פירוש על יונה 1:1

(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.