A Valiant Man

We first encounter Boaz, the relative of Elimelech who will subsequently marry Ruth and build with her the roots of Israel's monarchy, at the beginning of chapter 2 of Megillat Ruth. When presenting Boaz, besides recounting his family ties with Elimelech and Naomi, the Megillah reveals only one thing, that he is an ish gibor chayil (a valiant man).
 

"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a valiant man from the family of Elimelech and his name was Boaz. (Ruth 2:1)"
 

The question which arises is that in the rest of the Megillah, no issue is mentioned in connection with the fact that Boaz was valiant. Therefore, why was it necessary to mention this point now?
 

Apparently, the Megillah mentions this intentionally in order to emphasize that Boaz is the complete opposite of his relative Elimelech. They are both from the same family, they are both leaders in their locality and both of them face the same problem. The obvious difference between them is the way each one confronts the issue, as we will discuss.

The name Elimelech can be interpreted as: Eli (to me) tavo malchut (will come kingship). According to many Midrashim, Ruth was the daughter of Eglon the king of Moav, and therefore the story took place during the Moabite occupation of Eretz Israel. We can assume that during that period, the Moabites raided Israeli fields and villages in order to loot and plunder them. The Book of Shofetim (6:3) describes the Midianite occupation:

"And when Israel sowed seed, then Midian and Amalek and the dwellers of the East (which evidently included Moav) came upon it."
 

Apparently, the famine in the land which was mentioned at the beginning of the Megillah was caused not only by drought, but also by the occupation, taxation and confiscation inflicted upon Israel by the legions of Moav and their allies.
 

Elimelech, who was expected to lead the people of Beit Lechem and perhaps the entire tribe of Yehuda, chose not to face the difficulties but to leave the Land of Israel. In contrast, Boaz chose to remain, and apparently also to organize the people to defend their towns, villages and fields. Therefore, as the antithesis of Elimelech, the Megillah emphasizes that Boaz was "a valiant man" to point out that where Elimelech displayed weakness, Boaz demonstrated great courage.

In many places in Scripture, the meaning of the expression: "a valiant man" is a man who goes before other warriors and leads them in battle. So we see regarding Gideon, whom the angel calls 'a valiant man': "And the angel of HaShem appeared to him and said to him: HaShem is with you, (you) valiant man. (Shofetim 6:12)" and immediately afterwards he is commanded to lead Israel in battle against Midian. So we see regarding Yiftach who is called a gibor chayil: "And Yiftach the Giladi was a valiant man" (Shofetim 11:1) when he was approached to lead the Israelite army in war against the Ammonites. And there are many other examples of this in Scripture.

Additionally, the Scripture apparently discerns between one who is himself a veteran warrior and one who leads other soldiers. The individual warrior is called ish milchama (a man of war) and the leader is called gibor chayil. HaShem who fought alone at the splitting of the sea is called ish milchama in Shirat HaYam. And, lehavdil elef alfei havdalot (meaning: the phrase in question is parallel, but the subjects are worlds apart!) Goliath who stood alone against the army of Israel is referred to by Shaul as ish milchama: "You cannot go to this Philistine to battle him because you are young and he has been a man of war since he was a youth. (I Shmuel 17:33)" And David HaMelech embodied both of these qualities: he was a warrior capable of standing on his own against an enemy, and he also possessed the attribute of leadership, to stand before a legion of soldiers, and therefore it is said of him: "Behold, I saw a son of Yishai of Beit Lechem, he knows to play (music) and he is a valiant man and a man of war and wise in conduct and a man of (good) appearance and HaShem is with him. (I Shmuel 16:18)"

HaShem Be With You
 

And we can bring a proof for the assumption that Boaz led the military operations in Beit Lechem from the exchange between him and the reapers.
 

When Boaz comes to his field, he greets his reapers with a unique expression:
 

"And lo, Boaz came from Beit Lechem and he said to the reapers: May HaShem be with you! And they said to him: HaShem bless you. (Ruth 2:4)

The expression 'May HaShem be with you' is usually associated with success in war. The angel who fortifies Gideon to go out and deliver Israel uses the same phrase: And the angel of G-d appeared to him and said: HaShem is with you, you valiant man. (Shofetim 6:12)
 

Conversely regarding the ma'apilim after the sin of the spies, the Torah says:
 

Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite are there before you, and you will fall before the sword, for you have turned away from HaShem, and HaShem will not be with you. (Bamidbar 14:43)
 

And so it says regarding Yehoshafat's war against the Moabites and Ammonites:
 

"It is not for you to fight in this (war), stand firm and see HaShem's salvation with you, Yehuda and Jerusalem. Do not fear and do not be discouraged, tomorrow go out before them and HaShem will be with you. (Divrei HaYamim II, 20:17)"
 

And since the blessing 'May HaShem be with you' refers to readiness to do battle with the legions of Moav, as it does in many other places in Scripture regarding all the other pillagers and plunderers, it appears that the response of the reapers 'HaShem bless you' is also connected to courage and victory in battle. And this is corroborated by the words of the Sifri on Birkat HaKohanim in parshat Naso: 'Hashem bless you':
 

In the blessing which is stated explicitly in the Torah (Birkat Kohanim), as well as (in parshat Ki Tavo) "Blessed will you be in the city and blessed will you be in the field… Blessed will be your basket and your storehouse. Blessed will you be when you come in and blessed will you be when you go out." [The Meshech Chochmah as well links Birkat Hakohanim with war: that you will be free from the rule of others.]
 

And the blessing 'Blessed will you be when you come in and blessed will you be when you go out' applies at a time of war, according to the interpretation of Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor and the Chizkuni: (This relates to) when you go out to war, as it says (about Yehoshua): 'who will go before them and who will come before them.'
 

To Whom Does this Maiden Belong?
 

And perhaps now we can gain a new understanding of the dialogue between Boaz and the youth who oversaw the reapers, regarding Ruth:
 

"And Boaz said to his lad who stood over the reapers: to whom does this maiden belong? And the lad who oversaw the reapers answered and said: she is a Moabite girl who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moav. (Ruth 2:5-6)"
 

Chazal noted that Boaz's taking an interest in Ruth is in itself extraordinary, since it is not the nature of a man of his standing to inquire about women. The Midrashim and the commentators offer several explanations, but the general consensus is that Boaz noticed Ruth's exceptional modesty, and these are Chazal's words on this subject:
 

"Was it Boaz's habit to ask about women? No, he saw her modest and wise conduct. She would gather two sheaves but not three, and she gathered standing sheaves while standing, and sheaves which lay on the ground while sitting (squatting), in order not to bend over." 
 

And this apparently does not answer our question fully, since we can assume that there were other modest young ladies in Beit Lechem besides Ruth.
 

And we can explain that Boaz noticed Ruth, the new maiden in his field, primarily because of her Moabite appearance. The fact that Ruth was a Moabite could have presented a risk because of the possibility that she came to spy and pass on information to the Moabite looters about the progress of the harvest and the locations of the storehouses. And perhaps this was the reason that Boaz wanted to verify if this new Moabite girl was connected with any of the residents of Beit Lechem. The young supervisor of the reapers answered: 'A Moabite girl who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moav.' The lad tells Boaz that he has already conducted this investigation, and the Moabite maiden is the daughter in law of Naomi, who just now returned to Beit Lechem.
 

Valor and Leadership
 

Furthermore, we should notice that from the name Boaz we can learn that he was endowed with oz (valor). His valor and courage enabled him to lead his generation, and they are what merited him to be the progenitor of the lineage of the kings of Israel. The Midrash Ruth Rabbah teaches us:
 

"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a valiant man…" Rabbi Abahu said: when a giant marries a giantess, what do they give birth to? Men of valor. Boaz married Ruth and they were the progenitors of David, who "knows to play (music) and he is a valiant man and a man of war and wise in conduct and a man of (good) appearance and HaShem is with him."

And the word oz seems to indicate determination which is not deterred by threats or dangers. Regarding Shimon and Levi, it is said: "Cursed is their rage because it is az (fearless)" and the simple meaning is that they did not fear the possibility that the surrounding nations will gang together and attack the family of Yaakov, as their father feared. And the spies said about the dwellers of the land: "Nevertheless, the dwellers of the land are az (mighty)" and they meant that they are determined to hold on to their land at any cost and regardless of the consequences. 
 

And the kingship itself is called oz, as Yaakov said to Reuven when he blessed his sons: "Reuven, you are my first-born, my strength and the first of my might, higher in status and superior in power. (Bereshis 49:3)" And the Sages interpreted this that he should have been worthy of priesthood and kingship, as Rashi writes:
 

Higher in status – you should have been ranked over your brothers in priesthood. (This is alluded to by the word se'et – status - which is from the same root as nesiat capai'im – the raising of the hands for the priestly blessing.) And the word az – power – indicates kingship, as in I Shmuel (2:10) "And He will give oz (power) to His (chosen) king."
 

From the aforementioned verse from the Song of Hannah, which Rashi brings as a proof that kingdom is called oz, we can learn something about the strength which is required of the king. The verse appears to contradict itself – initially it speaks about salvation from Heaven, and it concludes by mentioning the strength and courage of the king:

"HaShem's adversaries will be broken, from Heaven HaShem will thunder, (He) will judge the ends of the earth and will give strength to His king and will raise the horn of His anointed."

Evidently, the main message of the verse is that HaShem indeed is the One who breaks His enemies, but He does this by means of the king of Israel and with the strength which He gives him in order to do this. And therefore, men are required to be brave of heart and to be valiant and strong in order to strike decisive blows against the wicked ones of the nations who come to attack the nation of HaShem and His inheritance. Boaz was the one who demonstrated the strength of spirit which was needed during the time of famine and plunder, and therefore, in addition, he is also the one who the kingdom of Israel must emerge from.