On Yom Kippur Minha's Haftarah, in the synagogue (this year as well in yards and balconies all over) it is customary to read a curt, somewhat odd story, only 48 verses long, of which the protagonist is one prophet called Jonah.

In the beginning of Jonah's story, he is ordered by God to speak to the residents of the Assyrian capital metropolis of Nineveh, and warn them to correct their evil ways, that included everyday corruption, theft, social splits and moral decay.

Jonah ignores the divine control. As far equally he cares, the Nineveh people tin become on making each other miserable. He finds a transport in Jaffa and flees to Tarshish, nowadays in southern Turkey, hoping to be left alone there and be dismissed from his mission.

"Kol Nidrei", Prayer for the Day of Atonement. Poland, c. 1915 Postcard subsequently the painting Day of Amende (1906) by Maurycy (Moshe) Minkowski "Jehudia" Publishers, Warsaw (the Oster Visual Documentation Centre at the museum of the Jewish people, courtesy of Natalia Borochobitz)

Simply God does non forget, simply rather initiates a storm at sea. The ship'due south captain finds Jonah sleeping at the stern, while the frightened sailors throw loads and appurtenances over board, attempting to salve the boat. In the midst of chaos and fear, while shouts and cries are heard around, one Hebrew man is sound asleep, completely detached from the situation. The ship-master rebukes the negligent drowsy prophet and tells him off: "What meanest thou, O sleeper? ascend, call upon thy God, if so exist that God will think upon the states, that we perish not." (Jonah 1,half-dozen).

At the centre of the storm the sailors make up one's mind to cast lots in social club to decide who was responsible for the storm, and blame information technology on Jonah. He tells them that he is of the Hebrews, escaping his Lord, whom he fears. The sailors consult with Jonah what should they do with him and he asks them to throw him over board, as he'd rather die, than not perform his obligatory mission.

The foreign sailors, characterized equally illiterate and mutual, refuse to perform such a hasty, horrible murder, and do their all-time to save Jonah: "Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; merely they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous confronting them. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, nosotros beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done every bit it pleased thee."

"And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journeying, and he proclaimed, and said: 'Nonetheless forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.' (Jonah, 3:3) Engraving by A. Ligny later on painting by Gustave Dore. From 'Bible in Pictures' by Philipson, Stuttgart 1874. (the Oster Visual Documentation Center at the museum of the Jewish people)

The seamen plead to God not to forcefulness them to become murderers, and even while throwing him to sea they only dip him half style. So, Chazal say, the body of water at once became quiet, therefore they pulled him back on lath, and the ocean stormed again. Only and then did they dip him fully. Even though they knew that Jonah's presence on the ship risked their lives, the pagans fought for the life of a random Hebrew indifferent passenger, and threw him only when they were out of any other options. But why?

Why did the narrator of such a concise story go out of his way highlighting the humane efforts of the strange seamen? The reason lies in Jonah's reservations of his mission in the first place – and is closely associated with the deep essence of Yom Kippur.

Obsessed with text firmness, the biblical narrator offers us a clue in Jonah's terminal chapter, where Jonah says: "for I knew that thousand art a gracious God, and merciful, tiresome to anger, and of neat kindness, and repentest thee of the evil."

Jonah fears that following his preaching, the people of Nineveh will repent, later on which God will be merciful and withdraw from his plans to burn down down the city. Why is information technology a bad evolution? Why shouldn't repented people be pardoned? The respond lies in ii Kings, xiv, 25, where we are told of the second Jeroboam King of State of israel, who "restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the ocean of the manifestly, according to the discussion of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher."

The Prophet Jonah, as depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Rome

The Prophet Jonah, as depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Rome

Living in a time when Jeroboam expanded the kingdom'due south border until it bordered with Assyria in the northward, Jonah feared that Assyria might threat his dear kingdom of Israel. Therefore, when was pleased to larn that Nineveh was about to be punished, as he hoped that Israel will do good from Neneveh's devastation.  And then he got worried lest the "merciful, slow to anger" shall regret his plans and Israel shall then be harmed and defeated.

Which is exactly what actually happened. A keen fish swallows Jonah, then vomits him out upon the dry out country subsequently three days. Finally, Jonah realizes he cannot escape his mission, and carries on to Nineveh to speak out his prophecy.  His fears come truthful, the people apologize and get pardoned by the Lord.

As his hopes for to the elimination of Nineveh shutter, melancholy overcomes Jonah, he builds a shack exterior the Assyrian capital and awaits his death under the harsh sun. God provided him with a gourd to shade over him, only a worm comes at night and eats the plant. Depressed, Jonah wishes to die. Then the Lord says: "Thou hast had compassion on the gourd, for the which yard hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a dark, and perished in a dark: And should non I spare Nineveh, that corking city, wherein are more than than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right mitt and their left hand; and likewise much cattle?"

The Tomb of Jonah in Mashhad, reprinted in La Terre Sainte from Picturesque Palestine. by Henry Fenn 1881

The Tomb of Jonah in Mashhad, reprinted in La Terre Sainte from Picturesque Palestine. by Henry Fenn 1881

God's compassion for potential enemies of State of israel; the repent of the people of Nineveh; and the grace of the seamen – the purpose of all of these in the story is to teach Jonah a lesson: when a choice has to be fabricated betwixt the personal and the national or tribal – the story chooses the personal.

This is why, nosotros feel, the book of Jonah is read on Yom Kippur.

Though role of the national circumvolve of holidays, the existent meaning of Yom Kippur is humanity. Yom Kippur is about the sole exam of one's cocky, separated from religious or ethnic attribution. The individual is judged by their actions lone.

A world pandemic that attacks each and every one, regardless of religion or nationality, certainly reminds u.s.a. this of import lesson.

(Translated from Hebrew by Danna Paz Prins)