Comentario sobre Jonás 1:17

(1) NOW THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO JONAH - Our sages, of blessed memory, said (Jerusalem Talmud 5:1) that Jonah ben Amitai was, on his mother’s side, from the tribe of Asher, and that he was the son of the widow [of Zarephath] who sustained Elijah, and whom Elijah revived; and [our sages said further] that, on his father’s side, Jonah was from the tribe of Zebulun, as it is written in the book of Kings, “Jonah ben Amitai who was from Gath-Hepher” (2 Kings 14:25), and Gath-Hepher was in the territory of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13). And it is explained in the book of Kings (9:1-13) that Jonah was the one who anointed Jehu (Seder Olam Rabbah 18). And he prophesied to Jeroboam ben Joash (2 Kings 14:25) that he [Jeroboam] would restore the boundary of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah. And all of this was to no avail, for Israel did not repent until they were about to go into exile at the hand of the king of Assyria; and [at this time] Assyria was already ruling over them, therefore Hashem said to him [Jonah]:

The first prophecy goes until...."And the Word of Gd came to Yonah a second time." And it has two sections. The first is "The Word of Gd came to Yonah..." and the second is "And Gd said to the fish". And I have 6 questions about this.

The first questions is about Gd's command to Yonah to "get up and go to Ninveh the big city and call forth about it because its wickedness has come up before me." Why is Gd concerned about Ninveh's great sons that He sends His servants the prophets to rebuke it and straighten it. Isn't it clear from the beginning that this is the extra care that Gd takes for His nation and His portion Israel, specifically that they have this extra level of Divine Providence like it says (Deut 32:12) "Hashem alone guides him". Gd's portion is His nation, Jacob is His nachala. The other nations are under the general leadership that Hashem has given to them but among Israel are prophets that are the tools of Gd and His messengers to rebuke them and straighten their paths and Gd doesn't do this to every nation. Why did Gd therefore send Yonah to Ninveh, the city of the Chaldeans, and not to Egypt or Babylon or any other of the large nations with many wicked sinners among them.

The second question: Why did Yonah seek to flee from beore Gd like it says in the midrash, "Did he think he could from from before Hashem when it says (Psalms 139:7) 'where will I go away from Your spirit and how can I flee' and (Zecharia 4:10) 'the Eyes of Gd range across the whole land." Chazal already gave two answers for Yonah's behavior. The first is that the nations were preapred to repent and he didn't want to implicate Israel. But this is weak reasoning because perhaps Ninveh's teshuva would inspire Israel to repent and Gd would have mercy on their doings even more so since He had mercy on the nations. The second reason is that Yonah suspected that the Ninveh residents would repent and Gd would relent from His decree of destruction and they would say he was a false prophet. And this doesn't make sense to me either, since the people of Ninveh clearly believed Yonah and therefore repented based on his words and it is known that if his words inspired their repentance, that they believed his prophecy and if they didn't believe it they would not have repented. Had they not believed him, they would not have repented and then his prophecy of destruction would have come true, so there is no situation where they would consider him a false prophet. And also why does it matter to Yonah if the people of Ninveh would consider him a false prophet since he didn't live among them and after giving his prophecy could have returned to his land. Why would fear of their opinion of him cause him to flee from before Gd especially since he knows that a prophet that withholds his prophecy is liable to death.

The third question is regarding the words of the sailors on the ship that decided to pull lots to know who was responsible for the storm. Storms are natural occurances for ships so why did they think the lots would give them a true judgement about this and maybe the lots would actually give an incorrect response, implicating an innocent person like it says in the midrash on sefer yehoshua when Achan asked Yehoshua "why are you pulling lots between me and my family. If I pulled a lot between you and between Pinchas, would it not fall on one of you. What about in this case, if there was no man responsible for the storm.

The fourth question: What the sailors said to Yonah, "tell us who this trouble has come upon us and what is your work." when they already knew that the lots had fallen on Yonah and that the storm was because of him. So why did they ask who the trouble came because of. And why abut his work, where he came frm and where is he going. They were in the middle of storm so why did they need to know his work...And Yonah's response did not answer the questions. Instead he said "I am an Ivri and I fear Gd of the heavens." And the sailors responded with "what did you do" after he already told that he had fled from Gd. The whole dialogue needs to be explained.

The fifth question: Yonah said "pick me up and throw me into the sea."Since, Yonah knew it was futile to flee from Hashem, why did he not do teshuva and pray and confess and promise to complte his assigned mission since we know that nothing stands in the way of teshuva. And he was already roused against his will to repent by the sailors who said "why are you sleeping. Get up! Pray to your Gd". How did he prefer to risk his life and be thrown to the sea and stand firm in his rebellion even though he was a wise prophet of Gd.

The sixth question: Why did Hashem command the fish to spit out Yonah on the dry land. If Yonah continued to refused to repent and to listen to Gd's command why did Hashem forgive His anger when Yonah clung to his sin. He did pray inside the fish, but how did the prayer help him when he was still clinging to his sin. Woudn't this be comparable to going in a mikveh holding an abominable animal and when he withheld from sharing his prophecy he was still deserving of death inside the fish and not to be saved from there. Even his prayer demonstrated stubborness when he said "I will fulfill my vows" but we don't know of any vows he made. I will now explain these pesukim according to these questions.

The overarching theme of the prophecy is to tell us that Gd's Will will prevail forever and the words of Gd will be fulfilled forever. And therefore we can trust the prophets words about the future because Gd isn't a man who lies. And Gd already commanded as an action to Yonah to prophecy not about his nation but about Ninveh the capital city of the Kingdom of Assyria. And Yonah did not want to go because he knew Assyria would in the future do wickedness to Israel and he was disgusted by helping Assyria and Ninveh and therefore he ran away. And Gd who is the Master of man's actions made a powerful storm in the sea until the sailors were forced to throw the sinner, Yonah, into the water and even there he did not find rest because the fishi n the sea swallowed him and guarded him like the pupil of his eye until Yonah was forced to pray to Gd and He took him out and he went on his mission. Because nothing is impoosible for Gd and man is like clay in His hands and He can do whatever He Wills.

"The word of Gd came to Jonah ben Amittai..." until "the sailors feared". Our sages say that Yonah was from the tribe of Asher and he was the son of the widow who had sustained Eliyahu and he was the dead who Eliyahu had brought back to life. But Rabbi Yochana said he was from the tribe of Zevulun because when he is introduced in II Kings 14:25 weare told he is from Gat Chefer (in Zeveulun's portion). Rabbi Levi says that his mother was from Asher and his father was from Zevulun (who was blessed to dwell by the sea until Tzidon" and he went down to Yaffo and found a ship going to Tarshish, and Elisha trusted him as prohet to deliver the messenger abut annointng Yehu ben Nimshi as King and because he was trustworthy, he was called "Amitai" And from this were learn taht this wasi n the Kingdom of Efraim before Sancherib destroyed the Shomrom but after the Assyrians defeated the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and half of Menashe that were on the other side of the Jordan and after they exiled Zebulun and Naftali and there is no doubt that all the other prophets who remained were scared of the King of Assyria that he would come and destroy the Shomron like he did to the previously exiled tribes. And this fear was in the hearts of the wise of Israel and therefore affected Yonah's actions as will be explained in this book and what Gd commanded Yonah to (Yonah 1:2) go to Ninveh the big city which was the capital with the king's throne. And the Ibin Ezra explains that the big city for Gd because the Ninveh people feared Gd from early days but only now in the days of Yonah had begun to sin and do eveil in the eyes of Gd and only because they had previously been righteous did Gd command his prophet to rebuke them. But I disagree wit hthis and I explain " a great city for Gd" in a different way.

And it isn't fitting to explain "call upon it because there wickedness has come before" that hte point was to inform the city of the wickedness rather the point was to tell that Gd had decreed that they would be overturned rather it is translated like (Isiah 58:1) to call out loud and not be silent. To rebuke them and frighten them and this is because their wickedness has come up before Gd. And this wasn't in order to have Providence on them with Divine Providence like Israel and to straighten their deeds and to save them from plauge but rather because they were decreed by Gd to destroy the tribes of Israel and Shomron and it's suburbs fro mtheir sins through Assryia. Therefore Gd wanted to saved Assyria from the wickedness that would come upon them because of the violence in their hands in order to save Assyria from destruction so they could be the weapon of Gds wrath as they are refered to as "Assyria the rod of My anger." and therefoere Gd wanted to straighted their ways of the capitol city Ninveh, the head of the Kingdom of Assyria and this is why Yonah was sent to Ninveh to call upon it and not because Gd loved them and desired them, rather to save them from the evil so they would in the future be prepared for their mission against Israel. Which answers the first question.

and proclaim against—My proclamation.

The questions: we do not find in any text that God would send a prophet of Israel to go to another country to get them to repent. This is specific to Israel, to whom divine providence applies, as our sages said...How was Nineveh different, that God sent Jonah? And why did Jonah not heed God's voice? He should have sprinted joyfully to get human beings to repent from their evil way, and what matter is it that they were not of Israel? And how could Jonah transgress God's command by suppressing his prophecy? A prophet who does this is liable to the death penalty! And why did God say, "Proclaim" without saying what to proclaim, and only specifying the second time "Proclaim that which I shall tell you"?

Nineveh - the royal seat of Assyria, which is a ruin today. And the sages of Israel in Greece say that it is the city called Ortei [Ortygia, Sicily?], but I do not know. Note that God did not command Jonah to say "In forty days..." only that "their evil has come before Me."

"Arise, go to Nineveh and proclaim upon it": so that they repent. Jonah's mission was not for the sake of Nineveh, ...but for Israel's sake. After Assyria was assigned to be the rod of God's wrath with Israel for their sins, God wanted to bring them [Assyria] to repentance so that they would be ready to fulfill God's decree...Also, God wanted to show that Assyria had more merit than Israel, because they listened to the words of the prophet and repented, while Israel stiffened their necks. And when Jonah realized that, from this mission, harm would come upon Israel, this is when he began to think about not going. He chose to drown himself in the sea instead of bringing about harm to Israel.

And those who explain that Jonah feared that he would be called a false prophet - by God forgiving them their evil - are incorrect, because God did not say this reason until the second time, where it says: 'the proclamation that I speak to you," - and that is when God says it will be forty days.

[...]

Moreover, how could a prophet rebel against God's command out of his fear that the people of Nineveh would call him a false prophet? How would that harm him? Would he dwell among them?

And because, in the first instance, God only said to "proclaim," without specifying what, this meant proclaiming to them general words of morality and rebuke so that they would repent....God was only sending him to rebuke them, and not to inform them of God's decree on them. Hence, Jonah thought that by not going, he was not guilty of suppressing his prophecy; he wasn't being sent to prophesy at all, and he would be only violating the positive command from God to rebuke them.

Further, the people of Nineveh weren't stupid. Why would God send a prophet to them for them to repent, and if they refused, the decree against them would be fulfilled - if they knew that this was so, that if they repent, God would forgive their evil - why would they then call Jonah a false prophet?!

Our sages of blessed memory were correct when they said that Jonah was distressed, for Israel's sake, that the people of Nineveh would escape [their fate].

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The people of Nineveh had once been God-fearing, and had only begun to do evil in Jonah's time. And were it not that they used to be God-fearing, God would not have sent a prophet to them. We see that they did a complete, even unparalleled teshuvah, and we do not find any text that says they tore down their altars to Baal or their idols. And so we learn that they were not idolaters.

to flee to Tarshish—I.e, to a sea named Tarshish, which is outside the Holy Land. He said, “I will flee to the sea, for the Shechinah does not rest outside the Holy Land.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him, “By your life, I have messengers like you to send after you and fetch you from there.” This is illustrated by an allegory of a priest’s slave who fled from his master and entered a cemetery [making it impossible for his master to retrieve him]. His master said to him, “I have slaves like you to send after you and fetch you from there.” Now what did Jonah see that he did not wish to go to Nineveh? He said, “The gentiles are quick to repent. Should I prophesy to them and they repent, I will be found condemning Israel, who do not heed the words of the prophets.” [from Mechilta, Exodus 12:1]

The Questions: Why did Jonah flee to Tarshish? If [he fled] so that the word of Hashem would not reach him, then, behold, Hashem had already commanded him [to go to Nineveh] and he refused to go on the mission. What difference does it make if he refuses once or if he refuses twice? And why did he flee to the sea and not to the desert and from there to chutz la’aretz [‘outside the Holy Land’]? For, behold, the sea is suitable for prophecy, as it is written that God appeared to Ezekiel in chutz la’aretz because he was in a place of water (Ezekiel 1:3). And the phrase ‘ba’ah Tarshish,’ ‘arriving Tarshish,’ [appears] incorrect, for it should have said, 'holechet Tarshish,' ‘going [to] Tarshish.’

Jonah went and fled toward Tarshish from before God: How could he flee?...The prophet was full of wisdom and intelligence; how could he think that he could flee from God? Rather, he sought to flee from before God; that is, from being in God's presence, which is the spirit of prophecy. He thought that if he were to leave the Land of Israel, the spirit of prophecy would no longer rest upon him. And so he would be able to refuse to go on the mission, since he thought that gentiles are quick to repent, and if he went to them on this mission of God, they would repent from their evil ways. And this would condemn Israel, since Jonah and the other prophets keep going to them on missions from God and they do not repent from their evil way....

He went and fled to Jaffa: The gaon said that Tarshish is Tarsus. But Rabbi Mevaser says that it is Tunis in Africa.

and he paid its hire—He paid its hire in advance; although it is not customary for those embarking upon the sea to pay the hire of the ship until they leave, he paid in advance. [Pirk&d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 10; Tanhuma, Vayikra 8].

threatened to be broken—It appears as though it would be broken.

And since Jonah was going against His Will, Gd made a great wind on the sea and there was a mighty storm and about this the psukim explain the reason for the storms. According to the philosophers when there wind blows on the water, the wind tries to get out from under the water according to it's lightweight nature. And the waters heavy nature holds onto the wind and that creates a storm. So therefore the informatoin that "Gd made a wind on the sea" gives the reason for the storm and tells us that the wind did n't hit the sea because of a natural reason because it wasn't the time for the wind naturally, rather Gd with Divine Providence made the wind appear there to cause a storm. And when it says "the ship was thought to be broken" from the storm because it appeared to them that it was breaking. Typically a boat doesn't break in a storm, rather it sinks in it's place. Therefore I am explaining "thought to be broken" as they were scared it would drown because of the mighty waves and the sailors would nt escape, so the sailors tried to bring the boat ashore so it would break on the shore and the men could escape because they wuld be clse t land. So this pasuk "thught to be broken" describes the mindset of the sailors who's goal was to break the boat. But because of the strong wind, the efforts of the sailors to run the boat ashore did not work, because the wind came from the land and pushed the boat into the water.

And the sailors—The men who conducted the ship.

each one... to his god—Of the seventy nations of the heathens were there.

He lay down and slept - from seasickness, and perhaps this was his first time on a ship.

The captain Heb. רַב הַחוֹבֵל, the captain of the sailors, for they, too, are called חוֹבְלֵי הַיָּם, the sailors of the sea; in O.F., gobernedors.

“What is the matter with you, sleeper?”—What is the matter with you to be sound asleep? Now is no time to sleep.

will think Heb. יִתְעַשֵּׁת, an expression of thought. Cf. (Ps. 146:4) “his thoughts (עֶשְׁתֹּנֹתָיו).” (Dan. 6:4) “And the king thought ((עֲשִׁית)).” [from Machberet Menachem p.139]

“Come, let’s cast lots”—They saw that the other ships were sailing in the sea calmly, and theirs was breaking. They said, “Because of one of us, this is taking place.” So we find in Pirk&d’Rabbi Eliezer (ch. 10).

because of whom Heb. בְּשֶׁלְמִי, because of the deeds of which one of us.

“Tell us now, because of whom—Against whom have you sinned, that this evil should befall us because of it

What is your work—Perhaps you were negligent in your work.

and whence do you come? Perhaps a decree has been issued upon the people of that place even if you are not there.

and from what people are you?”—Perhaps your people have sinned.

And because all these questions were trying to determing who had sinned and what the sin was, Yonah was able to succinctly answer all with "I am an Ivri and I fear Hashem, Gd of the heavens". Meaning, you asked my sin and whether it was related to the land or my nation or whether I sinned in a way that would make me deserving of death, now see that I am an Ivri. The word Ivri both being from the land of the Ivrim but also that he was "ovvar" disobeying the command of Gd as it is used in (Bamidbar 14:41). This explained nature of his sin and also against whom he had sinned (Hashem, Gd of the heavens) and you dont need to inquire about my land and people because I didn't sin before you but only before Gd whom I fear and the matter isn't in the realm of the heavens but in the Gd of heaven and earth who created the sea and the storm and the dry land that we cannot reach.

A different explanation is the sailors asked "who caused this wickedness for us" meaning if it was a decree from heaven on his birthland that he would need to drown in the water or was it Divine Providence. So they asked questions to get more information. And it wasn't four separate questions like it seems in the pshat, but instead the questions were as follows: What is your work? What is the work that because of it may have cuased you to be punished this way. And they didn't say how did he sin in his work because maybe his punishment would have come on account of others from his land and the wickedness of his nation. And what nation are you from that would make you culpable...? and SImilarly all the questions were on this track or trying to figure out why he was culpable. So Yonah answered about the work that he was an Iviro... menaing the matter doesn't have to do with my land or my nation but I am an Ivri and you know the land of the Ivrim is a good place and the people who are there travel the sea without issue. But I fear Hashem, Gd of the heaven who looks down from His place and puts His Providence on the land. And I fear Him because not only did I sin but He created the land and the sea and everything is in His Hands like clay in the potters hands. And this is why Yonah's answer to the sailors questions made sense.

“What is this that you have done?”—Why have you done this, to flee from before such a Ruler?

And the men rowed vigorously Heb. וַיַחְתְּרוּ, they toiled and busied themselves like one who digs a tunnel.

for the life of this man—I.e, for the sin of laying a hand upon his life.

and they made vows—that they would proselytize.