TORAH PORTION

Running Away
On Yom Kippur

Shabbat Yom Kippur: Leviticus 16:1-34,
Numbers 29:7-11, Isaiah 57:14-58:14;
Minchah: Leviticus 18:1-30, Jonah
1-4:11, Micah 7:18-20.

y

om Kippur is a serious day,
so we would expect a very
serious Torah portion. As the
day of Yom Kippur goes on it, gets more
serious and so do the Torah readings.
The very last reading on Yom Kippur
is the Book of Jonah; the
story of Jonah is not nec-
essarily one I would have
chosen. It's a story about a
man being swallowed by a
whale and getting spit out at
the city of Ninveh. Great plot,
but Yom Kippur material?
The story itself has a
fundamental problem. We
are introduced to Jonah as a
prophet and clearly a basic
job requirement for a proph-
et is belief in God! Yet when
God commands him to go to Ninveh, he
refuses.
This wouldn't be such a problem;
after all, Noah is held accountable for
not debating God when he is informed
that the world will be destroyed by
flood. Perhaps Jonah learned from
Abraham, who did debate God when
he was informed that Sodom would be
destroyed.
The problem that bothers me, and I
think most people, is that Jonah didn't
argue with God; he actually tried to run
away from God. Jonah jumped a boat
to Tarshish, saying he is running from
God! You can argue, you can debate; but
to run away — it's preposterous!
My friend lost his father three years
ago. He was a farmer in Flemington,
N.J. At the funeral, the rabbi related
that he would ask him, "Meyer, why
don't you come to shul?" Meyer would
answer, "Rabbi, would you rather me
be in shul thinking about my field or in
the field thinking about God?"
Meyer understood the most basic
principle in Judaism, which is that
being Jewish means having a rela-
tionship with God. Judaism is not a
religion; it is a relationship. Jonah, as a
prophet, had a very special relationship
with God. Only one thing can cause

Jonah to break that relationship. One
day, God asked him to do something so
completely unjust in Jonah's mind that
all Jonah can do is walk away.
Jonah is commanded to go to Ninveh
and tell them to repent. Jonah is flab-
bergasted; what do you
mean repent? They are evil!
Can Stalin say, 'I'm sorry:
and we should just say it's ok
and forgive him? What about
Hitler? Can he apologize!
How can NinVeh, an evil city,
repent?
The story opens with
Jonah saying no way; if hav-
ing a relationship with God
means that people can do
anything and get away with
it, I don't want it and he tries
to run, not from God, but from the
relationship with God. Well, the story
continues with Jonah trying everything
to get away and God pursuing him.
At the conclusion, Jonah does what he
is asked. Who is right, Jonah or God?
The story leaves us hanging, but with a
critical question to think about.
Yom Kippur is a happy day, but a
serious day. Our relationship with God
is unconditional, no matter where we
have been and how hard we tried to
run away. Like a father eagerly waiting
the return of his son, God yearns for a
relationship with each one of us.
As we sit in shul, let's get in touch
with this reality using this one tool.
Over Yom Kippur, we will say five
silent Shmoneh Esrei. The first blessing
requires Kavanah, proper concentra-
tion. The concentration required is that
with your mind's eye to see yourself
standing in front of God. Be aware of
the reality of the conversation you are
having. Use this tool to feel your rela-
tionship with God.
May we all merit living this year with
the reality of the relationship that we
have with our creator. ❑

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September 16 • 2010

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