From: ask@cbnews.cb.att.com (Arthur S. Kamlet)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: What Does it take to be a Prophet/Messanger?
Date: 9 Nov 92 22:13:30 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories,  Columbus, Ohio

In article <1992Nov9.180000.17645@cbfsb.cb.att.com> hillel@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (hillel.e.markowitz) writes:
>>
>>One of the most successful prophets, from the standpoint of God,
>>was Jonah.  Certainly his character was not impeccable.  Also, he
>>was successful ONLY because his foretelling the future caused acts
>>which made his predictions false!
>
>There are rules about predictions as well.  Predictions about
>disaster which can be removed by tshuvah are not supposed to be
>"accurate" in the sense of happenning no matter what.  That are in
>the sense of "if you keep doing this, here is what will happen".
...
>Yonah atteempted to commit suicide (according to many meforshim)


Well, he comes right out and says let me die when the shade fo the
tree is removed.  But see below.

>because he was worried about the honor of Bnai Yisroel.  He knew
>that if Ninevah did Tshuva Hashem would forgive them and cancel the
>destruction he was prophesying.  This would make Bnai Yisroel look
>even worse since thaey had had multiple warnings and still didn't
>listen.  He also knew that it would make him look like a navi
>sheker to the ignorant and his own warnings would be ignored in the
>future.

Wasn't it that Ninevah represented the bad guys?  The enemy?
And Jonah didn't want to go to the enemy and say G-d's gonna get you
unless you repent, for they might repent?

>I said above attempted to commit suicide since he knew that he
>couldn't run away from Hashem and was subject to the death
>penalty.  THat is why (acording to the meforshim who say this) he
>went int the ship and went to sleep during the storm.  When the
>sailors came and woke him up he realized that he would be causing
>the death of the innocent sailors and told them to throw him in to
>the ocean.

Ah!   If he wanted to save the sailors and do G-d's will, he could
have said, Turn the ship away from Tarshish and towards Ninevah, and
I will go to Nineveh and do G-d's will.  He didn't.   The captain
sounded like a kind fellow, who seems as if he would have followed
Jonah's request if it were asked.

But Jonah doesn't say turn the ship towards Nineveh;  he says throw
me overboard.   Sounds suicidal to me.

Then he has this change of heart and agrees to go to Nineveh and
give G-d's message.  So what does he do?  He goes to some
nondescript part of town, makes one statement, and sits back to
relax.   He doesn't stand up and shout.  He doesn't  go to the
leaders of the city and demand to be heard.  He doesn't repeat his
message.

As far as we can tell he goes into town, a stranger, makes the
statement, and -- surprise -- probably more to Jonah than anyone --
someone hears him and takes him at his word and the king has
everyone don sackcloth and fast and repent.   And the repentence
portion worked.

But the idea of a reluctant prophet is not unique to Jonah.  Moses
himself was very reluctant to assume his role, and tried to get out
of it too.  And there's the business of Moses almost dying until
Tzipporah performs the brit.  Stage fright?  Odd stuff.
-- 
Art Kamlet  a_s_kamlet@att.com  AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish