Rabbi Dunner takes a closer look at the curious phenomenon of Ruth the Moabite, matriarch of the Davidic royal dynasty, whose story we read on Shavuot. What makes her so special? Why is she singled out for her own book in the Hebrew scriptures? Why is the Davidic monarchy descended from her? Rabbi Dunner examines Ruth in her historical context, and uses scriptural and Midrashic sources to paint a picture of Ruth taking into account the era in which she lived, how she might have been perceived, and what made her so special.
