Yom Kippur is like no other day of the year. The book of Yonah, read on Yom Kippur is like no other book in Tanach. Yonah is told to give a prophetic message to a group of Non-Jews, the people of Ninveh.
A striking difference between Yonah and the prophets in Tanach is that Yonah is the only prophet to run away from delivering G-d's message. He is the Anti-prophet. Others question G-d's call to prophecy and disagree with G-d, but no one runs away.
This is in direct juxtaposition to the the beginning of Avraham's origin story. G-d tells Avraham to leave his homeland and Avraham listens. Yonah runs the opposite direction as Avraham, away from God.
Yonah is the only character mentioned by name in the story. No one else has a name! Most characters are known by their title and that is how they are seen by Yonah. That is how everyone is seen by Yonah because he does not respect them. Yonah was selifish so his self was thrown in a fish.
Yom Kippur of all the days of the year is about Jewish pride. If you have a shred of Jewishness in you , you celebrate Yom Kippur. The first thing line of dialogue Yonah has in the book is, "I am a Hebrew". This is the pivotal moment in the story. Yonah finally understands who he is. This is what fasting on Yom Kippur is for many Jews, a test to see who they really are.
The sailors ask Yonah "What is your job? Where are you from? What is your nation?" It doesn’t appear that Yonah answers the first question, but I think he does. He realizes his job in life is being Jewish, it is not just his family or nationality. He responds that "I am a Hebrew". He has a mission. He is chosen.
Avraham, was another person in Tanach called an Ivriy or Hebrew, he was the Anti-Yonah. Avraham loves people from all nations and tries to draw them closer to Hashem. He is where Judaism originates, from a heart of chesed to all people. Both Yonah and Avraham are told that a city would be destroyed. Their reactions are completely different. Yonah is supposed to help the city but instead he runs away while Avraham interferes and tries to save the city.
We are the chosen people, but chosen for what? To be a light unto the nations. We have a special mission that we can not run away from. We can not remain asleep like Yonah during the storm raging in the world today. The world needs us. Yonah tried to run from his mission but he was forced to admit what he was, to himself. On Yom Kippur you can not run from who you are. Are you a baseball player or a Jew? Yom Kippur is when many must decide.
A striking difference between Yonah and the prophets in Tanach is that Yonah is the only prophet to run away from delivering G-d's message. He is the Anti-prophet. Others question G-d's call to prophecy and disagree with G-d, but no one runs away.
This is in direct juxtaposition to the the beginning of Avraham's origin story. G-d tells Avraham to leave his homeland and Avraham listens. Yonah runs the opposite direction as Avraham, away from God.
Yonah is the only character mentioned by name in the story. No one else has a name! Most characters are known by their title and that is how they are seen by Yonah. That is how everyone is seen by Yonah because he does not respect them. Yonah was selifish so his self was thrown in a fish.
Yom Kippur of all the days of the year is about Jewish pride. If you have a shred of Jewishness in you , you celebrate Yom Kippur. The first thing line of dialogue Yonah has in the book is, "I am a Hebrew". This is the pivotal moment in the story. Yonah finally understands who he is. This is what fasting on Yom Kippur is for many Jews, a test to see who they really are.
The sailors ask Yonah "What is your job? Where are you from? What is your nation?" It doesn’t appear that Yonah answers the first question, but I think he does. He realizes his job in life is being Jewish, it is not just his family or nationality. He responds that "I am a Hebrew". He has a mission. He is chosen.
Avraham, was another person in Tanach called an Ivriy or Hebrew, he was the Anti-Yonah. Avraham loves people from all nations and tries to draw them closer to Hashem. He is where Judaism originates, from a heart of chesed to all people. Both Yonah and Avraham are told that a city would be destroyed. Their reactions are completely different. Yonah is supposed to help the city but instead he runs away while Avraham interferes and tries to save the city.
We are the chosen people, but chosen for what? To be a light unto the nations. We have a special mission that we can not run away from. We can not remain asleep like Yonah during the storm raging in the world today. The world needs us. Yonah tried to run from his mission but he was forced to admit what he was, to himself. On Yom Kippur you can not run from who you are. Are you a baseball player or a Jew? Yom Kippur is when many must decide.
