(4) So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first, and early in the morning he went up on Mount Sinai, as יהוה had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets with him. (5) יהוה came down in a cloud—and stood with him there, proclaiming the name יהוה. (6) יהוה passed before him and proclaimed: “!יהוה! יהוה a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin—yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.” (8) Moses hastened to bow low to the ground in homage,
(א) וַיֵּ֥רַע אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ׃
חָרָה (v) heb
-
- to be hot, furious, burn, becomeangry, be kindled
- (Qal) to burn, kindle (anger)
- (Niphal) to be angry with, be incensed
- (Hiphil) to burn, kindle
- (Hithpael) to heat oneself in vexation
- to be hot, furious, burn, becomeangry, be kindled
(ב) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־יְהֹוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ 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 יְהֹוָ֔ה קַח־נָ֥א אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֛י ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי׃ {פ}
(2) He prayed to GOD, saying, “O ETERNAL One! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment. (3) Please, ETERNAL One, take my life, for I would rather die than live.”
(ה) וַיֵּצֵ֤א יוֹנָה֙ מִן־הָעִ֔יר וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב מִקֶּ֣דֶם לָעִ֑יר וַיַּ֩עַשׂ֩ ל֨וֹ שָׁ֜ם סֻכָּ֗ה וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב תַּחְתֶּ֙יהָ֙ בַּצֵּ֔ל עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִרְאֶ֔ה מַה־יִּהְיֶ֖ה בָּעִֽיר׃ (ו) וַיְמַ֣ן יְהֹוָֽה־אֱ֠לֹהִ֠ים קִיקָי֞וֹן וַיַּ֣עַל ׀ מֵעַ֣ל לְיוֹנָ֗ה לִֽהְי֥וֹת צֵל֙ עַל־רֹאשׁ֔וֹ לְהַצִּ֥יל ל֖וֹ מֵרָֽעָת֑וֹ וַיִּשְׂמַ֥ח יוֹנָ֛ה עַל־הַקִּֽיקָי֖וֹן שִׂמְחָ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה׃ (ז) וַיְמַ֤ן הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ תּוֹלַ֔עַת בַּעֲל֥וֹת הַשַּׁ֖חַר לַֽמׇּחֳרָ֑ת וַתַּ֥ךְ אֶת־הַקִּֽיקָי֖וֹן וַיִּיבָֽשׁ׃
(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!”cI.e., infants and animals are not held responsible for their actions.
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression—
Not staying angry forever
Toward the remnant of Your own people,
Because YoulYour…You Heb. 3rd person. love graciousness! (19) [God] will take us back in love,
QuashingmQuashing Or, perhaps, “Forgiving,” as in Akkadian kabasu. our iniquities.
You will hurl all ournour Heb. “their.” sins
Into the depths of the sea. (20) You will keep faith with Jacob,
Loyalty to Abraham,
As You promised on oath to our fathers
In days gone by.
Can Human Beings Really Change
Essay by Martin Buber (Transcribed from Shiur by Dr. Judy Klitsner, link below)
“In order to change you have to believe that you can change. Inner transformation simply means surpassing one’s present factual constitution, it means that the person one has intended to be penetrates what has appeared to be up until now, that the customary soul enlarges and transfigures itself into the surprise soul.”
באותה שעה נפל יונה על פניו ואמר הנהג עולמך במדת הרחמים דכתיב לה׳ אלהינו הרחמים והסליחות.
Divine Trait of Compassion
Midrash Yonah: At that very moment, [Jonah] fell flat on his face saying, “Direct your world according to the attribute of mercy, as is written, ‘To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness’” (Dan 9:9)
מַאי מְצַלֵּי? אָמַר רַב זוּטְרָא בַּר טוֹבִיָּה, אָמַר רַב: ״יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנַי שֶׁיִּכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמַי אֶת כַּעֲסִי, וְיִגּוֹלּוּ רַחֲמַי עַל מִדּוֹתַי, וְאֶתְנַהֵג עִם בָּנַי בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים, וְאֶכָּנֵס לָהֶם לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין״.
The Gemara asks: What does God pray? Rav Zutra bar Tovia said that Rav said:
God says: May it be My will that My mercy will overcome My anger towards Israel for their transgressions,
and may My mercy prevail over My other attributes through which Israel is punished,
and may I conduct myself toward My children, Israel, with the attribute of mercy,
and may I enter before them beyond the letter of the law.
How do we live in the wild and uncertain sea of life?
A story from the Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 121a:
Rabban Gamliel was traveling by ship and saw off on the horizon, the hull of a wrecked vessel. Immediately he took to grief, knowing that the great Rabbi Akiva had been on board. After sitting shiva for seven days, he rose from his mourning and returned to the yeshivah. Sitting down to study, Rabban Gamliel looked up and saw none other than Rabbi Akiva—who came, sat and begin to study before the law.
“My son,” he said, “who salvaged you from the waters?”
Rabbi Akiva said to me:
דף של ספינה נזדמן לי, וכל גל וגל שבא עלי נענעתי לו ראשי
“A daf of the boat appeared for me, and to every wave that came my way I bowed my head.”
One meaning of “daf” is a plank—a piece of shipwreck floating in the waters. It is something to grab hold of, a flotation device to weather stormy waters.
But the word “daf” is also the word for each whole page (front and back) of the Talmud. Again, a daf—something to grab hold of, a flotation device for stormy waters.
דף של ספינה נזדמן לי, וכל גל וגל שבא עלי נענעתי לו ראשי
“A daf appeared to me, and to every wave that came my way I bowed my head.”
Rabbi Maurice Harris stood at the head of the classroom and on the board, he wrote: THIS IS THE OCEAN. He said: “We can’t assume we know where we stand. We can’t draw boundaries in fluid waters. And we ........teach others to swim while we all try our best to stay afloat.
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1595282790/wbtlaorg/lxezouahsior8any7vr4/TalmudTales-Session18-GodsPrayer.pdf
Resources:
Jonah Struggles with God's Compassion, Dr. Jack Sasson
https://www.thetorah.com/article/jonah-struggles-with-gods-compassion
The Deuling Stories of Noah and Jonah, Dr. Judy Klitsner, 04/09/2023, Ikar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIYVsARnLPA