Each time I cast my dry fly on a stream, I hope that a fish will swallow my feathered hook. But what if it were the other way around, and a massive fish could swallow an entire human being? One sorry man got swallowed by a whale and had to live in its belly for three days and three nights, and that man was Jonah.
God speaks to Jonah and commands him to go to Ninevah, a great city, and tell them of their wrongdoings. Jonah disobeys God and flees. He boards a ship at Jaffa, near modern day Tel-Aviv, and sets sail away from God. Jonah mistakenly believes that God does not have dominion over the ocean. Like a child covering his ears to avoid hearing something that he knows is true, Jonah attempts to flee to the sea to avoid God.
God brings a mighty storm upon the sea and the ship is in danger of sinking. The non-Jewish sailors all pray to their gods, but Jonah goes down into the hold of the ship and goes to sleep! I get seasick in even the most calm ocean waves. Yet Jonah finds a way to sleep in a roaring storm. Is Jonah depressed? Is he rebelling? Does he know that the storm is coming for him? It is hard to know exactly what to make of this strange prophet.
The sailors wake him. Jonah admits that he is the cause of the storm since he fled from God. The sailors ask Jonah what to do and he tells them to throw him overboard, and that will calm the seas. Jonah must know that to enter the raging sea is suicide, yet he tells the sailors to heave him anyway. Perhaps this is a heroic act. Or maybe Jonah has simply given up. The righteous sailors pray that God will not hold them guilty for what they are about to do. Then they toss Jonah into the sea and the waters calm.
God commands a giant fish to swallow Jonah. Since there is no word in Hebrew for whale, the story tells us that it was a large fish. Jonah lives in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Then Jonah offered a prayer to God.
Having filleted trout for dinner many times, a fish’s belly does not seem like a very fun place to dwell. It would be a dark and slimy place, nothing short of torturous for three days and nights. Yet the rabbis disagreed. They wrote stories saying that the belly of the fish was like a synagogue. There were sparkling pearls hanging in the fish’s belly, creating light for Jonah.
The eyes of the fish were like windows, so that Jonah could look out into the ocean and the depths of the earth. In one story from the rabbis, the fish even took Jonah on an underwater tour, showing him the great river that feeds all the oceans and the path that the Israelites took through the Red Sea. Finally the fish took Jonah to the Foundation Stone of the world, underneath the Temple, and there Jonah began to pray.
When God heard Jonah’s prayer, God commanded the fish to spit him out on dry land. God then calls Jonah once again to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah listens. After getting thrown into a storming sea and eaten by fish, you would hope Jonah would have learned his lesson! Jonah goes to the great city and proclaims: “Forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The people of Nineveh, including the King, see the error of their ways, and they repent. They fast and put on sackcloth. When God saw their genuine repentance, God forgave them.
It is hard to know exactly what to make of Jonah. He seems at times rebellious, depressed or even suicidal. If Jonah is a tortured soul, it is the non-Jews, especially the people of Nineveh, who are the heroes of the story. While Jonah flees from God and needs to be taught a lesson, the Ninevites immediately realize their wrongdoings and repent.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. We read the book of Jonah on Yom Kippur because just as the Ninevites fasted, Jews fast on this holy day. However, the greatest lesson of the book of Jonah is the possibility of change. When we face our wrongdoings and ask forgiveness on Yom Kippur, we discover that like the Ninevites and even like Jonah, we can all change direction in our lives.
To read another blog post about lessons we can learn from the book of Jonah: CLICK HERE
Showing posts with label Jonah and the Whale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonah and the Whale. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, November 17, 2008
Lessons From The Story of Jonah
To read another blog post that retells the story of Jonah: CLICK HERE
Maybe one day all of the trout in the world will get together and plot their revenge for being fooled by thread and feathers, reeled in at the end of a line, and often released but sometimes eaten by tall two-legged creatures. If such a meeting should ever happen, the trout might decide to give us a taste of our own medicine, and make a human being live in the belly of a fish for a while and see how he likes it.
Such is the story of the prophet Jonah, who fled from God’s command, was thrown overboard from a ship, and then swallowed by a big fish. (Although we often hear that it was a whale, the Hebrew text uses words which mean big fish). After three days and nights, Jonah prayed to God, and the fish spit him out on dry land.
The Book of Jonah offers many lessons for our lives today, and not just about what it would be like inside of a fish’s belly. In reading the tale of Jonah, we learn that God has a relationship with all people, no matter what their religion. Fleeing from God, Jonah boarded a ship with non-Jewish sailors. When a great storm arrived, Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard but they refused. When the storm worsened, the sailors finally asked forgiveness from God and tossed Jonah over the bow. Then the righteous sailors offered sacrifices to God and made vows. The sailors were not Jews, but they knew the power of God.
God has a relationship with all people, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and those who are unsure what they believe. It was a high school English teacher of mine, who said that God is on top of a mountain, and every religion is a different path working its way up the slope. Some twist and turn, others try the steep slope, but all of these paths lead to the same source, a compassionate God.
At this time of year, many communities gather for an interfaith Thanksgiving Service, as we do here in Ridgefield. When Jewish and Christian clergy join together on the pulpit, it is an important reminder that we all pray to the same divine source.
A second lesson from the Book of Jonah is the value of finding a place for reflection and prayer in our lives. After the sailors threw him overboard, Jonah spent three days and nights inside the belly of the fish. On the third day, Jonah prayed to God, a moving and powerful prayer, asking God to save him from the darkness and bring him back to the light. God heard Jonah, and the fish spit him out on dry land.
Jonah’s experience reminds us that even a dark and lonely place, like the belly of a fish, can become a place of prayer, reflection and returning to God. Prayer can bring light into dark places.
Just as Jonah found a connection to God while in the fish, we too can find places for solitude and introspection in our lives. When we go for a walk, go to the gym or go fly fishing on a beautiful river, we take a break from the stresses and demands of the everyday.
We assume that it was gross and slimy inside of the fish’s belly. But a midrash, a story from the rabbis, offers a different interpretation. According to the sages, the belly of the fish was actually a synagogue, and light shown through the eyes of the fish to bless Jonah. Perhaps Jonah was not imprisoned in a jail cell. Rather the belly of the fish was a place for prayer and introspection, like a synagogue.
Prayer can be a time to remember what is truly important, family, relationships, helping others and living with integrity. Prayer can also help us see that the aggravations of daily life, and the need to acquire material possessions are truly not worth all of the energy and time we devote to them. The story of Jonah reminds us that moments of solitude and prayer can help us to see our highest priorities and to realign our actions and our lives accordingly.
One final lesson that the Book of Jonah offers has to do with leadership. Jonah was a prophet but not a great leader. He fled from God’s command. Later, after escaping the fish, Jonah went to Nineveh to proclaim God’s message. But instead of running from house to house, or trying to get everyone’s attention, Jonah half-heartedly walked into the city square and spoke only one sentence: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Luckily someone heard him!
In contrast to Jonah’s lack of passion, the King of Nineveh took up the mantle of leadership and saved his people. When the King heard that his city was in danger, he told all of his subjects to fast and wear sackcloth. But then he personally got involved. The King took off his royal robes, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. The King of Nineveh was a role model for his people and they followed him. The greatest leaders are those whose lives serve as an example to all of us.
Political leaders are role models when they act with integrity and seek to serve the greater good and not themselves. Business leaders are role models when they expand their business ethically without harming others or the planet. My fellow clergy members and I seek to live a life that reflects the highest teachings of our religious traditions. For example, it is not always easy “to love your neighbor as yourself,” but we strive for this high standard.
As a Rabbi, I give sermons each Friday night at services, trying to craft words that will inspire and motivate. But it is not enough to write or to listen a sermon. We must all seek to make our actions match our words, to set a good example for those around us, and especially in my line of work, to practice what we preach.
While there are many more lessons to be fished out from the Book of Jonah, let us stop here for now. Stay tuned for more articles on Jonah and his piscatorial adventures.
Maybe one day all of the trout in the world will get together and plot their revenge for being fooled by thread and feathers, reeled in at the end of a line, and often released but sometimes eaten by tall two-legged creatures. If such a meeting should ever happen, the trout might decide to give us a taste of our own medicine, and make a human being live in the belly of a fish for a while and see how he likes it.
Such is the story of the prophet Jonah, who fled from God’s command, was thrown overboard from a ship, and then swallowed by a big fish. (Although we often hear that it was a whale, the Hebrew text uses words which mean big fish). After three days and nights, Jonah prayed to God, and the fish spit him out on dry land.
The Book of Jonah offers many lessons for our lives today, and not just about what it would be like inside of a fish’s belly. In reading the tale of Jonah, we learn that God has a relationship with all people, no matter what their religion. Fleeing from God, Jonah boarded a ship with non-Jewish sailors. When a great storm arrived, Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard but they refused. When the storm worsened, the sailors finally asked forgiveness from God and tossed Jonah over the bow. Then the righteous sailors offered sacrifices to God and made vows. The sailors were not Jews, but they knew the power of God.
God has a relationship with all people, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and those who are unsure what they believe. It was a high school English teacher of mine, who said that God is on top of a mountain, and every religion is a different path working its way up the slope. Some twist and turn, others try the steep slope, but all of these paths lead to the same source, a compassionate God.
At this time of year, many communities gather for an interfaith Thanksgiving Service, as we do here in Ridgefield. When Jewish and Christian clergy join together on the pulpit, it is an important reminder that we all pray to the same divine source.
A second lesson from the Book of Jonah is the value of finding a place for reflection and prayer in our lives. After the sailors threw him overboard, Jonah spent three days and nights inside the belly of the fish. On the third day, Jonah prayed to God, a moving and powerful prayer, asking God to save him from the darkness and bring him back to the light. God heard Jonah, and the fish spit him out on dry land.
Jonah’s experience reminds us that even a dark and lonely place, like the belly of a fish, can become a place of prayer, reflection and returning to God. Prayer can bring light into dark places.
Just as Jonah found a connection to God while in the fish, we too can find places for solitude and introspection in our lives. When we go for a walk, go to the gym or go fly fishing on a beautiful river, we take a break from the stresses and demands of the everyday.
We assume that it was gross and slimy inside of the fish’s belly. But a midrash, a story from the rabbis, offers a different interpretation. According to the sages, the belly of the fish was actually a synagogue, and light shown through the eyes of the fish to bless Jonah. Perhaps Jonah was not imprisoned in a jail cell. Rather the belly of the fish was a place for prayer and introspection, like a synagogue.
Prayer can be a time to remember what is truly important, family, relationships, helping others and living with integrity. Prayer can also help us see that the aggravations of daily life, and the need to acquire material possessions are truly not worth all of the energy and time we devote to them. The story of Jonah reminds us that moments of solitude and prayer can help us to see our highest priorities and to realign our actions and our lives accordingly.
One final lesson that the Book of Jonah offers has to do with leadership. Jonah was a prophet but not a great leader. He fled from God’s command. Later, after escaping the fish, Jonah went to Nineveh to proclaim God’s message. But instead of running from house to house, or trying to get everyone’s attention, Jonah half-heartedly walked into the city square and spoke only one sentence: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Luckily someone heard him!
In contrast to Jonah’s lack of passion, the King of Nineveh took up the mantle of leadership and saved his people. When the King heard that his city was in danger, he told all of his subjects to fast and wear sackcloth. But then he personally got involved. The King took off his royal robes, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. The King of Nineveh was a role model for his people and they followed him. The greatest leaders are those whose lives serve as an example to all of us.
Political leaders are role models when they act with integrity and seek to serve the greater good and not themselves. Business leaders are role models when they expand their business ethically without harming others or the planet. My fellow clergy members and I seek to live a life that reflects the highest teachings of our religious traditions. For example, it is not always easy “to love your neighbor as yourself,” but we strive for this high standard.
As a Rabbi, I give sermons each Friday night at services, trying to craft words that will inspire and motivate. But it is not enough to write or to listen a sermon. We must all seek to make our actions match our words, to set a good example for those around us, and especially in my line of work, to practice what we preach.
While there are many more lessons to be fished out from the Book of Jonah, let us stop here for now. Stay tuned for more articles on Jonah and his piscatorial adventures.
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