וַיָּבֹ֤א הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ מִדַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק וַיַּ֥רְא הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיִּקְרַ֥ב הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ וַיַּ֥עַל עָלָֽיו׃
E il re venne da Damasco, e il re vide l'altare; e il re si avvicinò all'altare e vi offrì sacrifici sopra.
Depths of Yonah
Explanation Number One - The Goal of Yonah’s Resistance
Torah Academy of Bergen County student Eli Englard suggested that Yonah is focused on the Beit HaMikdash since this is the goal of his resisting Hashem’s command to address Nineveh. Recall Abarbanel’s approach that Yonah desired Nineveh’s demise since Nineveh was the capital of Assyria which had designs on conquering Eretz Yisrael. As such, Yonah’s ultimate goal is to protect the Beit HaMikdash from the threat posed to it by the Assyrians59See Melachim II 16:12-18 for a description of the damage indirectly caused by the Assyrians to the Beit HaMikdash. The Assyrians also likely influenced the evil king Menashe in his defiling of the Temple. .
Torah Academy of Bergen County student Eli Englard suggested that Yonah is focused on the Beit HaMikdash since this is the goal of his resisting Hashem’s command to address Nineveh. Recall Abarbanel’s approach that Yonah desired Nineveh’s demise since Nineveh was the capital of Assyria which had designs on conquering Eretz Yisrael. As such, Yonah’s ultimate goal is to protect the Beit HaMikdash from the threat posed to it by the Assyrians59See Melachim II 16:12-18 for a description of the damage indirectly caused by the Assyrians to the Beit HaMikdash. The Assyrians also likely influenced the evil king Menashe in his defiling of the Temple. .