Ruth (Megillat Rut): How and When It Is Read on Shavuot
Megillat Rut (the Book of Ruth, also spelled Megillat Ruth) is one of the Five Megillot, the five short scrolls found in Ketuvim (the Writings), the third section of the Hebrew Bible. Set "in the days when the judges ruled," it tells the story of Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who clings to Naomi and to the God of Israel after both their husbands die. Ruth gleans in the barley fields of Boaz, a kinsman who ultimately redeems and marries her. The book closes with a genealogy revealing that Ruth and Boaz were the great-grandparents of King David. Read liturgically on the festival of Shavuot, the scroll is celebrated for its themes of loyalty, conversion, and chesed (loving-kindness).
When it’s read
Ruth is read on Shavuot. The exact timing depends on community and location. In the Diaspora, where Shavuot is observed for two days, the dominant Ashkenazi practice is to read it at Shacharit (the morning service), before the Torah reading, on the second day of the festival. In Israel, where Shavuot is a single day, it is read on that one day; some read it before Shacharit and others after Mincha so they can give it fuller attention. Sephardi and Yemenite communities generally read it before Mincha, and in many communities, if it was already read during the all-night Shavuot study, it is not read again publicly. Beyond the formal synagogue reading, Ruth is also widely studied during Tikkun Leil Shavuot, the all-night learning on the first night of the festival. The custom of reading Ruth on Shavuot is attested as far back as the Talmudic-era tractate Soferim (14:16).
Customs
Several complementary reasons are given for reading Ruth on Shavuot: Ruth's embrace of the God of Israel parallels the Jewish people's acceptance of the Torah at Sinai; the book records the lineage of King David, whose death is traditionally associated with Shavuot; the story unfolds during the barley and wheat harvest, matching Shavuot's agricultural character; and the narrative is saturated with chesed, the loving-kindness at the heart of Torah. Reading customs vary. Followers of the Vilna Gaon (some Ashkenazim) read from a kosher parchment scroll (klaf) and recite the blessings "al mikra megillah" and Shehecheyanu beforehand. Most Ashkenazim and all Sephardim recite no blessing and do not require a parchment scroll, so reading from a printed book or Tanach is fully acceptable.
How it’s chanted
Ruth is chanted with its own cantillation melody, not the weekly Torah trope. The biblical cantillation marks (te'amim) printed in the text are the same signs used throughout the Bible, but the melody applied to them differs by book and genre. In the Ashkenazi tradition, Ruth is sung with the festival-megillot melody (sometimes called the "Megillah" trop), the same tune shared by Song of Songs (read on Pesach) and Ecclesiastes / Kohelet (read on Sukkot). This is distinct from the regular weekly Torah trope, the High Holiday Torah trope, the Haftarah trope, and the unique melodies of Esther (joyful) and Eichah / Lamentations (mournful) — six distinct Ashkenazi systems in all, with the three festival scrolls grouped under one shared melody. Note that this festival-scroll melody is a relatively late development and varies by region (for example, Polish versus Lithuanian custom), and some communities chant these scrolls more simply. TropeTrainer includes voicing systems for the megillot, so you can hear and practice the melody used for Ruth rather than relying on notation alone.
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Frequently asked questions
When is Ruth (Megillat Rut) read?
Ruth is read on the festival of Shavuot. In the Diaspora (where Shavuot is two days), the dominant Ashkenazi custom is to read it at the morning service, before the Torah reading, on the second day. In Israel (one day), it is read on that single day, either before Shacharit or after Mincha. Sephardi and Yemenite communities generally read it before Mincha, and it is also commonly studied during the all-night learning of Tikkun Leil Shavuot.
Why do we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot?
Several reasons are traditionally given: Ruth's acceptance of the God of Israel mirrors the people of Israel accepting the Torah at Sinai; the book traces the ancestry of King David, whose death is traditionally linked to Shavuot; the story takes place during the harvest, matching Shavuot's agricultural theme; and the narrative is filled with chesed (loving-kindness), a central value of the Torah.
How do you chant Ruth (Megillat Rut)?
Ruth is chanted with the festival-megillot cantillation melody in the Ashkenazi tradition — the same tune used for Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes — rather than the weekly Torah trope. The cantillation marks in the text are the standard biblical signs, but the melody applied to them is specific to these scrolls and varies by region. The most reliable way to learn it is to listen and repeat; TropeTrainer lets you hear Ruth chanted and practice it phrase by phrase.
Do you recite a blessing before reading Megillat Ruth?
It depends on custom. Followers of the Vilna Gaon read from a kosher parchment scroll and recite the blessings 'al mikra megillah' and Shehecheyanu beforehand. Most Ashkenazim and all Sephardim recite no blessing and do not require a parchment scroll, so reading from a printed book or Tanach is acceptable.
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