The Book of Jonah is read during the services of Yom Kippur, the Jews’ Day of Atonement, because its messages are a fitting inspiration for that time. To understand this scripture, it helps to know the identities of Jonah and the king of Nineveh.
According to the Talmud, Jonah was the boy who was resurrected by Elijah (I Kings 17). He grew up as a prophet and a disciple of Elisha. He is the disciple whom Elisha sent to anoint and prophesy to Yehu (II Kings 9:1-10), and he prophesied to King Jeroboam II (ibid. 14:25). By the time of his prophecy to Nineveh, he was about 100 years old.
A prophet is liable to death by the Hand of Heaven if he suppresses a prophecy that G-d instructs him to deliver (Tractate Sanhedrin 89a). Why did Jonah do this? He recoiled from being the one through whom a criticism would be brought against his fellow Israelites. The Israelites included ten northern tribes that had separated from Judah and Benjamin, and formed the Biblical nation of Israel. They had then been drawn into idolatry, and although G-d sent prophets to warn them, they had not repented. Jonah knew that if he prophesied to the Gentile city of Nineveh, they would fear G-d, repent to Him and be forgiven. Then G-d would turn to the Israelites and say: “The Gentiles of Nineveh heard My warning from a true prophet and repented, so I forgave their sin. I sent many prophets to you, My nation, but you still refuse to abandon idolatry. Now everyone will know that I am justified in sending the Ten Tribes into exile as their atonement, until the End of Days when I will bring them back” (see Deut. 30).
To compel Jonah to obey, G-d first caused him to be willingly cast overboard, thus proving his merit that he cared more for his fellow Israelites than for his own life. Then G-d caused him to be saved by the giant fish that was created for that purpose during the Six Days of Creation (Midrash, Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 10). The Midrash (ibid.) relates that the fish brought Jonah to view the Leviathan (Job 41). G-d will kill the Leviathan when the Messiah son of David comes, speedily in our days, and its meat will be served at the great celebratory feast that G-d will make for the righteous to welcome in the Messianic Era (Tractate Bava Basra 75a). At that time, G-d will remove everyone’s evil inclination, and Jews and Gentiles will dedicate themselves to serving G-d in unity and peace, as it says (Zephaniah 3:9): “For then I [G-d] will turn the peoples to pure language, so that all will call upon the Name of G-d to serve Him with one purpose.” We can see that G-d reminded Jonah about the universal destiny for mankind by bringing him to view the Leviathan.
But how was Jonah sure that the people of Nineveh would repent? As he said to G-d after they were spared (4:2), “Was this not my contention…? For this reason I hastened to flee…” The answer lies in the identity of the king. Jewish tradition teaches that he had been the Pharaoh whom we read about in the Book of Exodus (Midrash, ibid. 43). As the exodus took place, Pharaoh stood looking over the Red Sea while it split. When his army was drowned, he finally admitted to G-d’s complete control of the world and repented for his sins. He left and went to Nineveh, where he became king and dedicated it as a “great city unto G-d” (3:3). He was then blessed with long life, but eventually he lapsed and allowed his subjects to sin. Jonah knew that Pharaoh, of all people, would head G-d’s warning and lead them in repenting.
Jews have more commandments than Gentiles and are held to higher standards. Gentiles are accountable for the 7 Universal Commandments in the Book of Genesis, which are the foundation of true morality: establishing just courts, and the prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, homicide, forbidden sexual relations, theft, and eating meat that was severed from a living animal (cruelty to animals). But an entire population of Gentiles is not liable to collective Divine punishment unless they breach the boundaries of civilized coexistence, like the generations of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, and the metropolis around Sodom. In Nineveh, the rampant crime was theft (3:8). When Pharaoh heard that a prophet of G-d had declared that Nineveh would be overturned (3:4), he led the people in repentance to G-d. Since theft can’t be fully atoned without making restitution to the victims, they returned all stolen items and even tore apart their houses to return the materials they had extorted (Tractate Taanit16a). Thus it says (3:10), “G-d saw their deeds, that they repented from their evil way,” instead of “G-d saw their sackcloth and fasting.”
After Jonah saw that Nineveh was not destroyed, he was sickened over the comparison with the unrepentant Israelites. To admonish Jonah, G-d provided for him a kikayonplant, which he cherished. The next day it died, which broke Jonah’s heart. G-d then told him, how much more so does He care for all people. For He invests all people with His image (Gen. 1:27), watching them constantly and waiting for them to repent to Him for their sins so they can be forgiven, as proven by the people of Nineveh.
There were thousands of prophets in the Biblical Holy Land, but the only prophecies that were canonized in the Hebrew Bible were those which are relevant for all time, as G-d says (Malachi 3:6), “For I, G-d, have not changed…” The Book of Jonah teaches that all people, on account of G-d’s attention and care for them, are obligated to pray to Him to fulfill their needs – including prayers of repentance for their sins, combined with a commitment to actively improve their ways.
The author is grateful to Kate Bresee for the editing and useful comments that she provided.
Dr. Michael Schulman (PhD Physics ‘88) is an Orthodox/Hassidic Jew who has served since 1999 as Executive Director of the charitable organization Ask Noah International, and its web site Asknoah.org, from which this essay is reprinted with permission. A.N.I. is overseen by leading Orthodox Rabbis in the mission to provide education and guidance to Gentiles in the parts of the Written and Oral Torah tradition that apply universally to all people. Dr. Schulman is co-author of the book Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge: Spiritual Knowledge and Faith for All Righteous Gentiles.
The content of this article is the property of Ask Noah International and does not carry the same CC BY-NC-ND license as the rest of the magazine.
Academy Journal Beta.1, 4-6 (2017) · Reprinted with permission from Asknoah.org
SHALOM,
As a Jew/Christian, I believe that the stories of the Holy Bible are a beacon of faith and are still applicable today. Jonah (whose name means Dove) had a challenging mission that offers profound lessons about obedience, repentance, and G-D’s infinite Mercy. Jonah’s life story is a living example of the complexities of faith and obedience. Jonah remained on the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, a period that symbolizes death and Resurrection, judgement and Redemption.
Jonah faced Darkness, isolation and the knowledge of his disobedience inside the fish. This confinement was a time of deep introspection and regret. Amid despair, Jonah turned his heart to G-D and prayed his Prayer, recorded in Chapter 2 of the Book of Jonah. Jonah began his Prayer by acknowledging his affliction and G-D’s response, Jonah 2-2: “In my distress, I cried to the Lord, and HE answered me from the belly of the shol, I cried out, and You heard me” – Jonah described the depth of his situation, being thrown into the depth of the sea surrounded by water and seaweed, feeling cut off from the presence of G-D, Jonah prayed fervently as he reflected on his situation and he recognized G-D’s Hand in his discipline, he saw the fish was not as an instrument of punishment but as a means of Salvation.
This realization transformed his heart from hopelessness to hope. Jonah expressed gratitude for G-D’s mercy and promised to fulfil his vows: “But I will sacrifice to you with a voice of Thanksgiving. I will fulfil what I vowed.”
Salvation comes from the LORD, and on the third day, G-D ordered the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.
After being freed from the fish belly, Jonah was again ordained by G-D to go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim HIS message, this time with a transformed heart and a deeper understanding of Divine Mercy. Jonah really obeyed, and he travelled to an immense and powerful city known for its corruption and violence, Ninevah, the capital of the Assyrian Empire that symbolized everything that Jonah and his People feared and despised.
Surprisingly, Jonah’s message had a profound and immediate impact.
Surprisingly, the inhabitants of Nineveh, from the humblest to the most powerful, heard his words and believed. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, a symbol of repentance and humility before G-D. The king of Nenevah, upon hearing the message, rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and issued a decree to the entire city ordering everyone, including animals, to fast and cry out fervently to G-D and let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence, and repent and turn away from his fierceness, that they would not perish. Collective repentance, they recognized their transgressions and sought Divine Mercy. With a contrite heart, this radical transformation was evidence of the power of the prophetic message and of G-D’s willingness to forgive those who sincerely repent. And G-D did not bring destruction to the Ninevites.
This act of Divine Mercy highlights the essence of G-D’s character: His Compassion and Patience toward the most wicked people.
Jonah’s mission to Nineveh teaches us that the message of repentance and salvation can transform even the most hardened hearts. Jonah’s obedience, although belated, resulted in one of the greatest displays of collective repentance in the Bible.
This story reminds us that turning to G-D is never too late and that His Mercy is available to all who sincerely seek forgiveness.
One final lesson we can take from Jonah’s story underscores G-D’s vast and inclusive compassion, challenging everyone to broaden our understanding of Divine Love and Mercy.
G-D’s Love and Mercy have no bounds and are available to all. We are called to reflect on our own ability to forgive and show compassion, recognizing that obedience to G-D leads to unexpected and transformative results. Through our life journey, we learned to love, forgive, trust in G-D, and seek guidance, strength, and communion with Him.
Thank you and my G-D Be the centre of our lives.
G-D Bless