Abstract
This chapter reads the book of Jonah through its liturgical position as the afternoon Haftarah reading for Yom Kippur. It explores ways in which Yom Kippur supports an understanding of justice which must encompass mercy both between the divine and human, and between human and human. It then uses this lens to analyze Jonah’s interaction with God and human and non-human characters in the narrative to provide us with models for both social justice in our pluralistic and interfaith environment, and eco-justice as we live in and with God’s creation.
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Notes
- 1.
For example, in 2016, the Washington Post published an Op-ed “As Jews atone on Yom Kippur, we need to confront our white privilege” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/10/11/as-jews-atone-on-yom-kippur-we-need-to-confront-our-white-privilege/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.98f553ad7c62 and 2017, Haaretz’s website published an Op-ed “Take a Knee as an Act of Yom Kippur” https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-take-the-knee-as-an-act-of-yom-kippur-1.5453590. Both of these articles, published in major newspapers, interpret Yom Kippur as an opportunity to address social injustice.
- 2.
In order to avoid the cultural and literary complexities with the phrases “Old Testament,” “Hebrew Bible,” or “Jewish Bible,” I will use the designation “the Tanakh” throughout this chapter. It is a Hebrew acronym composed of the letters which start the three sections of the Bible: Torah, Prophets (Nevi’im), and Writings (Ketuvim).
- 3.
Zwerg’s story, including the subsequent media attention, is narrated here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/Zwerg.freedom.rides/index.html.
- 4.
NJPS uses “sultry,” although “stifling” is another possible translation. This word occurs only here in the Tanakh, and NJPS notes that its translation is uncertain. However, the effect is clear in the text. Likewise, the plant is called the qiqayon in Hebrew, which occurs only in this book and has no standard translation. NJPS guesses at “ricinus plant,” which Simon says follows Resh Lakish in Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 21a (Simon 1999: 42), noting that others use “gourd.”
References
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Blake, John. 2011. “Shocking Photo Created a Hero, But Not to His Family.” CNN. Accessed May 16, 2011. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/Zwerg.freedom.rides/index.html.
Burston, Bradley. 2017. “Take the Knee as an Act of Yom Kippur.” Haaretz. Accessed September 26, 2017. https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-take-the-knee-as-an-act-of-yom-kippur-1.5453590.
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Pesner, Rabbi Jonah Dov. 2016. “As Jews Atone on Yom Kippur, We Need to Confront Our White Privilege.” The Washington Post. Accessed October 11, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/10/11/as-jews-atone-on-yom-kippur-we-need-to-confront-our-white-privilege/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a37a991c7f95.
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Macinskas-Le, L. (2022). Jonah, Yom Kippur, and the Many Sides of Justice. In: Sherma, R.D., Bilimoria, P. (eds) Religion and Sustainability: Interreligious Resources, Interdisciplinary Responses. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79301-2_5
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