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Whats Yonah really about?

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Tag-MehirTzedek:
Very good presentation, never seen it this way before.

http://www.alephbeta.org/course/lecture/whats-jonah-really-about

Tag-MehirTzedek:
Same Rabbi (links to essays and video presentations on different topics).

http://www.aish.com/authors/48867802.html

muman613:
Shalom Tag-Mehir,

I am too tired to watch the video at this moment but I will share with you what the lesson of the story of Jonah is according to my understanding.

I have studied this book of the Prophets for many years and every year I learn more and more about it. It is not as simple as the narrative goes, even though the entire book is only 4 short chapters. As the question posed by Rabbi Froman reveals 'What's Jonah Really About' is not as simple as a tale about a prophet being swallowed by a whale (which is what most people tell me Jonah is about).

The question 'why did Jonah run from Hashem' is not really answered in the text, but only through various midrashim. I am not sure of the sources but I have heard two explanations.

1) Because he was a prophet he knew that Nineveh would rise against Israel in the future.
2) That the Ninevans easy repentance would shame the repentence of the Children of Israel who would not listen to the prophets.

This explains why Jonah was so very upset at the end of the story when his mission was, by all means, a success in that the entire city all repented of their sins and actually were forgiven by Hashem. He must have had is doubts because he left the city to observe what would happen from afar. He was so despondent from the fact that the Ninevans had done teshuva that he again wanted to die.

The idea of repentance is the reason we read this on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The entire day we spend reading portions of the Torah where the mercy and patience of Hashem are discussed.

The midrashim teach an odd thing, that the King of Ninevah who donned sackcloth and ashes, was actually Paroah HaRasha himself. Do you understand what this is saying? That even the worst sinner (who drank Jewish blood) was allowed to repent. I even find it hard to comprehend myself because while I do believe in Teshuvahs ability to erase sins I believe some sins cannot be erased (and I myself believe genocide is one sin which cannot be erased). This is why one Passover I said to my Rabbi that I hated Paraoh to this day.


--- Quote ---http://www.jewishideas.org/articles/interpreting-midrash

7. Upon the defeat of Pharaoh and his troops, the Torah states (Exod. 14:28): lo nishar bahem ad ehad (generally translated: “there did not remain from them even one”). Taking ad ehad to mean “until one remained,” Rabbi Nehemiah in the Mekhilta states that Pharaoh was spared. Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer (42) added in the name of Rabbi Nehuniah the son of Hakaneh:

When Pharaoh said, “Who is like You among the elim, Hashem, Who is like You, majestic in holiness” (Exod. 15:11), the Holy One, blessed be He saved him from the dead so that he would relate His power to others, in accordance with what is stated: “for this purpose have I allowed you to stand…and in order that My name be recounted throughout all the land” (9:16). Pharaoh became king in Nineveh…When the Holy One, blessed be He sent Jonah to prophesy that Nineveh will be destroyed, Pharaoh heard, rose from his throne, rent his garments, donned sackcloth and ashes [and brought the city to repentance].

Surely this is a most potent cluster of messages about repentance. It also is an extravagantly imaginative tale spreading over many centuries based on a most fanciful interpretation of a verse.
--- End quote ---



--- Quote ---http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/463982/jewish/The-Prophet-Jonah.htm

One of the greatest prophets during the time of Jeroboam II was Jonah the son of Amitai, who, as a prophet disciple, had anointed Jehu and who, therefore, enjoyed the king's benevolence. Once G-d commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, one of the largest cities of that time and foretell its destruction, because the evil of its inhabitants had reached the limit. The mission, however, was not to Jonah's liking. Nineveh was a bitter enemy of Israel, and Jonah would have liked to see its destruction. If he should succeed in his mission and Nineveh would be spared, it would remain a constant threat to Israel.

Jonah was displeased at this change of events. He had hoped that the doom of Nineveh, had the inhabitants of that city not repented, would forever rid his people Israel of one of its bitter enemies. He built himself a hut outside the city in which to live the life of a recluse. Jonah was anxious to know what the fate of the city would be. It was a very hot day, and G-d made a plant grow to give Jonah shade and protect him from the sting of the hot sun. Jonah was overjoyed with the plant. Then G-d sent a worm that stung the plant and made it wither. When the protection of the plant had been withdrawn, the sun beat mercilessly upon Jonah's head until he became faint, and wished to die. Then the weary prophet heard G-d's words: "You are sorry for the plant for which you have neither labored, nor made it grow; which came up in one night and perished in the next; shall I not then, spare Nineveh, the great city, wherein more than twelve times ten thousand people live who do not know how to discern between their right and their left hand (i.e. children), and many animals in addition?"1
--- End quote ---


So I find the answers only lead to more questions. Why did Hashem want Jonah to rescue those who were the enemies of Israel? I really do not know the answer to that question at this time. My only supposition is that for some reason Israel may have deserved someone to oppress her, although this answer seems defeatist. But looking at where the Jewish people are today I sometimes believe that without an oppressor the Jewish people assimilate themselves out of existence.

This is my opinion after learning this for many years. I would appreciate hearing alternate explanations.

Ephraim Ben Noach:
What if... Jonah went and preached at Nineveh and they repented and started following HaShem and stopped oppressing Israel.  And G-d rewarded them for their actions, maybe Israel would see that they had lost favor in the eyes of the Lord, and they would repent as well.

"They don't know their right hand from their left" This kinda reminds me of what Rabbi Cassouto was saying in the last video. They don't know what they are doing, they have a hole inside that needs to be filled with the light of HaShem. And that is the job of the Jew to spread light to the Nations.

Also, by Jonah running off, he actually brought awareness of Hashem to more people. It says the men on the ship prayed to their own G-d's(to me this could mean they were from different Nations). But, that day they witnessed the power of the G-d of the Hebrews, and repented. On their journeys, and when they got home, more then likely they would spread the story of this all powerful G-d.

Just a thought.

muman613:
Another interesting question I have heard on the Book of Jonah is the following:

Why, when Jonah comes to Nineveh to get them to repent, do the animals also fast and don sack-cloth?

At no other time have I ever heard that animals must repent by fasting and wearing sack-cloth...


--- Quote ---Chapter 3

6 And the word reached the king of Nineveh, whereupon he rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes.
7. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh: By the counsel of the king and his nobles, saying: Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep shall taste anything; they shall not graze, neither shall they drink water.
8. And they shall cover themselves with sackcloth, both man and beast, and they shall call mightily to God, and everyone shall repent of his evil way and of the dishonest gain which is in their hands.
--- End quote ---

It is also interesting to note at the end Hashem shows concern for the animals also...

"You are sorry for the plant for which you have neither labored, nor made it grow; which came up in one night and perished in the next; shall I not then, spare Nineveh, the great city, wherein more than twelve times ten thousand people live who do not know how to discern between their right and their left hand (i.e. children), and many animals in addition?"

I hope to find an answer to this question...

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