Why Enlarged Nun in Ruth 3:13?

Question

Why is the Nun enlarged in Ruth Chapt 3 vs 13 1st word “lini”?

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Your question flummoxed me. I looked at every single edition of Megillas Rus that I have, and they all have the letter ‘lamed’ enlarged and not the letter ‘nun’! I then looked around in some of my local Batei Midrash, and the ‘lamed’ was the prevalent letter, although in two editions I found that no letters were enlarged at all.

    I finally found that the Minchas Shai (an early Acharon) writes that there are differing customs. Some Megillahs have the ‘lamed’ enlarged; some have the ‘nun’; and yet others have none enlarged. Each one is valid and each kind of Megillah is Kosher to be read from. However, the Minchas Shai does not address why the ‘lamed’ or the ‘nun’ are enlarged.

    I cannot say for sure, but the Rokeach writes that the word “lini” is an acronym using the last letters of each exile for the four exiles that the Jewish Nation have been through: BaveL, Madai, YavaN and RomI. I assume that the enlarged ‘lamed’ or ‘nun’ is connected to the exile.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team