The Sages further said: “Why was the scroll of Ruth written? After all, it does not contain issues of purity and impurity or of prohibited and permitted matters, so why was it written? Rather, it was to teach you about the great reward for those how bestow kindness.” The Sages here are referring to Bo’az who did kindness with Ruth and Naomi, for which he merited having the royal line of the House of David as his descendants. In another passage our Sages said this: “Rain only falls to the earth in the merit of those who do acts of kindness.” And if a person becomes liable to death by the Heavenly court, the merit of performing kindness spares him form death.