Jonah and the Whale “It does not say of the people of Nineveh, ‘And G-d saw their sackcloth and their fasting,’ but, ‘And G-d saw their deeds, for they turned from their evil way.’” Mishnah, Taanit 2:1
The minchah service of Yom Kippur afternoon begins on page 299, with the Amidah on pages 310–319. A highlight of the minchah service is the story of Jonah (in the machzor, on pages 306–308). The biblical Book of Jonah opens with G-d instructing the prophet Jonah to travel to Nineveh, the ancient capital of Assyria (located near Mosul, in modern-day Iraq), to prophesy to the people that G-d would destroy their city if they did not repent. Jonah decided to flee rather than relay this prophecy. He hurried to the port in Jaffa and boarded the first boat that was ready to depart. However, soon after departure, a fierce storm broke out that threatened to destroy the boat. The pagan sailors prayed to their idols, but to no avail. Jonah, who assumed that the sudden storm was G-d’s way of preventing his escape, descended to the ship’s hold and went to sleep.
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The captain came down and demanded, “Why do you sleep? Wake up and pray to your G-d,” but Jonah explained that they would be better off casting him into the sea. After some hesitation, the sailors cast Jonah into the sea and the storm immediately abated. A large fish swallowed Jonah whole, and he remained in the fish for three days. Thereupon Jonah prayed to G-d, and the fish expelled him onto dry land in the area of Nineveh. Jonah delivered his prophecy to the people, upon which the entire city decided to abandon its evil ways. As a result of their repentance, the inhabitants of Nineveh were spared. Jonah was unhappy with the outcome. According to the sages (Mechilta, Bo, Introduction), he knew that the people of Nineveh were designated to exile the people of Israel and to bring much suffering to them. Indeed, the sages explained, this is why he tried to flee his mission.
