Tehillim 136 and the Gematria of the Name Ruth
It says in Tehillim 136:17:
- “Le-makeh melakhim gedolim ki le'olam chasdo” - (Who smote great kings, for His kindness endures forever).
The numerical value of this verse, in which David praises the Almighty, is equal to the gematria of the name Ruth—606.
The gematria of the name Ruth hints at something else as well. 606 is six hundreds and six units. The number 6 is represented by the letter “vav”—ו. Ruth’s primary characteristic was straightforwardness: from the moment she decided to convert to Judaism, nothing could stop her. She said to Naomi (Ruth 1:16–17): “…wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge as well.”
The root of the word Ruth—reish, vav, tav—means “satiety.” The Sages say in the tractate of Berakhot (7b) that Ruth received this name because she “was privileged to be the ancestor of King David, who ‘satisfied’ the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises.”
The Sages mean the following: In the Song of Songs, King Solomon compares the Almighty to a beloved, and the people of Israel to the beloved woman. And just as a lover longs for his beloved to love him with all her strength, so the Almighty expects “reciprocity” from the Jewish people.
Great love is expressed above all through songs and praises, and when one of the children of Israel dedicates a song and praise to the Almighty, this may be likened to “satisfying” the Creator and quenching His thirst, “justifying” His expectation that we love Him. This is what the Sages mean when they say that David “satisfied” the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praise.
The number 6 is mentioned once again in the story of Ruth, when Boaz gave her six sheaves of barley to take home.
The Talmud asks (Sanhedrin 93a): “Was it customary for Boaz to give six measures of barley as a gift?”. Could a man as righteous and wealthy as Boaz give a poor woman so little? The Talmud answers that Boaz wished to “hint” to Ruth in this way that she would have six righteous descendants, each of whom would receive six blessings. They were: David, Mashiach, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
(Rabbi Reuven Kuklin)
