1. Can you think of a time when you ran away from something which was your responsibility (as a child/sibling/student/team member)? What was it? Why did you run away from it? Did you succeed in avoiding it?
(א) וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־ה'כ אֶל־יוֹנָ֥ה בֶן־אֲמִתַּ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) ק֠וּם לֵ֧ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֛ה הָעִ֥יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְרָ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּֽי־עָלְתָ֥ה רָעָתָ֖ם לְפָנָֽי׃ (ג) וַיָּ֤קׇם יוֹנָה֙ לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֔ישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵ֖י ה' וַיֵּ֨רֶד יָפ֜וֹ וַיִּמְצָ֥א אֳנִיָּ֣ה ׀ בָּאָ֣ה תַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ וַיִּתֵּ֨ן שְׂכָרָ֜הּ וַיֵּ֤רֶד בָּהּ֙ לָב֤וֹא עִמָּהֶם֙ תַּרְשִׁ֔ישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵ֖י ה'׃
(1) The word of GOD came to Jonah son of Amittai: (2) Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim judgment upon it; for their wickedness has come before Me. (3) Jonah, however, started out to flee to Tarshish from GOD’s service. He went down to Jaffa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went aboard to sail with the others to Tarshish, away from GOD’s service.
Jonah tries to run away from God; he does not want to serve as a prophet of God, telling the people of Nineveh to repent. He doesn't quite succeed. A storm comes and almost overturns the ship, putting his life - and the life of the sailors - in danger.
1. What would you do if you were scared in such a situation?
(טז) וַיִּֽירְא֧וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֛ים יִרְאָ֥ה גְדוֹלָ֖ה אֶת־ה' וַיִּֽזְבְּחוּ־זֶ֙בַח֙ לַֽה' וַֽיִּדְּר֖וּ נְדָרִֽים׃
The sailors are not Israelites. Nonetheless, they are the true heroes of (this part of) the story. Immediately, they think the storm that might cause the ship to be overturned might have been caused (spiritually) by them and so they offer sacrifices to God.
They then find Jonah sleeping down below deck! He - the Israelite prophet - is far from being the hero of the story (to say the least!) He asks them to throw him overboard, which they do reluctantly, and then a big fish swallows him for three days before spitting him up on dry land. There he finally goes to Nineveh to tell them they better repent! And boy do they step up to the plate and accept their responsibility!
(ה) וַֽיַּאֲמִ֛ינוּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י נִֽינְוֵ֖ה בֵּֽאלֹקים וַיִּקְרְאוּ־צוֹם֙ וַיִּלְבְּשׁ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֔ים מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־קְטַנָּֽם׃ (ו) וַיִּגַּ֤ע הַדָּבָר֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ נִֽינְוֵ֔ה וַיָּ֙קׇם֙ מִכִּסְא֔וֹ וַיַּעֲבֵ֥ר אַדַּרְתּ֖וֹ מֵֽעָלָ֑יו וַיְכַ֣ס שַׂ֔ק וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב עַל־הָאֵֽפֶר׃ (ז) וַיַּזְעֵ֗ק וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בְּנִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִטַּ֧עַם הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וּגְדֹלָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה הַבָּקָ֣ר וְהַצֹּ֗אן אַֽל־יִטְעֲמוּ֙ מְא֔וּמָה אַ֨ל־יִרְע֔וּ וּמַ֖יִם אַל־יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃ (ח) וְיִתְכַּסּ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֗ים הָֽאָדָם֙ וְהַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וְיִקְרְא֥וּ אֶל־אֱלֹקים בְּחׇזְקָ֑ה וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ אִ֚ישׁ מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ הָֽרָעָ֔הכ
וּמִן־הֶחָמָ֖ס אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם׃ (ט) מִֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יָשׁ֔וּב וְנִחַ֖ם הָאֱלֹקים וְשָׁ֛ב מֵחֲר֥וֹן אַפּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א נֹאבֵֽד׃ (י) וַיַּ֤רְא הָֽאֱלֹקים֙ אֶֽת־מַ֣עֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם כִּי־שָׁ֖בוּ מִדַּרְכָּ֣ם הָרָעָ֑ה וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם הָאֱלֹקים עַל־הָרָעָ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר לַעֲשׂוֹת־לָהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א עָשָֽׂה׃
This is pretty unbelievable! The book that is read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, a day which is all about תשובה/teshuva/repentance, presents the non-Israelites as the heroes of the story, and the Israelite as a sort of a failed (potential) hero of the story. This can show us that Judaism is not just about caring about the Jewish people but also about humanity as a whole! We have similar stories in the Tanach (Bible) which point to righteous non-Israelite/non-Judahite/non-Jewish characters, who we can learn from like Malkitzedek in our next text.
(18) And King Malkitzedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. (19) He blessed him, saying,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
(20) And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your foes into your hand.” And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything.
1. Jonah gets really, really upset that the people of Nineveh repent. Why do you think this is so?
(א) וַיֵּ֥רַע אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ׃ (ב) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־ה' וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה ה' הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃ (ג) וְעַתָּ֣ה ה' קַח־נָ֥א אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֛י ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי׃ {פ}
(ד) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' הַהֵיטֵ֖ב חָ֥רָה לָֽךְ׃
1. Maybe Jonah is upset because the descendants of Nineveh will end up destroying the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE and Jonah doesn't want to help their ancestors by saving them now.
2. Maybe Jonah is upset because now he looks silly. Jonah had said...
2 (cont.) and now Nineveh will not be overthrown; it will be saved. Maybe Jonah is upset because maybe he thinks that people will think he was a liar or did not know what he was talking about.
3. Or, maybe Jonah is upset because he thinks that God is a "wuss"; he thinks God lets people sin as much as they want and then if they sorry God just forgives them in an instant. Perhaps he thinks God allows for too much רחמים/rachamim/mercy and not enough דין/din/judgment. Maybe Jonah is judging God.
QUESTION: Do you treat others with more mercy or more judgment? Are you happy with the way you treat others?
QUESTION: Do you treat yourself with more mercy or more judgment? Are you happy with the way you treat yourself?
(י) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' אַתָּ֥ה חַ֙סְתָּ֙ עַל־הַקִּ֣יקָי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָמַ֥לְתָּ בּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א גִדַּלְתּ֑וֹ שֶׁבִּן־לַ֥יְלָה הָיָ֖ה וּבִן־לַ֥יְלָה אָבָֽד׃ (יא) וַֽאֲנִי֙ לֹ֣א אָח֔וּס עַל־נִינְוֵ֖ה הָעִ֣יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶשׁ־בָּ֡הּ הַרְבֵּה֩ מִֽשְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֨ה רִבּ֜וֹ אָדָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יָדַע֙ בֵּין־יְמִינ֣וֹ לִשְׂמֹאל֔וֹ וּבְהֵמָ֖ה רַבָּֽה׃
(10) Then GOD said: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. (11) 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 animals as well!”
This text teaches us that every single person is created in the image of God and is a valuable person who needs to be respected and treated well.
1. How can you respect and treat other people better?
Thank you to Professor Uriel Simon, who inspired this limmud, through a shiur of his in Glamsta, Sweden, 2005.
Dedicated to the complete and speedy recovery of יונה בן מיכל.