עברי אנוכי ואת ה’ אלקי השמים אני ירא

Jewish law rejects the notion of invoking divine intervention in chance, with the purpose of divination. This practice, technically known as “cleromancy” is considered a form of idolatry. In Yona’s story, however, God “changes the laws of the game”; intervenes in the casting of the lots, or “dices”, that the sailors threw to find the culprit, and assigns the blame to Yona. The prophet now has no escape. His has been dis-covered by HaShem. Now he realizes once agian that the mission he has to carry out, saving Nineveh, is time sensitive.

Verse 8: The [sailors] said to Yona: – Tell us why this tragedy is happening to us. What is your occupation? Where you come from? What is your country? What land are you from?

The sailors overwhelmed Yona with questions. And now, for the first time in the book, we listen directly to the prophet’s voice.

Verse 9: Yona said to them, “I am a Hebrew. And I worship (lit. fear) HaShem, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.

I AM A HEBREW, OR AN ISRAELITE

Some biblical commentators explain that Yona’s response, “I am a Hebrew,” answers all the questions at once. Let’s see.

In those times, we Jews dedicated ourselves to work the land (the great international traders were the Phoenicians!). A Jew would usually dedicated himself  to farming and spend a large part of the rest of his day to serving God (praying, studying Tora, doing acts of kindness). We could reread this verse, with the additional implied answer, in this way: “Who are you? What’s your occupation? “- the sailors asked Yona- “I am a Hebrew, and my main occupation is to worship HaShem… “.

“I am Hebrew” also answers the questions “where do you come from”, “what is your land” and “where are you from”. The answer to these the questions is one single word: “Israel”, which is also implicit in “I am Hebrew”, since up to 722 a.e.c. all Jews of the world lived exclusively in Israel.

Now: Why does Yona say: “I am a Hebrew” and does not say “I am a Jew”?

At that time, 8th century before the common era, the Jewish people were divided into the Kingdom of Israel (the 10 tribes) and the Kingdom of Yehuda (Judea), which included Jerusalem, the Bet haMiqdash, etc.     The inhabitants of Yehuda (or Judea) were later known as Yehudim, or Jews, as seen in the book of Esther. But Yona belongs to the Kingdom of Israel.

Some commentators explain that “Hebrew” was the word (the patronymic) that non-Jews used to refer to Jews, as opposed to “Israelite”, bene Israel, bene berit, etc. which is how “we” refer to ourselves. Now, the Tora mentions the word “Hebrew” several times, mainly when the Egyptians refer to some member of the children of Israel (Yosef, Moshe, the midwives, etc.). It is fascinating to notice in this context that in the Amarna documents, the letters from Amenhotep IV (1350-1330 BCE) which is, so far, the oldest non-biblical reference to Am Israel, the Egyptians refer to us as “Hebrews” (habiru or habriu).

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTISEMITISM

Fast-forward, one of the first symptoms of the final separation between the first Christians and the people of Israel is when the former begin to refer to the Jews as “Hebrews” (as “Epistle to the Hebrews). Although later and for 17-18 centuries the church deliberately referred to us as “Jews”, because of the similarity between “Jew” an “Juda”, the greatest ‘traitor’ who betrayed Yeshu (also a Jew!), and the word “judío”=Jew. The association in unmissable: “Judios” like “Juda” are trairors. And this is why in some parts of Spain–like Melilla, the birthplace of my wife– Jews called themselves “Hebrews.” But I think that, unlike Yona, Melilla’s Jews did that to protect themselves and try to minimize the allergic and demonizing connotation that the term “Judio” inspired (inspires?) in the minds of Spanish-speakers who were exposed for 15 uninterrupted centuries of systemic anti-Semitism. In this context it is worth remembering that Spanish dictionaries for centuries defined the word “Jew” as “stingy” and “usurer”, and “judiada” (acting Jewish) as an act of “betrayal”. Althouhght in modern times the Royal Spanish Academy still has it, with a slight “euphemization” (see here): “judiada” Mala pasada o acción que perjudica a alguien. (judiada–acting Jewish– Bad acting or action that harms someone).

After this long digression, let’s go back to Yona.

The prophet of Israel introduces himself to the sailors using the patronymic that non-Jews used to identify the Israelites: “I am a Hebrew!”

י וַיִּֽירְא֤וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ יִרְאָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֔ה וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו מַה-זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑יתָ כִּֽי-יָדְע֣וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים כִּֽי-מִלִּפְנֵ֤י יְדוָד֙ ה֣וּא בֹרֵ֔חַ כִּ֥י הִגִּ֖יד לָהֶֽם:

 

The storm threatens to sink the ship and end the life of the crew. The sailors, in a state of panic, understand that they are not dealing with an abnormal climate event, but with a Divine intervention. The celestial intervention has also point to Yona as the sole responsible for what is happening. The sailors want to know more, and they asked Yona: “What have you done?” Yona confesses his crime: I’m escaping from the Divine call. Yona also realizes that, although not with words, but through a storm, HaShem will keep “calling’ for him (and pushing him) to carry out his urgent mission: saving the lives of the inhabitants of Nineveh.
 
HOW DO YOU ESCAPE FROM GOD?
Escaping from God means escaping from what He expects from you. In general, and especially in our privileged times, HaShem grants us a generous shower of blessings: material abundance, health and talents. Many times we are not able to recognize the “Divine intervention” in everything we have. HaShem then might use other resources. A friend of mine sent his son to study at a university abroad. The father deposited money in his son’s account every month so that he would not be lacking anything. But the son did not have a word of appreciation or gratitude towards his father: he took the money for granted.  After a few months the father stopped sending him money. And then, the son called: “Dad, how are you doing? How is everything? Such a long time we don’t talk. I wanted to thank you, by the way,  for all your help. I have not enough words to thank you for your generosity. …  Oh! and incidentally, I wanted to ask you a question: Is it possible that you forgot to deposit money for me this month? “
 
The Sages suggested that, just as this father, HaShem, may retain His blessing since some times, as Yona, the only thing that awakens us and pushes us back to reconnect with God is a “storm”.
 
 
HOW TO FACE A STORM?
What should I do when the generous Divine rain turns into a dangerous flood? Raba said: אם רואה אדם שיסורין באין עליו יפשפש במעשיו. “When you perceive that you are suffering, you must examine your behavior.” When ח”ו one suffers an illness, economic hardship, or other type of crisis—apart from looking for the practical ways to solve the problem and praying for Divine assistance—one has to examine his actions and his goals. And like Yona, refocus on what God expects of him or her.
 
DISCOVERING MY MISSION
We Jews have two existential goals. First,  to observe the covenant, a commitment,  I have with HaShem, learning and observing His Tora. But beyond this obligation I also have another mission. This goal is not as obvious as the first. I have to discover it. By looking into my special talents and virtues, innate or acquired, that I possess and stand out from others. And when I discover my talents, I discover my personal mission statement in life. Suppose I I have a high level of intelligence, and I use it to shine and become popular in video games and card games. Wouldn’t that be a great wasting of the talents that God granted me? Wouldn’t God expect me to use my IQ to study Tora, teach it, counsel others or find a cure for cancer? The same happens with an individual whom HaShem has blessed with money, or with deep empathy or eloquence. All these resources and talents must be channeled to the achievement of what God wants from me.
 
Yona evidently had the talents and skills to go to Nineveh and announce the people God’s word.
 
To ignore our unique talents and resources is to neglect our potential, and to escape, as Yona did, from what HaShem expects from us.
 

ויאמר אליהם שאוני והטילני אל הים וישתק הים מעליכם כי יודע אני כי בשלי הסער הגדול הזה עליכם

VERSES 11-15

THE LESSON OF THE STORM

Every day when we recite the Shema Israel (vehayá im shamoa’…), we mention that rain is a blessing from HaShem, and its absence, drought, a synonym of starvation and death. But when rain is excesive is not a blessing anymore. The reward from heaven becomes a dangerous storm that causes destruction. In Yona’s story the storm is a means of Divine intervention, which, as we can see in the verses mentioned above, achieves its pedagogical objective: to teach Yona that he should not run away from a special msision he has to accomplish.

THE BEFORE AND THE AFTER OF YONA

Before the storm, Yona thought that he could escape from God. That where His word is not heard—outside of Erets Israel—His Presence is not manifested. Now Yona discovers that God is Omnipresent.

Before the storm, Yona ignored the direct call of HaShem, His “voice”. Now, Yona is able to decipher God’s subtle call in an extreme climate event.

Before the storm, Yona disobeyed God. Now he is ready to “jump into the sea” and entrust himself to the mission assigned by him.

And what seems more significant:

Before the storm, Yona does not think it is important to save the lives of the thousands of pagan inhabitants of Nineveh. The new Yona, however, is willing to sacrifice his own life to save a handful of sailors.

Thus, reading the text very carefully we discover that the Yona that we find after the storm is not the same Yona that we met before the storm. In an ironic sense, the escape and the storm helped Yona to be more prepared for his mission.

STORMS AND TORMENTS

There are several types of storms. There are weather storms and life storms. King David in Tehillim (127) used the metaphor of storms and floods to describe life challenges whose solution are beyond our control.

Storms are sometimes caused by ourselves: our bad habits, our bad decisions, like associating with those we should not, as happened to Shimshon with the Philistines.

Sometimes our torments are caused by other people, like Yosef who was sold as a slave by his own brothers. Something that unleashed an indescribable storm of collateral damages and pain not only to Yosef but also to his father and his entire family.

The storms, can also be isurim (יסורים מאהבה), providential sufferings not related to anytuhing worng we had done. Diffculties beyond our responsibility.

WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM YONA AND THE STORM?

Storms and challenges we face in our lives teach us and define us. And many times they show us who is who. A friend of mine, a physician, learned this lesson from a real weather storm. New York. “Sandy”. October 2012. The terrible storm destroyed his medical office, and it would take months to fix or find a different location. At that time a professional of the same specialty “took advantage” of my friend’s problem to promote his own practice, trying to still some of his patients.  But on the other hand, another colleague offered my friend a small space in his own office, so he can still see his patients until he has his own office back.

Storms that we live are also opportunities for change. They transform us and sometimes, like Yona, they help us to rediscover our own Divine call: the power to help others. Recently, a friend of mine suffered one of those storms, cancer, and after a painful period of thunder, lightning and hail, the storm ended. And he, BH, survived. Now he is a different person. And among other things he dedicates to helping those who go through these types of storms. And he became their savior. Because for those who are drowned under an endless rain of medical problems, there is nothing better than being helped by someone whose clothes are still wet.

Finally, we also learn from the story of Yona that even the most powerful and destructive storm, eventually stops.

We are finishing the first of the four chapters of the book of Yona

THE TORA AND THE SEA

One of the most fascinating elements of the biblical texts is that its stories contain much more than the narrative tells. In a way that only the Tora can do it, the plot of the story also hides a number of sub-stories, moral ideas and philosophical concepts that are interwoven with the narrative, and that a distracted reader would not able to perceive. When we read a Biblical text thinking that the message is limited to the story at hand, we are looking at the surface of the sea, ignoring its oceanic depth. The book of Yona is no exception.

Seemingly, the first chapter tells the simple story of a man escaping from Israel (God’s residence) by sea. But between the lines of the text we find several sub-stories containing moral concepts and dilemmas of not easy solution. For example: Can a man ignore his Divine call? What is the extension, and what are the limits of a man’s free will? What is the relationship between escaping from God and Yona’s psychological denial? What resources does God use to redirect us when we lose our way? Can we interpret natural phenomena, a storm, or misfortunes, as vehicles of Divine intervention or Divine calls? And if so, what are the rules of the game of these interpretations? And much, much more.

I would like to explore now what might be the most relevant and extensive sub-topic of this chapter. The behavior of the gentiles in the story of Yona.

WHO DESERVES TO BE SAVED?

Remember that the mission God assigns Yona is saving Nineveh, a non-Jewish city. Yona escapes from this mission, but the text does not explain why. We already mentioned three possible scenarios. The classic explanation, which most rabbis follow (see Radaq), is that Yona considered that if the inhabitants of Nineveh repent, the reputation of the Jewish people, who unfortunately almost never listened to the warnings of their prophets (there is no prophet in his own land?), is going to be badly affected.

And what happened on the ship seems to be aimed to modifying Yona’s ideas. Making him to see that, despite the price that Israel will be forced to pay, HaShem still wants to give the people of Nineveh the opportunity to be saved. As the story unfolds, Yona discovers that the non-Jewish sailors are not horrible people. On the contrary; when the sailors become convinced that Yona is the culprit of the storm, and that the only way to save their lives is to get rid of Yona, they do not rush to throw Yona into the sea. They try to return to the mainland, and do all in their hands to keep Yona safe and alive.  Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel explains that Yona now discovers the great compassion of these gentile sailors. They were willing to risk their lives to save the life of a Jew! It would be very difficult to deny that this gesture of the sailors did not make Yona reassess the objective of his mission in a more positive way…

LEARN TESHUBA FROM WHOEVER DID IT

When the storm does not stop, the non-Jewish sailors pray to HaShem (not to “their gods”), recognizing the God of Israel. Before throwing Yona into the sea, the sailors ask HaShem not to consider them guilty of the death of an innocent man. Likewise, in the last verse of the first chapter, when the storm stops, the sailors offer sacrifices to HaShem, and dedicate their vows and promises. Some commentators explained, based on all these invocations to HaShem—the God of Israel, as opposed to Eloqim, a general name for “God”— that the sailors embraced Judaism.  Yona must have noticed now that Gentiles can recognize HaShem, repent and avert a tragedy. His mission is feasible.

Perhaps Yona sees now that, if not able to learn from our own experience, the Jewish people might need to learn the greatest lesson about repentance from a story that involves gentiles. Which is what really ends up happening! The story of Yona — a Divine prophecy addressed to gentiles and their positive reaction to it— contains what the Rabbis considered to be the most important lesson for our own repentance on Yom Kippur. הזקן שבהן אומרלפניהן דברי כיבושין אחינו, לא נאמר באנשי נינוה, וירא האלקים את שקם ואת תעניתם , אלא וירא האלקים את מעשיהם כי שבו מדרכם הרעה. When the people of Nineveh repented …”God did not pay so much attention to the people’s prayers and fasts. God paid attention to their actions! He saw that they changed their bad behavior and improved their moral ways, and He forgave them.”