There is no doubt that of all the stories in the Bible, the Book of Ruth is my favorite. Ruth has always been a heroine of my childhood. A family tragedy in which she lost her husband and two sons led Naomi to decide to return to her homeland. Ruth the Moabite, her devoted daughter-in-law who lost her husband, decides to leave her happiness, wealth, and family behind and follow her mother-in-law and her heart - to a land where she will be looked at differently. To a people who will never accept her for who she is.
And Ruth, despite all the humiliations, difficulties, and severe famine that prevailed in the land - stays and converts. The ending is very happy: Boaz sees her gleaning grain and decides to marry her. And thanks to her modesty and loyalty, Ruth becomes the grandmother of King David.
I also knew, in fact, I was privileged to know, the Ruth of Moab of our time.
The one who conquered me
16 years ago I met her in her small, modest apartment in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem. Her skin color was not my skin color, and the language she spoke was not mine. And yet, something about her was so captivating and amazing. Her silence conveyed true modesty, and her laughter brought life to the entire house.
Later I became a housewife, her daughters became my closest and most wonderful friends. We would sit in the living room from time to time and listen with great excitement to her amazing stories. She, too, like Ruth, left a country with unlimited possibilities. She too left a large home, a mother and a loving family, and followed her heart. She sacrificed everything for her husband, for a new faith that was foreign to her.
There's no doubt that her different skin color made some people nervous. There's no doubt that raising children of a different color, alongside neighbors who look the same, took an inexplicable amount of courage.
The shorts and short shirts were replaced by long, modest clothes. Her hair was covered with a colorful scarf. Suddenly, there were so many strange and unclear rules. And she, with blindness and strong faith, did not break and was as strict as she was gentle, with every commandment that came her way.
Until one bright day her world came crashing down on her: her husband, her man, the person she followed with her eyes closed and left her entire world for him - his heart stopped!
There is no gap between us.
With five small children, she remained in such a foreign country.
And when they expected her to pack her things and finally return to her family, she refused. She grieved and grew stronger. Looking back, Ruth might have come back.
But not you, Sarah. You stay with them in a country that was so unkind to you. You stayed and managed against all odds to raise your son and daughters. Over the years, you watched with sorrow as two of your children left, drifted away, and fled from the new life you had chosen for them. In your great wisdom, you remained silent, understood - and continued to love them from afar. Even when they chose to follow the path you had fled from. You still stayed, continued to raise your daughters and your granddaughter, who was added to your life like a daughter.
You were noble, Sarah. You never complained to those closest to you, even when there was not a single piece of bread on your table. You never scolded or rebuked your daughters, even when they stumbled from time to time. You just picked them up, hugged them, and carried on.
You're not called Sarah for nothing. Just like our mother Sarah, the mother of all Jews and a huge host. You're so much like her, your door was always wide open. To all the oppressed and stuck. When they came to you in the wee hours of the night, you didn't say a word. And we loved you so much. You would sit with your daughters and their friends, have fun and laugh with them, even if it was stupid and ridiculous in your eyes. That's how you were, dear Sarah.
I love everyone, and it never bothered you that my color is different from yours, and it never bothered you that we don't even speak the same language...
It seemed like you were just waiting for us to wake you up.
Before Passover, we learned that you were seriously ill. You only allowed yourself to get sick when you knew that all your daughters were settled and married.
I was blessed, Sarah. I was blessed, dear woman, to spend a few hours with you in the hospital, right in your last days. We sat and laughed like we had never laughed before in our lives. The terrible cancer was taking hold of you, and the pain was terrible, and your appetite was simply disappearing.
Even though you agreed to eat something small that I prepared for you, just to honor me. And again I sat and listened to you eagerly, swallowing every word, and we reminisced about your wonderful daughters, and your lovely granddaughter who was your daughter. Not for a moment did you mention that it was difficult for you, you didn't see the sorrow and pain in your eyes. You just prayed, and wanted them all to be well and lovely. We said goodbye - and I promised I would come back.
I kept my promise. I did return, but you were unconscious. So beautiful and peaceful...
It seemed like you were just sleeping and in a minute you would wake up. It seemed like you were just waiting for us to wake you up. And so you waited. You waited to go without any more pain, suffering and agony. Without making too much of a mess. Because that's how you were, Sarah. You didn't like to bother anyone.
Sarah, mother of kings, mother of Jerusalem, you have been called more than once. The Ruth of Moab of our generation. Pray strongly for us before Him who sits on high, who will watch over your daughters, your family, and the people of Israel. And who knows, Sarah, perhaps David, King of Israel, will come from you.
Who was Sarah?
Abraham (Johnny Henry) Gens was a battalion commander in the US Army during World War II. He fought against the Nazis and was directly responsible for the liberation of the extermination camps.
Following a disciplinary problem, Avraham's ranks and decorations were taken away, and he was demoted to the rank of sergeant.
In his new role, he had to drive one of the rabbis, who had come to visit the survivors of the extermination camps, and that was how he was first exposed to Judaism. For a long time, he asked himself why this people were punished in such a cruel way, and he got to know Judaism up close. He was particularly enchanted by the amazing Shabbats he spent with the survivors. After the war, he returned to the United States. A few years later, he married Sarah (Pauline Lewis John), who was the scion of a devout Christian family.
Over time, Abraham shared with Sarah and convinced her that Christianity was not the true path, and asked her to join him and search for the truth. Sarah followed him all the way, with her eyes closed, and when he asked her to convert, she did so with great joy and willingness.
Sarah's family was hurt by her betrayal of Christianity and severed ties with her.
Sarah and Abraham immigrated as Jews, with three small children, to the Land of Israel. They settled in the expanded Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem. Later, they had two more children. A few months after the birth of the little baby, Abraham suffered a cardiac arrest and returned his soul to the Creator.
At his funeral, the director of Beit Yaakov in northern Jerusalem paid tribute to him. She said tearfully: "When Avraham came to register his daughters for school, I shamefully kicked him out of the room. Then he stood up and said a few sentences to me in German that made me tremble.".
It turns out that Avraham was responsible for liberating the extermination camp where she was located during World War II - and since then, a strong bond has been formed between the two families.
Sarah was left alone, with five small children.
A few weeks after her husband died, she received a letter from her mother, in which she wrote to her: "Now that your husband has died, leave the new religion you have chosen and return to Christianity, your family, and the church.".
Sarah, of course, refused and stayed to raise her children in Israel, as she had promised her husband.
She served for years as a nurse in the cardiopulmonary department at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem.
She raised her children with endless love and devotion. When her children would come home crying, after being made fun of for their skin color, she would lovingly explain to them that God created trees and flowers of different colors, as well as black and white people, and she always explained to them with a smile that their skin color "is simply more interesting, and therefore it is difficult for people to accept what is different.".
They often suffered from stares and whispers from those around them, but she never took it to heart.
Her home was open twenty-four hours a day to anyone who just asked for or wanted a place to stay.
About 12 years ago, she lost her eldest son, Naftali, under tragic circumstances.
At the age of 68, she fell seriously ill and returned her soul to the Creator, on the 28th of Iyar, 5707.
Sarah left behind four amazing daughters: Rivka, Leah, Rachel and Chaya Livi. And beloved grandchildren.
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