Amasa ben Yeter's Sword and Dovid's Lineage
Doeg questions whether Dovid, a descendant of Rus the Moabite, may even join the Jewish people, until Amasa ben Yeter plants a sword in the Beis Midrash and declares the law.
Years later, as the nation of Israel suffered under the relentless taunts of Goliath, a future King Dovid stepped forward to confront the challenge. Shaul Hamelech provided Dovid with his own royal armor. Even though Shaul was taller, miraculously, the armor fit Dovid perfectly. Shaul took this as an omen, pondering whether Dovid’s lineage qualified him to be king. Doeg interjected with a provocative question: before assessing Dovid’s suitability for kingship, should one not first consider whether he was even fit to join the Jewish congregation? After all, Dovid was a descendant of Rus Hamoavia, and converts from Moav and Amon are barred from marrying into the Jewish nation.
Shaul directed Doeg to raise this question in the Beis Medrash. A debate ensued. At one point, the sage Amasa ben Yeter grabbed a sword, drove it into the ground, and declared, “Anyone who does not accept that a Moabite woman may be permitted while a Moabite man is forbidden shall be pierced with this sword!” This ruling was rooted in the tradition handed down from Shmuel HaNavi – one that distinguishes between the acceptability of Ammonite and Moabite women versus men. Thus, since Dovid’s lineage came from a female convert, he was allowed to join the congregation.