Conversion Born from Compassion: The Story of Ruth the Moabite

The story of Ruth is one that touches many people deeply. Ruth was a princess of the nation of Moab and yet she gave up everything in order to become a Jew.

Ruth didn’t choose to convert only because she was convinced that living according to the Torah is the only authentic path. She didn’t choose to adopt the Jewish faith only in order to become a member of the chosen nation.

For Ruth, her deep compassion for her mother-in-law was one of the main factors influencing her decision to leave her life of wealth, honor, and ease behind and embrace poverty and humility.

Ruth couldn’t bear the thought that her mother-in-law, who had arrived in Moab as a wealthy and respected lady, was now returning to the Land of Israel as a bereaved mother and an elderly widow, with virtually nothing to her name. This deep compassion is what inspired Ruth’s devotion and sacrifice, and led to her defining statement: “Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may Hashem do to me, and so may He do more, if anything but death parts me from you.”

Ruth sacrificed everything—the life of wealth and comfort awaiting her in the royal palace, the honor, and everything she knew and loved. She sacrificed it all for an elderly widow who was her mother-in-law, Naomi.

When Naomi saw that her intentions were sincere, she stopped trying to dissuade her, as the Torah tells us: “When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.”

This is the first conversion in Jewish history that was not primarily motivated by “discovering the truth” or feeling a special connection to the Creator. This was a conversion born from compassion.

Hashem will never let such devotion and sacrifice go unrewarded. Through a series of miraculous events, Ruth became the great-grandmother of none other than King David; ultimately, she will be the ancestress of the Moshiach.

The Book of Ruth is read on the festival of Shavuot, the festival that marks the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. One of the reasons why is to stress the importance of having compassion as a foundation for the entire Torah.

As the Midrash tells us: “Hashem said to the Jewish People: My beloved children! Am I lacking anything that I should ask of you? And what do I ask of you? Only that you love one another, honor one another, and respect one another!” (Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah 28:15).