Shavuot Ruth and the Land

            Megilat Ruth certainly presents a positive attitude towards the Holy Land, so much so that the Talmudic Sage, Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai expresses his opinion that Elimelech and his sons were punished by death for having left Israel.

            Perhaps one of the reasons our Sages instituted the reading of Ruth on Shavuot is to connect Torah and the Land. While it is true that Torah was given outside the Holy Land, the Divine intent was to present the Nation of Israel with its constitution before entering its Land. (See, for example, Netziv’s comment [Leviticus 26:5]: God’s will is that the nation always dwell in its Land and serve Him.)

            The fact that so many mitzvot can be fulfilled only in the Land stresses the prominence of the Holy Land in connection with Torah and mitzvot, a point which is made as well, (even if only by implication) by Megilat Ruth.