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Atoning Like Jonah
Parshat Vayelech/Shabbat Shuvah:
Deuteronomy 31:1- 31:30; Isaiah 55:6-
56:8.
Efrat, Israel
F
or on this day, He shall pro-
vide atonement for you, to
purify you; you shall be for-
given of all your sins; before God shall
you stand pure" (Leviticus 16: 30).
One of the highlights of the Yom
Kippur liturgy is the reading of the
Book of Jonah, a small
book that contains a world
of philosophy. The major
message of Jonah is, like-
wise, the major message
of Yom Kippur, so that the
proper understanding of the
former will most certainly
illuminate the latter.
God comes to Jonah, son
of Amitai, sending him to
call the people of Ninveh to
repent. Jonah refuses to do
so and believes he can escape God by
sailing to the sea.
Why did the prophet find a mission
to Ninveh so objectionable? Ninveh was
the capital city of Assyria, which was
the arch enemy of Israel. Indeed, in the
8th century BCE, Assyria defeated the
10 Tribes and banished them into exile.
Jonah cannot understand why God is
interested in Assyria's repentance. After
all, as long as the Jews have more merits
than the Assyrians, the chances of an
Israeli victory in battle are far greater.
Hence Jonah seeks to escape God by
boarding a ship bound for Tarshish.
A raging storm develops at sea, and
a drawing of lots demonstrates that
Jonah is responsible for the storm. It is
fascinating to note that water is both a
major symbol of the Book of Jonah as
well as a major symbol of the Tishrei
period of festivals.
Water is both a symbol of life as well
as of destruction. The Bible opens "and
the spirit of God hovered over the face
of the waters" (Genesis 1: 2) and no life
can grow without the presence of water.
At the same time, the Bible tells
us right before its description of the
life-giving waters that "there was dark-
ness on the face of the tehom," usually
translated as the depth of the cavernous
waters of the netherworld. It was after
all, the waters of the flood that threat-
ened to destroy the world.
The Mishnah tells us that on Sukkot,
God judges our merit for the life-sus-
taining rain. Rain is therefore a symbol
of God's gracious bounty, His purifi-
cation of His children on the Day of
Forgiveness. As the prophet
Ezekiel says in words that we
repeat again and again dur-
ing the Yom Kippur prayers,
"And I shall sprinkle upon
you the waters of purification
and you shall become pure'
(Ezekiel 36: 25)
Jonah, who is cast over-
board into the raging waters,
has challenged God, endeav-
ored to escape the Divine
mission and is therefore
worthy of death. God, however, in His
infinite compassion, provides a great
fish — a creature of the water — to fol-
low Jonah and bring him back to life.
Jonah has forgotten that his first
name means "dove:' and that just as the
dove was saved from the flood, so was
he, Jonah, undeservedly saved from the
raging waters. God is teaching him that
the God of compassion will bestow His
life-giving purity even upon those who
have sinned.
On Yom Kippur, each of us descends
into the "waters of death." God, in his
compassion, however, returns us to life
on Yom Kippur, reborn and purified.
God sprinkles upon us His life-
giving waters: "For on this day, He shall
provide atonement for you, to purify
you; you shall be forgiven of all your
sins; before God shall you stand pure"
(Leviticus 16: 30).
All of us experience the death and
the rebirth of Jonah. As the final
Mishnah in Yoma says, "How fortunate
are you, 0 Israel! Before whom are you
purified, and who purifies you? Our
Father in Heaven."
ARTHUR ORWITZ
Founder & CEO of Renaissance Media (Parent Company, The Jewish News)
at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre's 8th annual
BEHINEOSCENES
GALA
OCTOBER 15, 2012 • 6 P.M.
at Glen Oaks Country Club
Working with diverse ethnic, religious and racial groups and putting out a
welcome mat for immigrants, Arthur Horwitz has always been a community
conscience on the side of justice. His deep concerns and activism
promoting the arts and culture have made life better for all of us.
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