And it came to pass that a word of Hashem was to Yonah, son of Amitai as
follows (1,1)
As we had seen last week, the Sages drew a comparison between Yirmiah and
Yonah and between Eliahu and Yonah. Whereas Yirmiah was able to combine
advocacy for the Jewish people with zealous defense of G-d's honor, Yonah
fled from the word of Hashem to protect the Jewish people. Today we will
explore this comparison between Yirmiah and Yonah and what it can teach
us. The link between Yonah and Eliahu is no less important and in some
ways more dramatic but we will discuss it at a later time, when we reach
verse 5.
It is significant that a link between these three prophets is drawn in the
very first words of the book of Yonah. The phrase "word of Hashem was
to.." is quite uncommon in Tanach as description of prophecy but is found
frequently in Yirmiah (see, for example,13,8); interestingly, these same
words also begin the account of Eliahu in the book of Kings I: 17,3.
The comparison to Yirmiah, of course, goes far deeper than similar
expressions, for even a superficial reader of Yirmiah notices a number of
similarities between that prophet and Yonah. Both show initial discomfort
with their mission, both are sent to a wicked city to call it to
repentance and both ultimately accept their role as they mature in their
task. In addition, careful comparison of the 36th chapter of Yirmiah,
wherein he delivers the prophecy of destruction first to the people of
Jerusalem and then to the King Yechoakhin, mirrors in phrasing and shading
a similar episode in the 3rd chapter of Sefer Yonah. The crucial
difference, of course, is that the city of Nineveh heeded the words of
Yonah but Jeruslaem did not.
What ties Yirmiah and Yonah together in a most unmistakeable fashion is
the doctrine of national teshuva that they teach.
"At one moment I may decree that a nation or a kingdom be rooted out and
brought down and destroyed. But should that nation against which I had
decreed turn back from its wickedness, I change My mind regarding the
punishment that I planned to bring against it." (Yirmiah 18:7-8). This
verse teaches us that nations and political entities, like individuals,
have responsibilities, can behave immorally, are subject to Divine
correction, and can perform true repentance. Some have claimed that
ordinary morality does not apply to countries or governments, only to
individuals, and that everything is permitted in the pursuit of national
interest. Yirmiah taught the falseness of such a doctrine; to his great
disappointment, this message was not heeded. Jerusalem and its kings
refused to repent and instead became a witness to the terrible burden of
divine wrath. Yonah was called to demonstrate the other side of Hashems's
sovereignty over the nations, His kindness and his Providence. When the
Ninevites turned in repentance, they presented an image of what could have
been - in Jerusalem. In this fashion the book of Yonah serves as a foil to
the book of Yirmiah.
Teaching point: When the Sages draw comparisons between individuals,
places or situations, they are supported by a wealth of connections other
than the ones explicitly stated. Discovering these unstated connections
enriches our understanding of the depths of their words and allows us to
appreciate the care with which their statements are made.
