Yom Kippur - Loyalty Rewards

On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the Book of Yonah. Hashem commands the prophet:

“Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it, for their evil has come before Me.” (Yonah 1:2)

Yet instead of obeying, Yonah fled in the opposite direction, boarding a ship bound for Tarshish. A raging storm threatened the vessel, and at Yonah’s own request he was cast into the sea. There, through Hashem’s miraculous intervention, a great fish swallowed him whole. Remarkably, Yonah remained alive inside it for three days, until the fish spit him back onto dry land—where he could finally fulfill his mission to warn the people of Nineveh.

This raises a question: Why did Hashem go to such lengths to save Yonah? He had defied a direct command. Surely G-d could have appointed another prophet to deliver His message. Why preserve Yonah, and even perform miracles for him?

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l explains that Yonah’s loyalty to the Jewish people gave him special merit. Later, when Nineveh repented and was spared, Yonah prayed:

“Please, O Lord, was this not my contention while I was still in my land? For this reason I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and merciful God…” (Yonah 4:2)

Rashi and Metzudas Dovid note that Yonah feared the repentance of a non-Jewish city would stand as an indictment of Israel, who had ignored their own prophets. To spare his people that shame and possible punishment, Yonah preferred to flee—even at the cost of his own life.

Hashem cherished this profound loyalty. Yonah’s willingness to sacrifice himself for Klal Yisrael was so precious that Hashem overlooked his rebellion, saved him miraculously, and returned him to his mission.

Rav Shmulevitz draws a powerful lesson: Yonah was rewarded for inaction—for refusing to deliver a message that might harm his people. If such reward is given for restraint, how much greater is the reward for positive action for Hashem and the Jewish people—for doing mitzvos, acts of kindness, and learning Torah.

These past two years have been especially difficult for Israel and for Jews worldwide. As Yom Kippur approaches, let us take inspiration from Yonah. Let us not only refrain from actions which are displeasing to Hashem and might harm the Jewish people, but commit ourselves to being proactive – to do more mitzvos, learn more Torah, and provide more support for one another. In that merit, may Hashem grant us a g’mar chasimah tovah, an end to Jewish suffering, and a year of peace and blessing for all Am Yisrael and the entire world.