24 texts
The opening line sets the scene: "And it came to pass in the twelfth year of King Nebuchadnezzar who dwelt in Nineveh the Great City of God, that Arpachshad King of Media reigned i...
This guy, he was living a life of devotion, even in exile in Nineveh. And as we pick up the story in the Book of Tobit, chapter two, things are about to get… well, complicated. It’...
Jewish tradition is full of them – little mind-benders that seem designed to make you smile and scratch your head at the same time. to a few, shall we? Imagine this: "There is some...
But let me tell you a story about a literal boat, a literal storm, and a prophet named Jonah. Now, we all know the story of Jonah and the whale (or big fish, depending on the trans...
The story of Jonah in Jewish tradition is a powerful exploration of guilt, responsibility, and the ripple effect of our actions. It's a story that resonates even today. We all know...
Remember him? The guy swallowed by the whale? After his little underwater detour, God gave him a second chance, sending him to the sprawling, chaotic city of Nineveh. Now, Nineveh ...
That's exactly what happened in Nineveh, and the story reveals a lot about the heart of repentance. This story, which is found within Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, highlights the...
But there’s so much more simmering beneath the surface of this famous tale. So, after the people of Nineveh, in response to Jonah's warning, finally turned away from their wicked w...
Sounds wild. That's the image we find in Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar 85, a passage that throws us right into the deep end of mystical interpretation. Someone, unnamed, addres...
You're not alone. The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, speaks to just this feeling. It paints a stark picture of a world where the people of Israel ar...
Jewish mystical tradition certainly sees it that way. to a fascinating, and perhaps a little strange, passage from the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar that paints just such a pic...
Jonah made a fateful choice. When God commanded him to prophesy against the city of Nineveh, Jonah weighed two competing loyalties — his duty to God and his love for Israel. He cho...
The Mekhilta draws a striking comparison between the experience of the prophet Jonah in the belly of the great fish and the fate of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea — and the Egypt...
You inclined Your right hand—the earth swallowed them up." An analogy: A renegade stands and blasphemes behind the king's palace: If I find the king's son, I will seize him and sla...
But imagine trying to run from… God. That’s precisely the pickle Jonah found himself in. We all know the story of Jonah and the whale. But let's rewind a bit, because the beginning...
The story picks up with Jonah fleeing God's command to preach repentance to Nineveh. He boards a ship, hoping to escape his divine assignment. But, as we quickly learn, you can run...
You know the story. Jonah, told to prophesy to Nineveh, tries to flee from God's command by hopping on a ship. But a massive storm hits, threatening to sink everyone. And that's wh...
The story of Jonah is a powerful exploration of just that feeling, and how sometimes, sacrifice – even unwilling sacrifice – can bring calm to the storm. We all know the basic stor...
We all know the basic tale: prophet disobeys God, gets swallowed by a sea creature, repents, and is spit back out. But what about the details? What was it like inside that fish? We...
The Book of Gehinnom (the place of spiritual purification after death) [Reishit Chochmah: Gate of Fear: Chapter 12; Beit haMidrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary): Section 1] It...
Story of Eldad the Danite, Narrative B In the name of the LORD God of Israel, blessed be His name, of our God the King, King of kings, Who chose Israel from among all nations and g...
...And in Jonah it is written, "I would rather die than live." Jonah was the son of the woman of Zarfat. He had already died once, and knew that he would have rest, and Elijah did ...
And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur (Exod. 15:22). The wilderness of Shur is actually the wilderness of Kazab. They say that...
(Numb. 16:31:) “Then it came to pass, as soon as he had finished speaking […, that the ground under them was split apart].” [This is] to teach you He causes retribution to spring u...
