Midrash for Jonah 2:2

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“The king said to her: What troubles you, Queen Esther, and what is your request… Esther said: If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet… The king said: Hasten Haman…The king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared…Haman emerged on that day joyful and glad of heart, but upon Haman’s seeing Mordekhai at the king’s gate, and he did not stand, and he did not move on his account, Haman became filled with fury…Haman restrained himself…and brought his supporters and Zeresh his wife, etc.” (Esther 5:3–5; 8–10).
Among all of them, there was no one capable of giving counsel like Zeresh his wife. He [Haman] had three hundred and sixty-five advisers, corresponding to the days of the solar year. His wife said to him: The person [Mordekhai] about whom you are asking, “If he is of the progeny of the Jews…you will not prevail against him” (Esther 6:13) – unless you approach him with cleverness, with [a strategy] that has never been attempted against members of his nation. If you drop him into a fiery furnace, Ḥananya and his cohorts have already been rescued [from it]; if [you place him in] the lions’ den, Daniel already emerged from it. If you incarcerate him in prison, Joseph already emerged from it. If you ignite a fire in a vat beneath him, Menashe [king of Judah] already pleaded, and the Holy One blessed be He acceded to his plea and he emerged from it. If you exile him to the wilderness, his ancestors already procreated in the wilderness, and they were confronted with numerous ordeals and passed them all and were rescued. If you blind his eyes, Samson took numerous Philistine lives when he was blind. Rather, hang him on a gibbet, as no member of his people has survived it.
Immediately, “the matter was pleasing to Haman and he prepared the gibbet” (Esther 5:14). From what tree was that gibbet crafted? The Rabbis said: When he came to prepare it, the Holy One blessed be He called to all the trees of Creation: ‘Who will give [of its wood] so this wicked one [Haman] will be hanged on it?’
The fig said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel brings first fruits from me. Moreover, Israel was likened to the first fruits [of a fig]; that is what is written: “Like a first fruit on a fig tree in its first season”’ (Hosea 9:10).
The grapevine said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; that is what is written: “You transported a vine from Egypt”’ (Psalms 80:9).
The pomegranate said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; as it is stated: “Your temple is like a pomegranate slice”’ (Song of Songs 4:3).
The nut said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was likened to me; that is what is written: “I have descended to the nut garden”’ (Song of Songs 6:11).
The citron said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel takes from me for a mitzva; that is what is written: “You shall take for you on the first day the fruit of a pleasant tree…”’¹This verse refers to the mitzva to take the four species on Sukkot. Rabbinic tradition identifies the “pleasant tree” as the citron. (Leviticus 23:40).
The myrtle said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; as it is stated: “And he was standing among the myrtles”’ (Zechariah 1:8).
The olive said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; as it is stated: “The Lord called your name a flourishing olive-tree, fair of fruit and form”’ (Jeremiah 11:16).
The apple said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; as it is stated: “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the boys” (Song of Songs 2:3), and as it is written: “And the fragrance of your face like apples”’ (Song of Songs 7:9).
The palm said: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me; that is what is written: “This, your stature, is likened to a palm”’ (Song of Songs 7:8).
Acacia trees and cypress trees said: ‘We will give of ourselves, as the Sanctuary was crafted and the Temple was constructed from us.’
The cedar and the date said: ‘We will give of ourselves, as we are analogized to the righteous, as it is stated: “The righteous man flourishes like a palm tree; like a cedar in Lebanon he grows tall”’ (Psalms 92:13).
The willow says: ‘I will give of myself, as Israel was analogized to me, as it is stated: “Like willows by streams of water” (Isaiah 44:4); and they take from me for the mitzva of the four species in the lulav.’
At that moment, the thorn said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, I, who have nothing to ascribe [litlot] to myself, I will give of myself, and that impure one will be hanged [veyitaleh]. My name is thorn, and he [Haman] is a painful thorn; it is appropriate for a thorn to be hanged on a thorn.’ They found [suitable wood from a thorn] and erected [the gibbet].
When they brought it before Haman, he prepared it at the entrance to his house and measured himself on it to show his servants how Mordekhai should be hanged on it. A divine voice replied to him: ‘The tree is suitable for you; this tree has been prepared for you since the six days of Creation.’ The Rabbis there [i.e. Babylonia] say: Where in the Torah is there [an allusion] to Haman? It is, as it is stated: “Was it from the tree [hamin haetz]” (Genesis 3:11), which is expounded to read: Haman haetz.
Another matter: “it was on the third day” (Esther 5:1). Israel is never subject to trouble for more than three days, as in Abraham’s regard it is written: “On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place from a distance” (Genesis 22:4). The tribes, “he gathered them into custody for three days” (Genesis 42:17). Jonah, as it is stated: “Jonah was in the innards of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 2:1). And the dead will live only after three days, as it is stated: “On the third day He will raise us” (Hosea 6:2).²At the resurrection of the dead, all will be revived for the day of judgement, when some will be granted “eternal life,” and others will receive “reproaches and everlasting abhorrence” (Daniel 12:2). The midrash here is stating that the righteous will experience the anxiety of the impending judgement for three days before they are granted eternal life. This miracle, too, transpired after three days of their fasting; that is what is written: “It was on the third day, that Esther donned royalty” (Esther 5:1). She sent and invited Haman to a banquet with the king on the fifteenth of Nisan. Once they ate and drank, Haman said: ‘The king promotes me, his wife honors me, and there is no one in the kingdom greater than I am,’ and his heart was overjoyed; that is what is written: “Haman emerged on that day joyful and glad of heart” (Esther 5:9).

The fish said to Jonah, Dost thou not know that my day had arrived to be devoured in the midst of Leviathan's mouth? Jonah replied, Take me beside it, and I will deliver thee and myself from its mouth. It brought him next to the Leviathan. (Jonah) said to the Leviathan, On thy account have I descended to see thy abode in the sea, for, moreover, in the future will I descend and put a rope in thy tongue, and I will bring thee up and prepare thee for the great feast of the righteous. (Jonah) showed it the seal of our father Abraham (saying), Look at the Covenant (seal), and Leviathan saw it and fled before Jonah a distance of two days' journey. (Jonah) said to it (i.e. the fish), Behold, I have saved thee from the mouth of Leviathan, show me what is in the sea and in the depths. It showed him the great river of the waters of the Ocean, as it is said, "The deep was round about me" (Jonah 2:5), and it showed him the paths of the Reed Sea through which Israel passed, as it is said, "The reeds were wrapped about my head" (ibid.); and it showed him the place whence the waves of the sea and its billows flow, as it is said, "All || thy waves and thy billows passed over me" (Jonah 2:3); and it showed him the pillars of the earth in its foundations, as it is said, "The earth with her bars for the world were by me" (Jonah 2:6); and it showed him the lowest Sheol, as it is said, "Yet hast thou brought up my life from destruction, O Lord, my God" (ibid.); and it showed him Gehinnom, as it is said, "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice" (Jonah 2:2); and it showed him (what was) beneath the Temple of God, as it is said,"(I went down) to the bottom of the mountains" (Jonah 2:6). Hence we may learn that Jerusalem stands upon seven (hills), and he saw there the Eben Shethiyah (Foundation Stone) fixed in the depths. He saw there the sons of Korah standing and praying over it. They said to Jonah, Behold thou dost stand beneath the Temple of God, pray and thou wilt be answered. Forthwith Jonah said to the fish, Stand in the place where thou art standing, because I wish to pray. The fish stood (still), and Jonah began to pray before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he said: Sovereign of all the Universe ! Thou art called "the One who kills" and "the One who makes alive," behold, my soul has reached unto death, now restore me to life. He was not answered until this word came forth from his mouth, "What I have vowed I will perform" (Jonah 2:9), namely, I vowed to draw up Leviathan and to prepare it before Thee, I will perform (this) on the day of the Salvation of Israel, as it is said, "But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving" (ibid.). Forthwith the Holy One, blessed be He, hinted (to the fish) and it vomited out Jonah || upon the dry land, as it is said, "And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land" (Jonah 2:10).

It was taught that R’ Eliezer says: the waters of Egypt were turned to blood on the fifth day of the week. On that very day our ancestors left Egypt, on that very day the waters of the Jordan stood still before the ark of the Lord, on that very day Hezekiah blocked up all of the springs. Yonah fled before God on the fifth day of the week. And why did he flee? Because the first time God sent him to bring the cities of Israel to repentance and his words succeeded, as it says ‘he restored the cities of Israel.’ (see Kings II 14:25) The second time Gd sent him against Jerusalem to destroy it. Since they repented, the Holy One acted out of the abundance of His mercy, regretted the evil, and did not destroy it. Then they called him a false prophet. The third time God sent him against Nineveh to destroy it. Yonah took counsel with himself and said: I know that the nations are easily moved to repentance and my anger will be disposed of on Israel. It is not enough that Israel calls me a false prophet, should even the nations call me so?! I will flee to a place where His glory is not found. This is like a king of flesh and blood whose wife died while she was nursing and he sought a wet nurse to nurse his son. What did he do? He called to his wet nurse to nurse his son that he not die of hunger. What did the king’s wet nurse do? She left his son and fled. When the king saw that this was so he sent out a message to seize her and detain her in prison and to lower her down into a place with snakes and scorpions. After a few days the king stood at the lip of the pit and she was weeping and crying out to him. The mercy of the king was awakened for her and he gave order that she be lifted out and returned before him. So too Yonah. Since he fled from the Holy One, He locked him up in the belly of the fish until he cried out before the Holy One and He brought him forth. He went down to Yaffo and found no ship on which to flee, because the ship was already two days out from Yaffo. What did the Holy One do? He brought a storm wind upon it and returned it to Yaffo. Yonah saw this and rejoiced greatly, saying: now I know that my path is smooth before me. He said to them: I will go with you. They said to him: we are going to the far islands of Tarshish. He replied: nonetheless! Out of Yonah’s great joy he paid them in advance, as it says “…paid its hire, and went down into it…” (Jonah 1:3) They set out to sea and a storm wind came against them from their left and their right. All the other boats were passing to and fro in peace and quiet while their ship was in great distress and looked as if it would founder. R’ Chanina says: there were representatives of all seventy languages on that boat, each one had his god in his hand and was prostrating himself. They said: everyone call out to their god and the one who answers and saves is the true god. They called out and it did no good. In his distress and exhaustion, Yonah fell asleep. The captain of the ship came to him and said: we are hanging between life and death and you are sleeping! From what people are you? He replied: I am a Hebrew. He said to him: we have heard that your god is great. Get up and call to your god, maybe he will do for us like all the wonders that he did at the sea. He said to them: this distress is because of me. Lift me up and toss me into the sea. R’ Shimon said: they did not resolve to throw him into the sea until they drew lots and the lot fell out on Yonah. What did they do? They took all of the baggage from the ship and threw it into the sea in order to lighten their load, but it did not help. They wanted to return to land, but they were not able. They took Yonah and stood him on the edge of the ship, saying: Master of the World! Do not place upon us innocent blood, because we do not know what this man has done. They lowered his legs into the water and the sea calmed, they lifted him up and it raged again. They lowered him in to his belly and the sea calmed, they drew him back up to them and it raged again. They lowered him in to his neck and so on until they lowered him all the way, as it says “And they picked Jonah up and cast him into the sea…” (Jonah 1:15) R’ Meir says: the fish was appointed to swallow Yonah from the six days of creation, as it says “And the Lord appointed a huge fish…” (Jonah 2:1) He entered its mouth like a man who entered a great synagogue and his two eyes were like windows. He said – lanterns are giving light for Yonah. R’ Meir says: there was a pearl hanging in the belly of the fish which gave light for Yonah like the sun at its strength in the midday and Yonah saw all that was in the seas and in the depths. The fish said to Yonah: don’t you know that my day to be eaten by leviathan has arrived? He said to him: bring me to him and I will save both you and me from his mouth. The fish brought him to leviathan and he said: for you I descended, to see your dwelling place in the sea. Furthermore, in the future I will come down and put a rope around your head in order to make a feast out of you for the righteous. Yonah showed him the seal of our father Avraham (circumcision). Leviathan saw it and fled before him a distance of two days. Then Yonah said to the fish: I saved you from leviathan, now show me everything which is in the seas and the depth. It showed him the great river of the waters of the ocean as it says, “…and a river surrounded me…” (Jonah 2:4) It showed him the paths of the Red Sea through which Israel passed as it says, “…the weeds were wrapped about my head.” (Jonah 2:6) It showed him the place from which the waves of the sea come forth as it says, “…all Your breakers and waves passed over me.” (Jonah 2:4) It showed him the pillars of the earth on its base as it says, “…the earth with her bars closed on me forever…” (Jonah 2:7) It showed him the lowest part of the netherworld as it says, “…out of the belly of She’ol I cried…” (Jonah 2:3) It showed him Gehinnom as it says, “…yet you have brought up my life from the pit…” (Jonah 2:7) It showed him the palace of the Lord as it says, “I went down to the bottom of the mountains…” (Jonah 2:7) From here we learn that Jerusalem stands on seven mountains. And he saw there the foundation stone fixed in the deeps, and he saw there also the sons of Korach standing and praying for it. Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish without praying. The Holy One said: I made a broad space for him in the belly of a male fish in order that he not be distressed and he isn’t praying! I will prepare a fish that is pregnant with three hundred and sixty five thousands and tens of thousands of little fish in order that he be distressed and pray before me. This is because the Holy One desires the prayers of the righteous. In that hour the Holy One brought a pregnant fish and she said to the other fish: the Holy One sent me to swallow up the prophet who is in your belly. If you will spit him out, good. If not I will swallow you with him. He said to her: who knows if what you say is true? She replied: leviathan. They went to leviathan and she said to him: leviathan, king over all the fish of the sea! Do you not know that the Holy One sent me to this fish to swallow the prophet who is in his belly? He said to her: yes. The fish said to leviathan: when? He replied: in the last three hours, when the Holy One descends to play with me. Thus I heard. He immediately spit out Yonah. The female fish right away swallowed him and he was in great distress because of the confinement and the filth. He immediately focused his heart in prayer, as it says “And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God, from the belly of the fish.” (Jonah 2:2) He said: Master of the World! Where can I go to escape Your spirit and to where can I flee from before You? “If I ascend to the heavens, there You are…” (Psalms 139:8) You are King over all kingdoms and Master over all rulers of the world. The high heavens are Your throne and the earth is Your footstool. Your kingdom is on high and Your dominion in the deeps, the actions of all humanity are revealed before You and the secrets of all men spread out before You. You search out the ways of all people and examine the footsteps of all living things. You know the hidden things of the kidneys and the secrets of the heart You understand. All which is hidden is revealed before You, there are no secrets before the throne of your glory and nothing shielded from Your eyes. You collect every secret and tell every single thing. You are there in every place, Your eyes see evil and good. I beseech You, answer me from the belly of Sheol and save me from the depths. Let my cry come into Your ears and fulfill my request because You sit far away and hear as if near. You are called the One who lifts up and casts down, please lift me up! You are called the One who kills and gives life, I have reached the point of death – revive me! He was not answered until he said this: that which I vowed to bring up leviathan and prepare him before them, I will fulfill on the day of Israel’s salvation. “But I-with a voice of thanks will I sacrifice to You…” (Jonah 2:10) Immediately the Holy One gestured to the fish and she vomited Yonah nine hundred and sixty eight parsa to dry land. The sailors saw all the signs and wonders which the Holy One did with Yonah and everyone threw away his god, as it says “Those who keep worthless futilities…” (Jonah 2:9) They returned to Yaffo, went up to Jerusalem and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins, as it says “And the men feared the Lord exceedingly…” (Jonah 1:16) And did they make sacrifices?! Rather they performed circumcision which is like the blood of sacrifice. Each man vowed his wife, children and all he had to the Gd of Yonah, and fulfilled his vow. Of them it says ‘and on the righteous converts.’