The Crown of Blessing
and
the Marriage of Ruth
The
Hebrew writing on the ATARAH or CROWN, is the BLESSING: "Blessed art thou.
Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and
commanded us to wrap ourselves in the tzit tzit." The Blessing is placed over
the head, on the outside, just like the tent walls of the Holy Tabernacle so that
they would always hang the same way. As the Atarah was placed over the head, it
formed his own tent. WINGS of the garment were formed when the arms were held out.
In Ruth 3: 9,
Ruth found herself at the feet of Boaz, and as he awakened, he was moved with her
vulnerability. Women were not to do things of this nature in those days, but in
complete honesty and openness she said to him, "spread the corner of your
garment over me for thou art my kinsman redeemer" In NKJ it says, "Take
your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative."
Ruth said, "Take me under your WING." Cover me, is a term of intimacy. Boaz was an honorable man and did the honorable thing. They were married, and she became his bride. Here she was, a Moabite woman from a foreign country, grafted into the nation of Israel. She had the right to be covered by her Jewish spouse's Talis. This is a symbolic expression of marriage. (In Mid East culture they cast a garment over one being claimed for marriage.) In Ezekiel 16: 8 the Lord speaks to Jerusalem and likewise says, "so I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness," and in Psalm 91 we are able to "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" and "under His wings."
Fringes, Tassels and Coils reminiscent of God's Commandments
