Our Gemara on Amud Aleph delineates the parts of a boat that are included, and those not included in a sale. One part is the anchor, in Hebrew the word is igun. The Mishna gives a proof text from what Na’ami told Rus and Arpah, to discourage them from a quixotic return with her. She says (Rus 1:13):

הלהן תשברנה עד אשר יגדלו הלהן תעגנה לבלתי היות לאיש 

[Even if I had children in old age] should you wait and be “anchored” te-ageyna for them to grow up? 

This also is the linguistic root for the word “agunah” that we use for a woman who is stuck and anchored in a married state against her will such as a husband who is missing or recalcitrant in giving a divorce. 

Rav Yaakov Yitschok Ruderman ZT׳L in Sichas Avodas Halevi (Ma’amar 103, “Rus and Arpah”) makes compelling observations about Rus and Arpah. Up until they split paths, and Arpah turns back and Rus continues on her path toward Judaism, they are seen as identical. They both married Jews, and both expressed loyalty and love to their mother in law and the Jewish nation. 

Two people, on similar journeys, diverge completely. Arpah becomes the mother of Goliath, after descending to the lowest levels of debauchery, described in Sotah (42b). David, Goliath’s nemesis, descended from Rus. How odd is that? Rav Ruderman observed that sometimes the most imperceptible shift in attitude and beliefs can eventually take someone on a completely different trajectory. This is like two geometric rays, with only one degree of difference at the origination point can separate by light years over a distance traveled. 

When I think about the trajectory of my own life, and the people I meet who share their stories, it is so clear how seemingly minor decisions or experiences have epic influence. We must choose wisely and be mindful of what we do and where it leads.