2019/5780

What a dramatic conclusion to a drama-filled Seifer! After a very intense and gut-wrenching exchange between Hashem and Yonah in the fourth Perek, the text concludes with a penetrating question that Hashem poses to Yonah - if you were so invested in the Kikayon, how could I [Hashem] not be invested in the city of Nineveh with its population exceeding 120,000 people?

Fascinating is the absence of a response from Yonah. The possible interpretations of this silence are tantalizing!

We should note that there is only one other instance in Tanach where a narrative ends with a question. BeReishit Perek 34 ends with Shimon and Levi’s response to Ya’akov Avinu’s criticism of their violent reaction to the kidnapping of Dinah. Shimon and Levi ask, “Shall we tolerate our sister being treated as a harlot?” Ya’akov Avinu’s response to this question is not recorded.

Moreover, Seifer Iyov, the other Seifer in Tanach where we find the protagonist engaged in an intense struggle with Hashem, concludes with Iyov explicitly conceding to Hashem’s rebuke. The contrast between Iyov’s explicit concession and Yonah’s silence begs for an explanation.

In the story in BeReishit there is considerable debate as to how to interpret Ya'akov Avinu’s silence. Should we interpret Ya'akov Avinu as silently acquiescing to Shimon and Levi’s claim (as Rambam believes)? On the other hand, perhaps Ya'akov Avinu withheld his response until his dying moments when he rebuked Shimon and Levi once again for their violence at Shechem (as Ramban believes).

Option Number One - Acquiescence

Yalkut Shimoni (551) interprets Yonah’s silence as submission to Hashem’s will. This Midrash records Yonah’s reaction: “Immediately Yonah fell on his face and stated Ribbono Shel Olam (Master of the World), I recognize that I sinned before You. Forgive me for fleeing to the sea, as I was unaware of Your great might, which I now recognize.” Midrash Yonah (Horovitz edition page 21) offers a similar approach: “Then he fell on his face and said: ‘Conduct Your world according to the attribute of mercy,’ as it is written, ‘LaHashem Elokeinu HaRachamim VeHaSelichot,’ ‘To Hashem our God belong mercy and forgiveness’ (Daniel 9:9).”

The interpretation of Yonah’s silence as submission is consistent with the Talmudic principle Shetikah KeHoda’ah (silence is the equivalent of admission), which is repeated often by Chazal. Thus, if a litigant in Beit Din, halachic court, claims that his adversary owes him a certain sum of money, and the adversary does not respond, the lack of response is to be understood as an admission to the claim.

Professor Uriel Simon offers a very interesting argument supporting the position that Yonah submitted to, and internalized, Hashem’s message. In Seifer Melachim (Melachim Bet 14:25) we find that Yonah prophecies great success to Yarovam ben Yo’ash, a spiritually deficient King of Israel. Seifer Melachim attributes the subsequent success of Yarovam ben Yo’ash to Hashem’s merciful approach to the Jewish people. Accordingly, we see Yonah presenting a message expressing Hashem’s merciful side, despite Yonah’s intense struggle with Hashem to adopt a more strict approach to spiritually deficient individuals. Professor Simon argues that Yonah’s message to Yarovam ben Yo’ash occurred after the events recorded in Seifer Yonah, after Yonah embraced Hashem’s lenient approach to judgment.

We may add to Professor Simon’s argument that the reason for Hashem’s lenient approach to Nineveh is identical to His reason for taking a lenient approach to Yarovam ben Yo’ash. Hashem reasons that Nineveh (according to Abarbanel’s interpretation) does not distinguish between its right and left hands regarding the prohibition of idolatry. Nineveh’s idolatry is forgivable (to paraphrase Torah Academy of Bergen County Talmid Ezra Finkelstein ‘18) since idolatry is tragically part of the cultural heritage of Nineveh. Thus, the people of Nineveh may be regarded as the equivalent of a Tinok SheNishba, a Jewish baby captured and raised among idolaters. Similarly, Yarovam ben Yo’ash did not pioneer new acts of Torah violations as did the arch-villains of Seifer Melachim, such as Yarovam Ben Nevat, Achav, and Menasheh. Rather, he merely continued the tragic cultural legacies of the leaders of Malchut Yisrael (the Northern Kingdom of Israel). Thus, Yonah expressed the will of Hashem that saw Yarovam ben Yo’ash as forgivable, which seems to indicate that Yonah had internalized the message communicated to him by Hashem at the conclusion of Yonah Perek 4. Accordingly, Melachim Bet 14:25 may be seen as analogous to Iyov’s admission to Hashem expressed in Iyov 42:1-6.

Finally, we can argue that Yonah’s assumed acquiescence fits with the tradition of reading Seifer Yonah in its entirety during Minchah on Yom Kippur. Yonah’s presumed Teshuvah may be seen as a model of a sinner’s ultimate submission to Hashem, a powerful image as we approach the end of Yom Kippur.

Option Number Two - Continued Resistance

We may also suggest that the silence of Yonah might be interpreted as continued resistance to Hashem. Yonah, in Perek 1, resists Hashem both with flight to the sea and absolute silence about his mission. In addition, in the face of the storm, Yonah silently retreats to the very bottom of the ship to flee from Hashem’s message.

Yonah’s silence stands in stark contrast with Iyov’s very lengthy expressions of his struggle with how Hashem administers justice. Thus, Yonah’s silence at the end of theSeifer may be seen as a return to his earlier silent confrontation with Hashem.

Possible evidence of his continued rebellion might be seen in the odd tradition that Yonah is buried outside of Mosul, which is widely assumed to be the site of the ancient city of Nineveh. When I began my service as the rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, I was informed by the Iraqi Jews in the congregation of their tradition that Yonah was buried in Mosul, Iraq. I responded with incredulity, as why would Yonah be buried in Nineveh? It would appear from Tanach that Nineveh was a place where Yonah merely visited - he lived in Gat Chefer in Israel, as recorded in Seifer Melachim (Melachim Bet 14:25), and that is where one would expect he would be buried.

However, it turns out that my congregants are correct. There is a strong tradition, held by the Jews and non-Jews of Iraq alike, that Yonah is buried in Mosul, Iraq.

Many of my Torah Academy of Bergen County students suggest that perhaps Yonah is buried outside of Mosul/Nineveh because Yonah never returned to Eretz Yisrael! They suggest that perhaps Yonah stubbornly maintained his vigil outside of Nineveh waiting for them to return to their old bad habits, to then call on Hashem to destroy the city! According to this approach Yonah never recanted, retracted, or backed down from his oppositional stance to Hashem’s Middat HaRachamim until his dying day!

Torah Academy of Bergen County Talmid Akiva Motechin’19 suggests a different approach to Yonah’s burial site in Nineveh. He suggests that perhaps Yonah internalized Hashem’s message and remained in Nineveh to encourage its residents to stay the course and avoid future destruction. Perhaps along the lines of the Midrash presented in the Yalkut Shimoni, Yonah then became emotionally invested in the welfare of Nineveh and never left the city. This might account for the multicultural appreciation for the burial site of Yonah, as he might have become a beloved figure in the city of Nineveh. The multicultural appreciation for the site might reflect an age old appreciation for the Navi who came to feel a connection to the city following the trail blazed by Hashem.

Pesukim Read after Completing Yonah at Mincha on Yom Kippur

Both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews add to the reading of Yonah at Minchah on Yom Kippur the last three Pesukim of Seifer Michah (Tur Orach Chaim 622 and Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 622:2). These Pesukim state, “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth the iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old (translation from Jewish Publication Society, 1917).”

Professor Simon explains our adding these three Pesukim as an expression of Yonah’s recanting his condemnation of Hashem’s overemphasis of Midddat HaRachamim by reciting the praises of Hashem Who desires to be gracious to His creations and lighten the burden of their sins and transgressions.

One may, however, interpret our addition of the last three Pesukim of Seifer Michah as the listeners’ and readers’ reaction to Seifer Yonah. One can understand that Hashem cuts Yonah off at the end of the Seifer, keeping the last word for Himself. This represents Hashem’s rejection of Yonah’s complaint by ending the conversation with Yonah, similar to His statement to Moshe Rabbeinu “Al Tosef Dabeir Eilai Od BaDavar HaZeh,” “No longer speak to me about this matter” (Devarim 3:26). We the listeners and readers of Seifer Yonah find the conclusion of Seifer Yonah and the scope of Hashem’s Middat HaRachamim to be utterly breathtaking, and we therefore excitedly exclaim the final Pesukim of Seifer Michah. It is quite possible that Yonah never bought into this message. Yonah, though, is sidelined at the end of the Seifer. His complaint is heard, but, at the conclusion, resoundingly rejected.

Conclusion

From beginning to end, every nook and cranny of Seifer Yonah demands deep thought and analysis. The surprising conclusion of the Seifer fits with the deeply intriguing character of the Seifer and lends itself to manifold interpretations. One should never dismiss Seifer Yonah as a mere entertaining tale which regales us every Yom Kippur at Minchah. Rather, it is a profound work brimming with deep meaning that yields unparalleled insights into Hashem and the human condition, which we reserve to be read at the most opportune time of the holiest day of the year.