ruth has been studied by the Jewish people, primarily around the festival of Shavuot. Some learners connect with the plain meaning (peshat) of the text, which tells a touching story of a foreign woman ready to show kindness to her mother-in-law and accompany her to an unfamiliar land. Others connect with the homiletic interpretation (derash), which portrays the journey of converts throughout generations—those willing to sacrifice everything to join the Jewish people. In Megillat Rut Shel HaNefesh , the Megillah is studied in a way previously unexplored—through the levels of allusion (remez) and secret (sod). It tells the story of the human soul, lost in the land of Moab, and after many journeys, it returns to its natural place, finding solace and becoming the mother of royalty within the Jewish nation.