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Whats Yonah really about?

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muman613:
Apparently my opinion is shared by the Abarbenel on the reason Nineveh was permitted to repent even though it would eventually rise against Israel...


--- Quote ---http://www.torah.org/advanced/abarbanel/5765/vaera.html
2. Although it is just and right that the nefesh that sins shall die and that every man should be judged in full according to his deeds, the remedy of teshuvah is chesed that Hashem grants to Israel. Since His hashgachah extends over them eternally and constantly, whenever they repent and cry out to Him, He hears their repentance immediately. Moshe referred to this when he said, ‘”What a great nation who has G-d so close to them whenever they call out to Him. When you shall be in dire straits, you shall return unto the Lord your G-d”. However, for other nations teshuvah is not so readily and easily achieved, since their prayer, sorrow and penance is not definitely done wholeheartedly and with all their power. They basically remain idolaters, so that they are ‘tovel u sheretz beyado’. [It is perhaps similar to the idea of the Shem Mi Shmuel of Sochochow, that the gentile nations are quick to repent but that such teshuvah is shallow, so that reversal comes just as quickly]. There is really no difficulty to this idea from the people of Nineveh. Hashem did not want to send Yonah to Nineveh in order to warn and convince them of their impending destruction, rather He wanted them to be a suitable rod whereby to smite and punish Israel; so gave them a chance to repent and thereby be fitting for this role. That explains Yonah’s fleeing, rather than accepting his task to prepare this enemy from succeeding in punishing Israel. So, for any nation to do true teshuvah that is accepted in Heaven, they have to at the same time desire to save and help Israel, thereby showing that they truly wish to cleave to Hashem. Since neither Pharaoh nor his nation wished in any way to benefit or save Israel it was fitting that the gates of teshuvah should be closed before them.
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Ephraim Ben Noach:

--- Quote from: muman613 on September 16, 2013, 06:21:42 PM ---Yes indeed, this is because the lesson is learned from the midrash. Midrash is not historically correct and thus it cannot be used to learn facts. But Midrash can be used to learn principles. Thus the midrash is trying to teach us something about the nature of Teshuva.

The issue which I brought up concerning whether this midrash is true or not (whether an absolute Rasha like Paroah could ever have been forgiven) bothered me so much that I called my Rabbi about it. Unfortunately this was something he was unable to answer me.

http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/417,200/What-is-the-Midrash.html

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I kinda could see how Hashem could forgive Pharoah, because he was the one that hardened his heart...

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