It begins with a pretty stark claim: when the actions of the people of Israel became corrupt, a new king arose over Egypt – Pharaoh. Sound familiar?

But here's where it gets really interesting. The Tikkunei Zohar connects Pharaoh to the story of Jonah and the whale (or, more accurately, the great fish). It quotes, "And Y”Y appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah" (Jon. 2:1). Why? Because Pharaoh, in his cruelty, wanted to wipe Israel off the map. He wanted to annul them, erase them completely.

Think about that for a moment. The text draws a parallel between Pharaoh's genocidal intentions and the image of being swallowed whole. It’s a powerful metaphor for feeling utterly overwhelmed and consumed by external forces. That verse from Exodus (1:22), “...every born son you shall throw into the river…” – that's the manifestation of that desire to obliterate.

But the Tikkunei Zohar doesn't stop there. It delves into the Hebrew text itself. The verse in Jonah says, "And Y’Y’ appointed a great fish, to swallow Jonah." But the text emphasizes something crucial: it doesn’t just say "to swallow Jonah," but "to swallow ‘ET’ Jonah." Et (את) is a Hebrew word that's often untranslated, a grammatical marker. So, why is it there?

According to this passage, the inclusion of et is key. It comes to include the "Faithful Shepherd." Who's that? Well, the text tells us it’s the one "by whose hand the Torah is destined to be given." That's Moses!

And not just Moses, but the entire Torah itself. The text continues: "which is ‘from Aleph (א) to Tav (ת) first and last of the alphabet’." Aleph and Tav are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, so this phrase encompasses the entirety of the Hebrew language, and by extension, the entire Torah.

So, what does this all mean? The fish isn't just trying to swallow Jonah, but also Moses and the entire Torah! It’s an attack on the very foundation of Jewish law and tradition. It’s an attempt to silence the voice of truth and justice.

Wow. Pretty heavy stuff, right? But it also offers a glimmer of hope. Because even though the forces of oppression might try to swallow us whole, even though they might try to erase our history and silence our voices, the Torah – the teachings and wisdom passed down through generations – remains. It is always there, ready to be rediscovered and reinterpreted.

And maybe, just maybe, that's enough to keep us afloat.