THREE
When the harvest was nearly over, Naomi said, “You must make a move if you want to be with Boaz. You must set up a home of your own so that we might continue to be together. Perhaps Boaz could even bring you a son, a love child that we might raise together as our own. I have a plan.”
“Tonight, Boaz will be winnowing all the harvested barley. Let me bathe you now and I will anoint you all over with fragrant oils. I will dress and prepare you for him. Go to where he is working but do not announce your presence until he has finished eating and drinking. Wait until he goes to sleep. Then sneak into his room and lie down naked at his feet. He will know what to do.”
Ruth replied, “I will do everything exactly as you say.”
When Boaz had eaten and drunk his fill, his heart was merry, and he went to lie down among the heaps of barley. Ruth came softly to him, she took off her clothes and she lay naked by his feet. At midnight Boaz woke and was started to find a naked woman in his bed.
“Who are you?” he said, rubbing his eyes. She answered: “I am Ruth, spread your blankets out for me, you are nearly family.”
Boaz could not believe his luck. He said: “You are certainly blessed by God because you were not tempted by all those young men in the fields. Fear not, I will service you in all the ways you need. All the city knows that you are a virtuous woman.
“Yes, I am nearly your family, but not by blood. Sleep with me tonight, and if I do not perform to your liking you may go on your way, but if I perform and you are satisfied, then I will do as is right and fulfill my role, and make you into family for good.”
Ruth lay with him until morning and she rose up early before anyone could recognize her. She kissed him and caressed his naked body by her side, which had given her so much pleasure in the night. He said: “Go now, before it becomes known that you were here, and also, bring the veil that you were wearing, and I shall fill it with barley.” Boaz laid the veil filled with barley upon her, and he went into the city.
When she returned home, Naomi smiled and said “Who are you? I barely recognize you.” Ruth blushed and told Naomi all that Boaz had done for her, and how he pleasured her. Ruth said, “He even gave me this barley, wrapped in my veil, because he did not want me to return home empty handed.”
Naomi said, “Now you need to sit still, and see how he responds. Once he has had a taste of you, he will not rest until he has finished the matter and made you his, for I know better than anyone how sweet you taste.”
FOUR
Boaz went up to the gates of the city and waited until the city woke up. He gathered ten men of the elders of the city, including the closest members of Naomi’s family, and he said to them, “I heard that Naomi is selling some land, which was our brother Elimelech’s. If you want to redeem it, redeem it; but if you will, then tell me, because there is nobody to redeem it besides you, and if you won’t I will. One of Naomi’s relatives said, “I will redeem it.”
Then Boaz said, scheming, “When you acquire the field from Naomi, you must also acquire it from Ruth the Moabite, the wife of her deceased son, to raise the memory of the dead upon his inheritance.” Naomi’s kinsman said: “Then I cannot redeem it for myself, because that might harm my own inheritance. You may take the right of redemption for yourself. I cannot redeem it.”
“Buy it for yourself,” he said, and drew off his shoe and gave it to him, as that was the custom of the country.
And Boaz said to the elders that he had gathered, and to everyone who congregated there “You are my witnesses today, that I have purchased all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Kilyon’s and Machlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.”
And I have something else to say. “I am taking Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Machlon, as my wife, to raise the memory of her husband upon his inheritance, so that the name of the dead will not be cut off from among his brethren, and you are my witnesses to all of this on this day.”
And all of the elders and the people who had gathered replied, “We are witnesses to this. May God bless you and may the woman that you are bringing into your home be like Rachel and like Leah, who built the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Efrata and famous in Bethlehem. And we bless you that your house should be like that of Peretz, who Tamar bore to Judah, and that God will give you seed with this young woman.”
So Boaz took Ruth, as his wife, and he spent many days and nights pleasuring her, and Ruth was happy, as was Naomi, and Ruth conceived and she bore a son.
And all the women of the city said to Naomi, “Blessed be God, who has not left you, but provided you today with an heir and a child. May he be famous in Israel, may he restore you to life and nourish you in your old age, because he was born to your daughter-in-law, who loves you, and who has been better to you than seven sons, for she has born him.” Naomi took the child, with Ruth by her side, and she laid him on her bosom, and she felt the stirrings of something she never dreamed possible, her breasts filled with milk. With tears in her eyes Naomi kissed Ruth, and Ruth put the baby on to Naomi’s breasts and she became his nursemaid.
And all the neighbors surrounded them as they named him Oved. Who was born of the love and toil of both man and woman. Oved became the father of Jesse, the father of King David.
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Such an amazing experience! The Sarah Lawrence Jewrotica workshop was more than I could have ever expected – a comfortable, safe, sultry environment where participants clearly felt good about sharing or listening to each other’s intimate experiences and relating them to sexy stories from the Torah. From the moment the workshop began, Ayo had a sweet presence that was kinetic and spread around the room; her storytelling abilities had everyone enraptured and made the conversation topics relata… Read more
I stepped out of my comfort zone to be a part of this. I was glad to open up the topic of sexuality in my community. We are trying to build a safe space to talk about sex. The result I am most happy about coming from this event is that hopefully now my friends know they can come and talk to me, that I can be their ‘safe space’.
Jewrotica is awesome. It expands the mind and for people who were raised with narrow views on sexuality. Whether you are Jewish or not, or in different sects of Judaism like Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, no matter what your background or where you’re from, Jewrotica gets you to see Judaism and how it relates to sexuality in new ways. I really appreciate Ayo being here and helping us learn different ways to connect with our sexuality.
At Jewrotica’s Evening of Bedside Readings, students declaimed monologues on sexual encounters that had a Jewish twist. At Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the speakers pushed their own boundaries by performing a range of explicit narratives that challenged how the audience thought of the relationship to Judaism and sex. During the speakers’ preparation, the arguments about which narratives would be appropriate forced students to take a stand and voice their opinion on their own beliefs about Judaism an… Read more
I’m into Jewrotica. I went in for my second circumcision.
Jewrotica was everything I had dreamed of and more: sexy attendees, tantalizing confessions, and well-written literature to boot! More importantly, it empowers us Jews to reach inside and own our sexy selves and heritage!
Jewrotica is a great way to ask interesting questions about the interplay between sensuality and Jewish wisdom. Check it out.
I’m so glad that Jewrotica is represented here at Jewlicious! It’s bringing voices that need to be heard in the Jewish discussion and Jewish climate environment.
While many people fear the “sex talk,” Jewrotica offers an opportunity for writers and audiences to speak about sexuality in a open and safe space. When I attended a Jewrotica reading, I heard stories that reminded me that love takes many forms, and that expressing it is a vital part of who we are as a people.
I had a great time deejaying at the Jewrotica event at Columbia University. The live readings were hilarious, informative, and in some cases, deeply moving. I know that I, along with many of my AEPi fraternity brothers, loved being able to connect our Judaism and our sexuality in a way that made all of us feel comfortable and welcome. I look forward to being a part of this again in the future!
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