e-TiM: Online Program
e-TiM: Why Yonah Runs: A Close Reading of Sefer Yonah
Why Yonah Runs: A Close Reading of Sefer Yonah
Sefer Yonah is one of the most compelling books in Tanach. Why does a prophet run from G-d rather than fulfill his mission? Why does Yonah seem so resistant to the concept of teshuvah? And why, of all the texts available to us, do we read this particular book on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year?
Across the four perakim of Yonah, we encounter a cast of characters — sailors, a king, a worm, a fish — each of whom, in their own way, models a response to divine command that Yonah himself struggles to offer. In this course, we will do a close reading of the text, one perek each week, attending closely to the deeper questions the book raises about teshuvah, divine mercy, and human resistance to change. Along the way, we will ask what Yonah's story demands of us, and why the Rabbis chose to place it at the center of Yom Kippur.
August 19: The Reluctant Prophet: Why Yonah Says No
September 2: Yonah vs. Noach: A Tale of Two Escapes
September 9: Is Nineveh's Teshuvah Authentic or a Sham?
September 16: Is Teshuvah Possible? Understanding Yonah and G-d's Debate
Please note that there will be no class on August 26
