AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME ? The significance of this question has been dealt with in the Book of Concealed Mystery, and the esoteric interpretation thereof belongs there. R. Judah connected this verse with the story of Jonah. ‘We read there’, he said, ‘that “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (Jonah 3, 1). Now the word minah (prepared) means strictly “to allot as a portion”, as, for instance, when it says, “the king allotted them a daily provision” (Dan. 1, 5);
therefore in this case it would seem more appropriate to have said “and the Lord apportioned Jonah to the fish” than that the fish was prepared for Jonah. However, the fact is that the fish was a great boon to Jonah; for, once inside it, he was guarded from all the other fishes. Further, he beheld wondrous things there. He saw in the fish’s belly an open space like unto the halls of a palace, and the two eyes of the fish shining like the sun at noon. Inside was a precious stone which illumined all around, and made visible to him all the wonders of the deep.
The answer is, as R. Eleazar has told us, that when God saw Jonah enjoying himself with the sight, He said, “Was it for this that I brought thee in here”, and straightway killed the fish. Then all the other fishes came round it and gnawed at its carcase from all sides so that Jonah found himself in dire straits, and it was then that he prayed “from out of the belly of sheol”, to wit, of the dead fish.
And the Holy One hearkened unto his prayer and brought the fish to life again, and lo! it arose from the sea and came up on to the land before the eyes of all, and it vomited out Jonah, and all saw the power of the Almighty.
Now it is written, “And Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly”; i.e. to the grade of the Deity to which he was attached. Similarly here: “And the Lord said unto Moses: Why criest thou unto me ?” (as much as to say, it is time to address a higher grade, viz. the Ancient of Days).
And this is the significance of the words, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward”, i.e. from the grade they are at present addressing to a higher one.’
(שמות י״ד:ט״ו) וַיֹּאמֶר (קע"ח ע"ב) יְיָ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי. מִלָּה דָּא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ בְּסִפְרָא דִּצְנִיעוּתָא, וְתַמָּן הוּא רָזָא דִּילֵיהּ, וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה. ר' יְהוּדָה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (יונה ב׳:ב׳) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה אֶל יְיָ' אֱלֹהָיו מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה, מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָּא, וַיְמַן יְיָ' דָּג גָּדוֹל. וַיְמַן: כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (דניאל א׳:ה׳) וַיְמַן לָהֶם הַמֶּלֶךְ דְּבַר יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ. אֲשֶׁר מִנָּהּ אֶת מַאֲכַלְכֶם.
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME ? The significance of this question has been dealt with in the Book of Concealed Mystery, and the esoteric interpretation thereof belongs there. R. Judah connected this verse with the story of Jonah. ‘We read there’, he said, ‘that “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (Jonah 3, 1). Now the word minah (prepared) means strictly “to allot as a portion”, as, for instance, when it says, “the king allotted them a daily provision” (Dan. 1, 5);
אֲבָל הַאי קְרָא הָכִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, וַיְמַן יְיָ' אֶת יוֹנָה לַדָּג, דְּהוּא מָנָה הוּא דִּמְשַׁדֵּר לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, הַהוּא דָּג הוּא הֲוָה מָנָה לְיוֹנָה, לְנַטְרָא לֵיהּ מִן שְׁאַר נוּנִי יַמָּא, וְיֶהוֵי גָּנִיז בְּגַוֵּיהּ. וְכֵיוָן דְּאַעֲלֵיהּ בְּגַוֵּיהּ, חָמָא יוֹנָה בְּמֵעוֹי, פּוּתְיָא דַּאֲתָר יַמָּא (נ"א פותיא דאתר דמעוי) כְּמוֹ הֵיכְלָא רַבְרְבָא, וּתְרֵין עֵינוֹי דְּהַהוּא נוּנָא, דְּנָהֲרִין כְּשִׁמְשָׁא, וְאֶבֶן טָבָא הֲוָה בְּמֵעוֹי, דְּנָהִיר לֵיהּ, וַהֲוָה חָמֵי כָּל מַה דִּי בְּיַמָּא וּבִתְהוֹמוֹי.
therefore in this case it would seem more appropriate to have said “and the Lord apportioned Jonah to the fish” than that the fish was prepared for Jonah. However, the fact is that the fish was a great boon to Jonah; for, once inside it, he was guarded from all the other fishes. Further, he beheld wondrous things there. He saw in the fish’s belly an open space like unto the halls of a palace, and the two eyes of the fish shining like the sun at noon. Inside was a precious stone which illumined all around, and made visible to him all the wonders of the deep.
וְאִי תֵּימָא, אִי הָכִי, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב, (יונה ב׳:ג׳) קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי, הָא לָא אִתְחָזֵי, דְּכָל הַאי רְוָוחָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, כֵּיוָן דְּאַחְמֵי לֵיהּ הַהוּא נוּנָא, כָּל מַה דִּי בְּיַמָּא וּבִתְהוֹמוֹי, מִית, דְּלָא יָכִיל תְּלַת יוֹמִין לְמִסְבַּל. כְּדֵין עָקַת לֵיהּ לְיוֹנָה.
If this was so, it may be asked, why does it say that he “called out of his affliction” (Ibid. 2, 2), seeing that he was so well situated?
דְּאָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא יוֹנָה כָּל הַהוּא רְוָוחָא, הֲוָה חַדֵּי. אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּמַה תִּבְעֵי יַתִּיר, לְהָא אֲעִילְנָא לָךְ הָכָא. מָה עֲבַד, קָטַל לְהַהוּא נוּנָא וּמִית, וְכָל שְׁאַר נוּנֵי יַמָּא, הֲווֹ סַחֲרֵי סַחֲרָנִיהּ דְּהַהוּא נוּנָא, דָּא נָשִׁיךְ לֵיהּ מֵהַאי גִּיסָא, וְדָא נָשִׁיךְ לֵיהּ מֵהַאי גִּיסָא. כְּדֵין חָמָא יוֹנָה גַּרְמוֹי בְּעָקוּ, מִיַּד וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה אֶל יְיָ'.
The answer is, as R. Eleazar has told us, that when God saw Jonah enjoying himself with the sight, He said, “Was it for this that I brought thee in here”, and straightway killed the fish. Then all the other fishes came round it and gnawed at its carcase from all sides so that Jonah found himself in dire straits, and it was then that he prayed “from out of the belly of sheol”, to wit, of the dead fish.
בְּקַדְמִיתָא דָּג, וְהַשְׁתָּא דָּגָה. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמות ז׳:כ״א) וְהַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאוֹר מֵתָה. וּכְדֵין כְּתִיב, קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי. וְלָא כְּתִיב הָיִיתִי בַּצָּרָה, אוֹ יָשַׁבְתִּי בַּצָּרָה, אֶלָּא קָרָאתִי, מֵהַהוּא עָקוּ דְּעָאקִין לִי נוּנִי יַמָּא. מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי, דְּהָא מִית. וְלָא כְּתִיב מִבֶּטֶן חַי, אוֹ מִבֶּטֶן דָּג, אֶלָּא דְּוַדַּאי הֲוָה מִית.
כֵּיוָן דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ, קַבִּיל לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאַחְיֵיהּ לֵיהּ לְהַאי נוּנָא, וְאַפִּיק לֵיהּ לְיַבֶּשְׁתָּא לְעֵינֵיהוֹן דְּכֹלָּא. דִּכְתִּיב, וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' לַדָּג וַיָּקֵא אֶת יוֹנָה. וְחָמוּ כֻּלְּהוּ, עֲבִידְתָּא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
And the Holy One hearkened unto his prayer and brought the fish to life again, and lo! it arose from the sea and came up on to the land before the eyes of all, and it vomited out Jonah, and all saw the power of the Almighty.
מַה כְּתִיב, וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה אֶל יְיָ' אֱלֹהָיו מִמְּעֵי הַדָּגָה, לַאֲתָר דְּהֲוָה קָשִׁיר בֵּיהּ, מַשְׁמַע דִּכְתִּיב יְיָ' אֱלהָיו, וְלָא כְּתִיב וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְיָ' וְלָא יַתִּיר, אֶלָּא יְיָ' אֱלהָיו. אוּף הָכָא, וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי. אֵלָי דַּיְיקָא.
Now it is written, “And Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly”; i.e. to the grade of the Deity to which he was attached. Similarly here: “And the Lord said unto Moses: Why criest thou unto me ?” (as much as to say, it is time to address a higher grade, viz. the Ancient of Days).
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִּסָעוּ. וְיִּסָעוּ מִלְּאַסְגָּאָה מִלִּין, לָאו עִידָנָא דִּצְלוֹתָא הַשְׁתָּא. וְיִּסָעוּ, וְכִי לְאָן אֲתָר פָּקִד לוֹן דְּיִנְטְלוּן, דְּהָא עַל יַמָּא הֲווֹ שָׁרָאן. אֶלָּא אַהְדָּר לְעֵילָּא, דִּכְתִּיב מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי, דְּהָא כֻּלְּהוּ בַּאֲתָר דָּא קַיְימֵי. וְעַל דָּא וַיִּסְעוּ, יִנְטְלוּן מִן דָּא, דְּלָאו עִדָנָא הוּא.
And this is the significance of the words, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward”, i.e. from the grade they are at present addressing to a higher one.’