[Avodah] Dissuading a potential ger

[Michael Poppers]

(Bcc:ing SK, to whom RAM asked this Q earlier today; and I believe he
intended to ask the Q to me as well :).)
In Avodah V41n39, RAkivaM asked:
> In Megilas Rus 1:14, Naami successfully dissuaded Orpah from converting,
and in 1:15 she gives Ruth one last attempt: "Look, your sister-in-law has
returned to her people and to her gods; go follow your sister-in-law."
How is this not a violation of Lifnei Iver? <
(Suggesting an answer in honor of Dr. MJ Bernstein, who I understand
<https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tribute-dr-moshe-bernstein-upon-his-retirement-from-yu-shlomo-zuckier/>
just "retired" from YC....)
I learned M'gilas Ruth w/ Dr. Bernstein -- I dare say he would point to the
repeated inflections of "lashuv" (which RAM would apparently translate as
"to return") in the first chapter.  Why does that matter?  Because in most
instances someone is 'return'ing (or being directed/desiring to 'return')
to or from something/one, making that the standard phraseology...so when an
inflection is used w/out such a prepositional phrase, it's remarkable, and
what are the exceptions? Verses 11-12 (Naomi's two "Shovna v'nosay!"s).  In
other words, Naomi is explicitly not telling Orpah and Ruth what to return
to.  Orpah then 'leaves the stage' -- but NB the text does not use the
'return' verb! -- and when Naomi speaks to Ruth in verse 15 as RAM wrote
above and explicitly details what/where Orpah returned to, she does not
detail what Ruth should return to.  Of course, one could 'read between the
lines', especially as Ruth's famous response includes "ameich ami
vEilokayich Elokay"; but Naomi merely said "acharei"; and Ruth echoes with
"al-tifg'i-vi...meiacharayich."

In sum, M'gilas Ruth is full of literary devices -- we've merely touched
upon one that is used in the first chapter -- and the reader/listener must
be careful to pay attention to what they say and what they do not
explicitly say.  Chag Sameach!
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