Jonah - With Translated Commentaries

Proclaim upon it - my proclamation. (Or, call upon it - my call.)

Nineveh - the royal seat of Assyria, which is a ruin today. And the sages of Israel in Greece say that it is the city called Ortei [Ortygia, Sicily?], but I do not know. Note that God did not command Jonah to say "In forty days..." only that "their evil has come before Me."

And those who explain that Jonah feared that he would be called a false prophet - by God forgiving them their evil - are incorrect, because God did not say this reason until the second time, where it says: 'the proclamation that I speak to you," - and that is when God says it will be forty days.

Moreover, how could a prophet rebel against God's command out of his fear that the people of Nineveh would call him a false prophet? How would that harm him? Would he dwell among them?

Further, the people of Nineveh weren't stupid. Why would God send a prophet to them for them to repent, and if they refused, the decree against them would be fulfilled - if they knew that this was so, that if they repent, God would forgive their evil - why would they then call Jonah a false prophet?!

Our sages of blessed memory were correct when they said that Jonah was distressed, for Israel's sake, that the people of Nineveh would escape [their fate].

[...]

The people of Nineveh had once been God-fearing, and had only begun to do evil in Jonah's time. And were it not that they used to be God-fearing, God would not have sent a prophet to them. We see that they did a complete, even unparalleled teshuvah, and we do not find any text that says they tore down their altars to Baal or their idols. And so we learn that they were not idolaters.

The mishna lists among those liable to receive death at the hand of Heaven one who suppresses his prophecy. The Gemara comments: For example, Jonah, son of Amittai (Jonah 1:1–3)...

The questions: we do not find in any text that God would send a prophet of Israel to go to another country to get them to repent. This is specific to Israel, to whom divine providence applies, as our sages said...How was Nineveh different, that God sent Jonah?

And why did Jonah not heed God's voice? He should have sprinted joyfully to get human beings to repent from their evil way, and what matter is it that they were not of Israel?

And how could Jonah transgress God's command by suppressing his prophecy? A prophet who does this is liable to the death penalty!

And why did God say, "Proclaim" without saying what to proclaim, and only specifying the second time "Proclaim that which I shall tell you"?

"Arise, go to Nineveh and proclaim upon it": so that they repent. Jonah's mission was not for the sake of Nineveh, ...but for Israel's sake. After Assyria was assigned to be the rod of God's wrath with Israel for their sins, God wanted to bring them [Assyria] to repentance so that they would be ready to fulfill God's decree...Also, God wanted to show that Assyria had more merit than Israel, because they listened to the words of the prophet and repented, while Israel stiffened their necks. And when Jonah realized that, from this mission, harm would come upon Israel, this is when he began to think about not going. He chose to drown himself in the sea instead of bringing about harm to Israel.

[...]

And because, in the first instance, God only said to "proclaim," without specifying what, this meant proclaiming to them general words of morality and rebuke so that they would repent....God was only sending him to rebuke them, and not to inform them of God's decree on them. Hence, Jonah thought that by not going, he was not guilty of suppressing his prophecy; he wasn't being sent to prophesy at all, and he would be only violating the positive command from God to rebuke them.

to flee to Tarshish: to a sea named Tarshish, which is outside the Land of Israel. He said, “I will flee to the sea, for the Shechinah does not rest outside the Land.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him, “By your life, I have messengers like you to send after you and fetch you from there.”

This is like the parable of a priest’s slave who fled from his master and entered a cemetery [making it impossible for his master to retrieve him]. His master said to him, “I have slaves like you to send after you and fetch you from there.”

Now what did Jonah see that he did not wish to go to Nineveh? He said, “The gentiles are quick to repent. Should I prophesy to them and they repent, I will be found condemning Israel, who do not heed the words of the prophets.” [from Mechilta, Exodus 12:1]

He paid the fare: in advance, while passengers normally pay the fare only when the ship sails. Moreover, he paid the fare for the whole boat.

He went and fled to Jaffa: The gaon said that Tarshish is Tarsus. But Rabbi Mevaser says that it is Tunis in Africa.

Jonah went and fled toward Tarshish from before God: How could he flee?...The prophet was full of wisdom and intelligence; how could he think that he could flee from God? Rather, he sought to flee from before God; that is, from being in God's presence, which is the spirit of prophecy. He thought that if he were to leave the Land of Israel, the spirit of prophecy would no longer rest upon him. And so he would be able to refuse to go on the mission, since he thought that gentiles are quick to repent, and if he went to them on this mission of God, they would repent from their evil ways. And this would condemn Israel, since Jonah and the other prophets keep going to them on missions from God and they do not repent from their evil way....

each to his own god: from seventy nations of the idolaters, they were there.

He lay down and slept - from seasickness, and perhaps this was his first time on a ship.

They saw that the other ships were sailing in the sea calmly, and [only] theirs was breaking...

You who have brought this misfortune upon us: Against whom have you sinned, that this evil should befall us because of it?

What is your business? Perhaps you were negligent in your work.

Where have you come from? Perhaps a decree has been issued upon the people of that place even if you are not there.

Of what people are you? Perhaps your people have sinned.

The captain came to him. He said to him, "Behold, we are standing between death and life, and you are dozing off? From which people are you?" He said to them, "I am a Hebrew." They said to him, "And have we not heard that the God of the Hebrews is great? 'Cry out to your God' (Jonah 1:6). Maybe He will do for us like all of His wonders at the Red Sea." He said to them, "This distress has come upon you because of me, as I am fleeing from in front of Him, as I thought that His glory was not in the sea, and now I see that His glory is on the dry land and in the sea." He said to them, "Because of me; 'Lift me and put me in the sea, and the sea will be quiet upon you' (Jonah 1:12)." Rabbi Shimon said, "The men did not accept from Yonah to drop him into the sea; and [so] they cast lots, as it is stated (Jonah 2:7), 'and they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Yonah.'" What did they do? They took the vessels that were on the ship and threw them to the sea to make themselves lighter, but it did not help a bit. They sought to return to dry land, but they were not able, as it is stated (Jonah 1:13), "And the men rowed, etc."

What did they do? They took Yonah and stood him upon the edge of the ship and said, "God of the world, Lord, 'do not put innocent blood upon us' (Jonah 1:14), as we do not know what is the nature of this man; yet he says to us with his mouth, 'because of me has this distress come upon you.'" They placed him [into the sea] until his knees, and the sea stopped from its fury. They [then] took him back towards them, and the sea stormed against them. They placed him [into the sea] until his navel, and the sea stopped from its fury. They [then] took him back towards them, and it stormed against them. They placed him completely [in the sea, and] the sea was immediately quiet from its fury, as it is stated (Jonah 1:15), "And they lifted Yonah and placed him, etc."

a huge fish: It was a male, and Jonah could stand with plenty of room, so that he did not think to pray. The Holy One hinted to the fish, and it spewed him out into the mouth of a female, which was full of embryos, and it was crowded there, and he prayed there, as it is said: (verse 2) “from the belly of the fish (f.).”

and Jonah remained: no one can survive in the belly of a fish even for an hour, so if this is the duration, it must have been a miracle.

The LORD appointed: ...at the moment that Jonah was cast into the sea, God appointed the fish that swallowed him, so that he did not drown. And this was one of the miracles. In Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Tarfon said that the fish was appointed from the six days of creation to swallow Jonah.

Rabbi Tarfon said, "The fish was designated from the six days of creation to swallow Yonah, as it is stated (Jonah 2:1), 'And the Lord designated a great fish.'"

[...]

"And the Lord designated a great fish to swallow Yonah, and Yonah was in the innards of the fish three days and three nights"(Jonah 2:1) - and Yonah entered its mouth, like a man that enters a large synagogue, and the two eyes of the fish were like opened windows giving light to Yonah. Rabbi Meir said, "A pearl was hanging in the innards of the fish, and it would give light to Yonah, like the sun lights up in its strength in the afternoon. And Yonah could see everything that was in the sea and that was in the depths, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is planted for the righteous, and joy for the righteous of heart."

Yonah said to himself... I will flee to a place where His glory is not found. This is like a king of flesh and blood whose wife died while she was nursing and he sought a wet nurse to nurse his son. What did he do? He called to his wet nurse to nurse his son that he not die of hunger. What did the king’s wet nurse do? She left his son and fled. When the king saw that this was so he sent out a message to seize her and detain her in prison and to lower her down into a place with snakes and scorpions. After a few days the king stood at the lip of the pit and she was weeping and crying out to him. The mercy of the king was awakened for her and he gave order that she be lifted out and returned before him.

So too Yonah. Since he fled from the Holy One, He locked him up in the belly of the fish until he cried out before the Holy One and He brought him forth...

The fish said to Yonah: don’t you know that my day to be eaten by Leviathan has arrived? He said to him: bring me to him and I will save both you and me from his mouth. The fish brought him to Leviathan and he said: for you I descended, to see your dwelling place in the sea. Furthermore, in the future I will come down and put a rope around your head in order to make a feast out of you for the righteous. Yonah showed him the seal of our father Avraham (circumcision). Leviathan saw it and fled before him a distance of two days.

Then Yonah said to the fish: I saved you from Leviathan, now show me everything which is in the seas and the depth. It showed him the great river of the waters of the ocean as it says, “…and a river surrounded me…” (Jonah 2:4) It showed him the paths of the Red Sea through which Israel passed as it says, “…the weeds were wrapped about my head.” (Jonah 2:6) It showed him the place from which the waves of the sea come forth as it says, “…all Your breakers and waves passed over me.” (Jonah 2:4) It showed him the pillars of the earth on its base as it says, “…the earth with her bars closed on me forever…” (Jonah 2:7) It showed him the lowest part of the netherworld as it says, “…out of the belly of She’ol I cried…” (Jonah 2:3) It showed him Gehinnom as it says, “…yet you have brought up my life from the pit…” (Jonah 2:7) It showed him the palace of the Lord as it says, “I went down to the bottom of the mountains…” (Jonah 2:7) From here we learn that Jerusalem stands on seven mountains. And he saw there the foundation stone fixed in the deeps, and he saw there also the sons of Korach standing and praying for it.

Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish without praying. The Holy One said: I made a broad space for him in the belly of a male fish in order that he not be distressed and he isn’t praying! I will prepare a fish that is pregnant with three hundred and sixty five thousands and tens of thousands of little fish in order that he be distressed and pray before me. This is because the Holy One desires the prayers of the righteous. In that hour the Holy One brought a pregnant fish and she said to the other fish: the Holy One sent me to swallow up the prophet who is in your belly. If you will spit him out, good. If not I will swallow you with him. He said to her: who knows if what you say is true? She replied: Leviathan. They went to Leviathan and she said to him: Leviathan, king over all the fish of the sea! Do you not know that the Holy One sent me to this fish to swallow the prophet who is in his belly? He said to her: yes. The fish said to Leviathan: when? He replied: in the last three hours, when the Holy One descended to play with me. Thus I heard.

He immediately spit out Yonah. The female fish right away swallowed him and he was in great distress because of the confinement and the filth. He immediately focused his heart in prayer, as it says “And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God, from the belly of the fish.” (Jonah 2:2) He said: Master of the World! Where can I go to escape Your spirit and to where can I flee from before You? “If I ascend to the heavens, there You are…” (Psalms 139:8) You are King over all kingdoms and Master over all rulers of the world. The high heavens are Your throne and the earth is Your footstool. Your kingdom is on high and Your dominion in the deeps, the actions of all humanity are revealed before You and the secrets of all men spread out before You. You search out the ways of all people and examine the footsteps of all living things. You know the hidden things of the kidneys and the secrets of the heart You understand. All which is hidden is revealed before You, there are no secrets before the throne of your glory and nothing shielded from Your eyes. You collect every secret and tell every single thing. You are there in every place, Your eyes see evil and good.

I beseech You, answer me from the belly of Sheol and save me from the depths. Let my cry come into Your ears and fulfill my request because You sit far away and hear as if near. You are called the One who lifts up and casts down, please lift me up! You are called the One who kills and gives life, I have reached the point of death – revive me!

He was not answered until he said this: that which I vowed to bring up Leviathan and prepare him before them, I will fulfill on the day of Israel’s salvation. “But I-with a voice of thanks will I sacrifice to You…” (Jonah 2:10)

Immediately the Holy One gestured to the fish and she vomited Yonah nine hundred and sixty eight parsa (one parsa = 4 km) to dry land. The sailors saw all the signs and wonders which the Holy One did with Yonah and everyone threw away his god, as it says “Those who keep worthless futilities…” (Jonah 2:9) They returned to Yaffo, went up to Jerusalem and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins, as it says “And the men feared the Lord exceedingly…” (Jonah 1:16) And did they make sacrifices?! Rather they performed circumcision which is like the blood of sacrifice. Each man vowed his wife, children and all he had to the God of Yonah, and fulfilled his vow. Of them it says ‘and on the righteous converts.’

From the belly of Sheol I cried out: from the belly of the fish, which is like Sheol to me.

By saying, "I thought I was driven away out of your sight," he means, "When I went down to Jaffa to flee to Tarshish, I thought that prophecy would no longer be in me. But all that I thought was for naught, because in truth I will again see Your holy Temple, for prophecy will necessarily return to me."

I thought: That is, I thought then that I was driven away out of your sight, but from what I have seen - the miracle that the fish swallowed me and I'm still alive - I saw that Your sight and Your providence are still upon me, and so I knew that I would continue to gaze upon Your holy Temple.

but You brought up my life from Gehinnom: I have seen Gehinnom here, and from there You brought me up, and, behold, now I stand under the Temple in Jerusalem, similar to what is stated: “Indeed, I will continue to gaze upon Your Holy Temple,” “And my prayer came to You, to Your Holy Temple.”

my life was ebbing away: Jonah was close to dying in the belly of the fish from being crowded by all the embryos.

I called the LORD to mind: I remembered now to pray and to do teshuvah and promise to fulfill God's word.

And my prayer came before You, into Your holy Temple: Our sages said that he was in the abyss underneath Mt. Zion, upon which stood the holy Temple, and this is why he said, "You have brought me down to the ends of the mountains, and heard my prayer from Your holy Temple."

Likewise for one who prays, while his heart and mind are devoid of the matter of prayer, God will not accept the prayer of his limbs and tongue. You can see from what we say at the end of our prayers "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable to You O God..." And when a man (is distracted and) thinks of any matter in the world, whether it is permitted or forbidden, and afterwards he finishes his prayer and says "imrei fi vehegyon libi lefanecha" (may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You), is this not a great disgrace, that he claims to have spoken to his God with his heart and mind while his heart was not with him, and afterwards he asks God to accept it and favor it from him? He is similar to one of whom it was said "as a nation that pretends to show righteousness..." (Isaiah 58:2), and our sages said: "a person should estimate himself - if he thinks he is capable of having intent in heart, he should pray, otherwise, he should not pray" (Berachot 30b). And Rabbi Eliezer said when he was about to die, among the things he commanded his disciples - "when you are praying, know before Whom you are praying" (Berachot 28b). And the verse says: "prepare yourselves to greet your God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12), and our sages said: "When you pray do not make your prayer a form of routine but a plea for mercy and supplications" (Avot 2:18), and "When my soul grew faint upon me, I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came to You to Your Holy Temple" (Yona 2:8), and "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens" (Eicha 3:41).

Those who cling to empty folly: idolaters.

forsake their own welfare: The fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, from Whom all their kindness and benefit emanate, they abandon; but I am not so, but “with a voice of thanks will I sacrifice to You” - so translated Yonatan in the Targum. And in Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, they interpret this to refer to the sailors, who left the kindness they had been giving to their idols, and converted.

The sailors saw all the signs, the miracles, and the great wonders which the Holy One, blessed be He, did unto Jonah, and they stood and they cast away every one his God, as it is said, "They that regard lying vanities forsake their own shame" (Jonah 2:9). They returned to Joppa and went up to Jerusalem and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins, as it is said, "And the men feared the Lord exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto the Lord" (Jonah 1:16). Did they offer sacrifice? But this (sacrifice) refers to the blood of the covenant of circumcision, which is like the blood of a sacrifice. And they made vows every one to bring his children and all belonging to him to the God of Jonah; and they made vows and performed them, and concerning them it says, "Upon the proselytes, the proselytes of righteousness."

But I: I will sacrifice to you with loud thanksgiving, because there are four categories of people who must give thanks: seafarers, etc. That is, I will bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving and thank You for Your kindness. That which I have vowed I will fulfill - to go to Nineveh. And that which I feared - that through the king of Assyria harm will come to Israel - and that kept me from going, I will hope for the Lord's deliverance, for the Lord saves Israel from all troubles.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Four must offer thanks to God with a thanks-offering and a special blessing. They are: Seafarers, those who walk in the desert, and one who was ill and recovered, and one who was incarcerated in prison and went out. All of these appear in the verses of a psalm (Psalm107).

Commanded: this is a metaphor. God caused it to do God's will.

On this very bench [safsal], Rabbi Akiva sat and said ... that the verse “And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying” (Jonah 3:1) implies that the Divine Presence spoke with him only a second time. However, a third time the Divine Presence did not speak with him, i.e., Jonah did not receive any more prophecies...

(Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser, 1809-1879)

Why did God change this time to say, "and proclaim to it what I tell you", unlike what God said the first time?

Go at once: this time, the Ninevites' decree had already been sealed. As a result, God no longer said merely that "their evil has come before Me". God sent him on the path of prophecy to tell the Ninevites what had been decreed for them, that Nineveh would be overturned in forty days.

(Rabbi David Altschuler of Prague (1687-1769)

what I tell you: and that is what Jonah later said, that in forty days Nineveh would be overturned. It wasn't necessary to spell that out here, because it is obvious.

(300-500 CE)

"On one of the mountains which I will tell you of (Gen. 22:2). Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: The Holy One of Blessing first places the righteous in doubt and suspense, and only later reveals to them the meaning of the matter, as it is written "to the land that I will show you (Gen. 12:1); "On one of the mountains which I will tell you"; "And make to it the proclamation that I bid you (Jonah 3:2)...

(12th century CE)

The great city of God: Why was Nineveh called a great city of God? Because they were evil through their bodies in forbidden sexual relations, as it is written, "How can I do this great evil and sin before God (Genesis 39:9)?

(Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, 1089-1167, Spain)

went: Rabbi Yeshuah said that the sailors went to Nineveh and spoke about [or, spoke the message of!] Jonah. This is why they believed him...

Jonah went at once to Nineveh in accordance with the LORD's command: the first time, God commanded him to proclaim words of rebuke so that they would repent from their sins. This time, God commanded that he prophesy to them the decree decreed for them. He [Jonah] was unsure whether he should also fulfill the first command and add the rebuke to their fate of being overturned. He figured that he should only tell them of the decree, because he thought it would do them no good to repent anymore, and that the first command was no longer in effect...

started out: when he started his way into the city one day's walk, he proclaimed, "There is still forty days' time", and after that Nineveh will be overturned. That is, like the overturning of Sodom and Gemorrah from existence into nothingness.

(Rabbi David Kimhe, France, 1160-1235)

Jonah started out: The city was three days' journey from one end to the other. Jonah started by entering the city one day's journey. As he walked, he would call out, "Forty days more and Nineveh is overturned!" That is, like the overturning of Sodom and Gemorrah, because their acts were like theirs.

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, France, 1040-1105)

overturned: Destroyed. (He did not say, “Destroyed,” because “overturned” has two meanings, bad and good. If they do not repent, it will be destroyed; if they repent, then “overturned” refers to the people of Nineveh, that they will be changed from bad to good, and they will repent...

(Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel, Portugal-Italy, 1437-1508)

The people of Nineveh believed God: that is, that there was a purpose to His word and His decree. Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra wrote in the name of Rabbi Yeshuah that the sailors went to Nineveh and told them about Jonah. And so they believed him without him having to provide any signs or wonders.

There was no need for signs, because they are not demanded from a prophet when he is commanding and warning only about keeping the Torah and doing what is good and upright...

But if he were to command in God's name a temporary transgression of any of the Torah's mitzvot, provided that it not be to perform idolatry, then it would be expected that the prophet provide signs of the truth of his prophecy.

Jonah made it clear to them that the decree was for their transgressions in general, and specifically for the violence in their hands. They should return to God, who would have mercy on them.

This is why they didn't have to ask him for any signs or wonders. They accepted his words as good and upright of their own accord. And this is why it says that the people of Nineveh believed in God, and not that they believed in Jonah or that the king had summoned him or even spoken with him about this. They believed in God, that it was within God's power to do all this, and that God loves the upright and hates violence. They were stirred by Jonah's words to do their repentance.

The people of Nineveh believed God: the novelty was that they believed right away and didn't ask for signs or wonders. They immediately began to pray, wearing sackcloth for fasting and submission. The people were not stirred to repentance, because it did not occur to them that they were sinning, because Jonah didn't say so.

believed: because the sailors were in the city and testified about Jonah that they had cast him into the sea, and the rest of his story as it happened. This is why they believed his prophecy and repented completely.

They proclaimed a fast: even before the king's warning, they repented on their own, they fasted, and they wore sackcloth.

The king decreed that the people not just fast and wear sackcloth, but that they also cry mightily to God and turn back from the violence of their hands, which was the main point.

Rabbi Ami said: The rains are withheld only due to the sin of robbery, as it is stated: “He covers His hands with the light, and He has commanded it due to imploring” (Job 36:32). This means that due to the sin of stealing hands, God has covered the light and no rain will fall. And Rabbi Ami adds that the term “hand” means nothing other than a sin of violence, as it is stated: “And from the violence that is in their hands” (Jonah 3:8)...

Who knows but that God may turn: ... from the fact that God sent a prophet, the king understood that their repentance will work.

God saw what they did: that is, at first, they only regretted what they had done, but did not repent with acts that would rectify their past sins. But after the king's order, God saw through all of their acts that they had repented. They repented by actually returning stolen items and those obtained unfairly...

(Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, Ukraine, 1804-1886)

Fasting is only a preparation for repentance. Therefore those who, while fasting, spend the time taking walks, and doing trivial things, take hold of the least important aspect of the fast, while ignoring the essence [of the fast.]

(Rabbi Jonah of Gerondi, Spain, c. 1200-1264)

The sixteenth principle is the rectification of that which is twisted, in as much as one is able to rectify it - as the matter is stated (Jonah 3:10), "God saw what they did, how they were turning back from their evil ways." And it is stated (Jonah 3:8), "Let everyone turn back from his evil ways and from the extortion that is their hands."

For with things that are between a man and his fellow - such as robbery and extortion - his iniquity is not atoned until he returns what was robbed. And likewise, if he pained his fellow, harassed him, whitened his face (from embarrassment) or spoke evil speech about him, he is not given atonement until he requests forgiveness from him.

And likewise did our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, say (Bava Kamma 92a) that even though he gave him the money of the embarrassment and the pain of the strike - the pain and the embarrassment of the strike are not forgiven until he requests forgiveness from him, as it is stated (Genesis 20:7), "Therefore, restore the man’s wife - since he is a prophet, he will intercede for you - to save your life."

(Rabbi Bachya ben Asher, Saragossa, 1255-1340)

When sufferings of chastisement come upon a person, he returns to the good. As the sages interpreted the Song of Songs, "Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, and pleasant" - even when You bring upon me sufferings of chastisement, it is pleasant. Why? Because You return me thus to the good. Human repentance is never complete without suffering. Repentance is improving one's actions and character. It is not fasting and wearing sackcloth and wallowing in the dust and immersing in water while remaining soiled on the inside with sins and evil thoughts.

And so said the prophet (Isaiah 58): "Do you call that a fast, A day when the LORD is favorable?" "No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of the yoke."

[...]

The intent of the Torah is that one should first cleanse oneself on the inside, casting out from one's heart the impurities of sin, and then return what one has taken unfairly or by violence, and ask forgiveness from one's friend.

After immersing one's heart inwardly and doing all kinds of purification and cleansing oneself from sin, one should purify oneself also outwardly by fasting and immersing the body, and so on...

This displeased Jonah: he said, "now the idolaters will say that I am a false prophet."

...Jonah became depressed and wanted to die, because ... while they had repented from their evil ways in beliefs and deeds, he saw that they continued in their idolatry, and did not repent for their sins against God...

Jonah complained silently to God: why did God intend to destroy Israel for its idolatry, but forgave the idolatry of the people of Nineveh? ...

Because all this graciousness and kindness that You do for Nineveh is not out of love for them, nor because it is just, but entirely because You show patience to the Assyrians so that they will come to my land, the Land of Israel, to destroy it...

Displeased: ...How did Jonah know? The forty days had not yet passed. God told him in the spirit of prophecy that He had turned from what He had decreed for them, since they had repented of their evil way.

Isn't this just what I said: I know that if they repent, You will not destroy them - and I will look like a liar to them.

...I knew that even if they continued to worship idols that You would not destroy them, and that is why I did not want to go on this mission.

Now: seeing that Israel had not repented, he feared that harm would come to them, and so he prayed, "please take my life," like Moses said "erase me [from Your book]...

Now, please, take my life: so that I do not see the harm to Israel, like Moses our Teacher of blessed memory said, "erase me from Your book," and "kill me, please."

(400-1200 CE)

And in Jonah it is written, "I would rather die than live." Jonah was the son of the woman of Zarfat. He had already died once, and knew that he would have rest, and Elijah did not die. And so he said, "am I not better than my ancestors?"

God was rebuking Jonah for his anger by saying "Are you that deeply grieved?" - which is to say, is there a trait worse than this one of yours, that you are grieved that I have been good to Nineveh?

...It is not the way of a good person to grieve when God is good to someone else, for God is good to all, and His mercies are on all His creatures (Psalm 145).

And the proof of this interpretation is that Jonah does not answer. If it were more than a rhetorical question, we would expect that Jonah would answer as he does later (in verse 9), "Yes, so deeply that I want to die."

It is also possible that Jonah did not want to answer the question because he knew with certainty that all is revealed before the throne of the Holy One. He knew that God knew his true intention, not that he was grieved about the goodness bestowed upon Nineveh, but about the future destruction of Israel that would result from it.

until he should see what happened to the city: he thought, even though the decree was cancelled and there would be no general overturning, even so, it was inconceivable that there wouldn't be some consequence, some punishment to the city...

Jonah left...east of the city: he sat in a place east of the city until he would see if perhaps they wouldn't stick with their repentance, and then the decree would be reinstated against them.

(Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica, 19th century)

Jonah left the city and sat east of the city...until he should see what happened to the city: when the prophecy went forth - and the word of God necessarily comes to fruition - even if they repented, this proclamation could not go entirely unfulfilled. And when the prophecy went forth that Nineveh would be overturned, even if they did repent, the prophet feared remaining in the city, because at least some house and courtyards would certainly fall. And so he left the city, and God showed him that He has great power to redeem, as the entire prophecy was in the end directed only at Jonah's gourd.

provided: appointed.

On the one hand, Jonah did not ask for life or health, but for death. On the other, he was grieved about the plant that had gone, because he had rejoiced over it. This is why God rebuked him by pointing out the contradiction, "Are you so deeply grieved about the plant?" - that is, if, as you say, death is better than life, why are you sorry about the plant that dried up? It would appear that life actually seemed good to you, and so you rejoiced over the plant that prolonged your life, and you were grieved at its absence, because its absence will bring about your death.

And the prophet answered, "Yes, so deeply that I want to die." That is, I will always tell You that death is better. But I was still grieved about the plant not because of death, but because of the punishment and distress that I will suffer until my death. Hence, death is better, but the suffering from the sun before my death is what grieves me.

(Rabbi Elijah Ben Solomon Zalman, Vilna, 1720-1797)

Concerning the fence of solitude, the ideal is to never leave home. Even your visit to the synagogue should be very short. In fact, it is better to pray at home, for it is impossible to be spared from jealousy or from hearing idle talk or lashon hara in the synagogue. And one receives punishment for this, as we find (Shabbat 33a), "Also one who hears and is silent...." This is even the more so on Shabbat and Yom Tov when they gather to talk - it would be better not to pray at all...

It is also advisable that your daughter not go to the synagogue, because she'll see beautiful clothes there, become jealous and talk about it at home. This will lead to lashon hara and all the rest. She should rather cling to Mussar and not become jealous of anything in this world, where everything is vanity and illusions, appearing and disappearing overnight (Yonah 4:10). "Though he grows as high as the sky, his head reaching the clouds, he perishes forever..." (Job 20:6,7). "For property does not last forever, or a crown for all generations" (Proverbs 27:24). And even while it exists it is worthless, loathsome and disdained by any sensible person. Woe to him who is impressed by it. Envy only the fear of Hashem (ib. 23:17). One should not say, "How can I earn a share in the World-to-Come? - I can't do it!" For we have learned (Berachot 17a): "Whether one does much or little doesn't matter, provided one directs one's heart to heaven."

who do not yet know: children.

and many beasts: Adults, whose minds are like those of beasts, who do not know their Creator.

Master of the Universe, You said to Jonah, "You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!” -Why will you not care and show mercy on us, who have the minds of human beings?

And should I not care about Nineveh: who are the work of My hands, which is precious, because it is the great city even though many practice idolatry there. Does it not have more than 120,000 people who do not know their right from their left, who do not know how to distinguish between worshiping the God Who supports them from the right...and worshiping the [false gods represented by the] left...?

No, they should not be punished for their lack of understanding, and neither should the beasts, because even if the people sinned, what sin did the beasts do?

And thus Jonah received an answer on the punishment in store for Israel, because they had already been taught the difference between the right and the left [i.e. monotheism vs. idolatry]. They had already received the true Divine religion, and they deserved punishment for their idolatry, even as the people of Nineveh would [punish or be punished] for this.

...[One] says, ‘Master of the world, all flesh is [destined] for death. Abraham experienced death, Nimrod experienced death; Isaac experienced death, Abimelech experienced death; Moses experienced death, Pharaoh experienced death; for Solomon has stated (in Eccl. 3:20), “Everyone is going to the same place.” So from now on, what gain is there for the righteous to be engaged with the Torah and good works in this world? And what loss is there for the wicked to sin and cause [others] to sin in this world?’

Solomon has the explanation (in vs. 21), ‘Who knows the lifebreath (spirit) of humans (literally, the Children of Adam) that rise upward [and the lifebreath (spirit) of the beast that goes down into the earth]?’ ‘The spirit of humans,’ these are the spirits of the righteous, because they are put in storage and hidden under the throne of glory;Shab. 152b; Deut. R. 11:10. ‘and the spirit of the beast that goes down into the earth,’ these are the spirits of the wicked, which go down to Gehinnom. And so it says (in Is. 14:15), ‘You shall also be brought down unto Sheol, [unto the uttermost parts of the pit].’”

But where is it shown that the righteous are called Adam? Where Jonah says so (in Jon. 4:11), “So should I not take pity on Nineveh, [that great city] in which there are over a hundred and twenty thousand persons (literally, Adams), [who do not know their right hand from their left, and many animals].” “Adams,” these are the righteous; “who do not know their right hand from their left, and many animals,” these are the wicked, in that their actions are like the actions of the animals. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 11:31), “Behold, shall a righteous one be recompensed on earth?”

Rabbi Nechunia, son of Haḳḳanah, said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who rebelled most grievously against the Rock, the Most High, as it is said, "Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto his voice?" (Ex. 5:2). In the same terms of speech in which he sinned, he repented, as it is said "Who is like thee, O Lord, among the mighty?" (Ex. 15:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, delivered him from amongst the dead. Whence (do we know) that he died? Because it is said, "For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee" (Ex. 9:15).

He went and ruled in Nineveh. The men of Nineveh were writing fraudulent deeds, and everyone robbed his neighbour, and they committed sodomy, and such-like wicked actions. When the Holy One, blessed be He, sent for Jonah, to prophesy against (the city) its destruction, Pharaoh hearkened and arose from his throne, rent his garments and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, and had a proclamation made to all his people, that all the people should fast for two days, and all who did these (wicked) things should be burnt by fire.

What did they do? The men were on one side, and the women on the other, and their children were by themselves; all the clean animals were on one side, and their offspring were by themselves. The infants saw the breasts of their mothers, (and they wished) to have suck, and they wept. The mothers saw their children, (and they wished) to give them suck. By the merit of 4123 children, more than twelve hundred thousand men (were saved), as it is said, "And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city; wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:11); "And the Lord repented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them" (Jonah 3:10).

For forty years was the Holy One, blessed be He, slow to anger with them, corresponding to the forty days during which He had sent Jonah. After forty years they returned to their many evil deeds, more so than their former ones, and they were swallowed up like the dead, in the lowest Sheol, as it is said, "Out of the city of the dead they groan" (Job 24:12).