Musar zu Jonah 1:5

But the truth is that the Holy One blessed is He is merely holding His peace until the person exceeds his limit.. Meanwhile the case against him continues accumulating until Divine wrath strikes at him all of a sudden, just like the storm that struck Yonah’s ship. And just as the tempest grew stronger and stronger until it threatened to destroy the vessel, so do Heaven’s judgments shake up a person’s entire body until he is so agitated and feverish that he must take to his sick bed, where he lapses into deep sleep. This is parallel to what is written in the book of Yonah, “And Yonah went down to the depths of the ship and fell asleep” (1:5). While the person is still confined to his bed a spirit begins to awaken within him. It is the evil inclination, which on this occasion urges him to repent without delay, for the day of his departure from this world is drawing near. This is alluded to in the verse, “And the captain approached him” (1:6). As the Zohar tells us, “this is the evil inclination,” the “captain” of the body. “And he said to him, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and call upon your God!’ ” In other words his evil inclination implores him, “This is no time to sleep! You are about to be judged concerning everything you did in this world! Be sure to confess to your Creator!”