OU TORAH ONE+ONE Ruth By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz

Many have the practice to recite, in the prayer following Shemoneh Esrei, a verse that starts and ends with the same letter as their name, or that contains their name, or both. This is considered a source of merit. In this series, we will briefly analyze these verses. רֹאֶיךָ אֵלֶיךָ יַשְׁגִּיחוּ אֵלֶיךָ יִתְבּוֹנָנוּ הֲזֶה הָאִישׁ מַרְגִּיז הָאָרֶץ מַרְעִישׁ מַמְלָכוֹת They who see you will look upon you, they will gaze earnestly at you (saying), ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?’ – Isaiah 14:16 The verse for the name Ruth comes not from the Book of Ruth but from the Book of Isaiah – and it references the Book of Daniel! The Abarbanel explains that this verse refers to the incident in Daniel chapter 4, in which Nebuchadnezzar took leave of his senses and lived like an animal for seven years. Isaiah predicted that the mighty Nebuchadnezzar would be humbled so that no one would recognize him as the monarch who had once terrorized the world.