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Yom Kippur 5785

In Sefer Yonah (which we read on Mincha on Yom Kippur), Yonah is swallowed by a big fish. The Nach tells us that “Yonah was in the belly of the fish (דג) for three days and three nights, and Yonah prayed to the Lord his G-d from the belly of the fish(דגה) .” (Yonah 2:1-2). There are two problems with the text. The first problem is that it first uses the masculine for fish (דג), and then switches to the feminine (דגה). Why did the text switch from a masculine fish to a feminine fish? The second problem is that the text seems to imply that Yonah did not pray to Hashem for three days and nights while he was inside the fish, and after that he finally prayed. Yonah was obviously in distress, sitting in complete darkness in the belly of the fish. Why did Yonah wait for three full days before he finally davened to Hashem?


Rashi answers both questions according to a midrash. Originally Yonah was swallowed by a male fish, where Yonah survived in relative comfort in the large belly of the fish.  Since he felt somewhat comfortable, Yonah did not feel compelled to daven. Hashem therefore decided to cause the male fish to spit Yonah out into the mouth of a female fish which was full of embryos and was very crowded. Yonah finally davened to Hashem from the female fish. Because Yonah was inside two different fish, one male and one female, the text switched from the masculine דג to the feminine דגה. It also clarifies why Yonah waited for three days to pray. He only became motivated to pray when he was very crowded and uncomfortable within the female fish.

Rashi’s answer is still puzzling. Granted that Yonah survived in relative comfort in the big fish, but he was still in total darkness in the belly of a fish somewhere deep in the sea. The only thing separating Yonah from death was the belly of this fish. How could Yonah feel “comfortable” enough to not pray to Hashem in those circumstances?


The Alshich understands this midrash differently than Rashi. He explains that Yonah felt that Hashem was angry with him, and only kept him alive for a few more days to show Yonah His might. Only when Hashem transferred Yonah to a new fish did Yonah realize that Hashem did not want Yonah to die, but instead desired Yonah’s prayers.

The Alshich recognizes that sometimes a person might feel guilty about what he has done and perhaps subconsciously think that Hashem is angry with him. Such a person might feel very distant from Hashem and think that davening would be futile. The book of Yonah tells us that Hashem never gives up on us, and always desires our prayers. Even though Yonah disobeyed Hashem’s orders to go to Nineveh and refused to pray from within the fish for three days, Hashem never gave up on Yonah and showed him that He still cared about him and desired his prayers and his return. As we approach Yom Kippur, we should daven with renewed fervor to Hashem and recognize that Hashem never gives up on us and waits for us to return to Him. We should feel comforted with the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “Take us back O Lord to Yourself and let us come back; renew our days as of old.” (Eicha 5:21).

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