Travels with Ruth

Article appeared in more than one of their publications. In main paper's Life and Times section and also in Princeton Mercer Bucks edition.

Author's Jewish journey informs novel about the Torah heroine

Eva Etzioni-Halevy says one of her book's messages is "Embrace the stranger."

04.26.07

With apt timing, Israeli author Eva Etzioni-Halevy will appear throughout New Jersey in May to talk about her latest biblical novel, The Garden of Ruth (Plume, a Division of Penguin). The novel was inspired by the biblical Book of Ruth, which is read during Shavuot; this year, the holiday falls on May 22-24.

Born in Vienna, Etzioni-Halevy is a child Holocaust survivor. She moved to Israel in 1945. A professor emeritus of political sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, she has also taught in the United States and Australia. Her first biblical novel, The Song of Hannah, was published in 2005; a third novel, about the prophetess and judge Deborah, is slated for release next year.

The Garden of Ruth weaves history and fiction to explore the lives of biblical figures. The book's heroine, Osnath, is a sort of biblical sleuth who embarks on a journey to unlock the mysteries of the future king David's great-grandmother, Ruth.

Told through the voices of Osnath and Ruth herself, the book transports readers into the ancient world and offers a new perspective on a well-known tale, giving voice to women in the Bible.

The author answered questions about becoming a novelist, her latest work's relevance to Shavuot, and its message for today's readers.

After a long career as a sociology professor, what led you to write novels about women in the Bible?

I began reading and rereading the Bible, and I was fascinated by it. What ignited my imagination was that the women and men described in it, although they lived thousands of years ago, are so strikingly similar to us in their hopes and desires, their fears and anxieties.

I began to identify particularly with biblical women, whose feelings I could visualize as if they were my own. So I began writing novels in which these women are the chief characters.

The novels take readers back in time on intriguing biblical journeys. They offer stories of passionate love, betrayal, and redemption through friendship and are faithful to the spirit of the Bible.

What led you in particular to write The Garden of Ruth?

The biblical Book of Ruth tells us that after her husband's death, Ruth the Moabite followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem in the Land of Israel and there became the great-grandmother of Israel's glorious king, David.

What attracted me to Ruth's story was that there is a touch of mystery in it. On the face of it, the Book of Ruth seems totally pastoral and idyllic. But when I looked more carefully, I saw that there are hints of dark undercurrents.

I noticed the mystery of the man who is referred to as "Ploni Almoni," "The Unnamed." He was Ruth's deceased husband's next of kin, who by law and custom was required to marry her. Thereby he would also have acquired her husband's property yet he refused.

I asked myself: Who was this mysterious man? Why is his name concealed? Could there have been something so horrifying about him that made it necessary to hide his name?

Also, why was he so adamant not to marry Ruth, even though the marriage would have enriched him and especially since he could have married more than one woman?

Could it be that he had met Ruth before? Could there have been a clandestine relationship between them? And could things have gone wrong between them?

I decided to write a novel that would unravel this mystery. I approached it as a bit of a detective novel. My heroine, Osnath, is a sort of biblical Miss Marple. She appears on the scene three generations later, uncovers more and more pieces of the puzzle, and makes them fall into place.

Why is it particularly relevant to read The Garden of Ruth around Shavuot?

The biblical Book of Ruth is, of course, read in synagogues on Shavuot. Ancient Israel was an agricultural society and the festival of Shavuot is based on the agricultural cycle; it celebrates the wheat harvest. This is the time of year when Ruth met and developed her relationship with her future husband, Boaz; their love sprouted while the harvest was proceeding in the fields, and their story is also the story of the harvest.

Shavuot also celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Ruth accepted the God of Israel and thereby also the Torah.

Reading The Garden of Ruth can help people understand the tie between the Book of Ruth and Shavuot and enjoy the ancient holiday in a new manner.

What does Shavuot mean to you personally?

In a way, I followed Ruth's example in being a traveler, not only in the geographical sense, but also in my soul. Like Ruth, I accepted the Torah (after many years of alienation from it), and for me Shavuot symbolizes this acceptance. Writing the novel is part of this Jewish journey.

What messages does The Garden of Ruth convey to contemporary readers?

First, it conveys a feminist message. It shows in greater detail what is evident in the Bible itself: Although weak in their position, the women of the Bible were strong in their character, and they used their feminine strength to achieve what they wanted in their lives.

Second, there is a message of interfaith tolerance. The novel develops the message also contained in the biblical story of Ruth: Embrace the stranger in your midst. Make her feel at home, so that she will no longer be a stranger.