and what we see in Ruth is custom that reflects the spirit if not the letter of the law, and in doing so distinguishes between its lesser and weightier matters. Ruth is a Moabitess, but she is also a widow and a landless alien who has taken refuge under Yahweh’s wings. And the author of Ruth apparently takes the view that, in such a case, it would be inappropriate to invoke the ban on Moabites. This ban on Moabites was no more intended to exclude someone like Ruth than the ban on Canaanites was intended