The Whale

Yom Kippur 5784 - No, not the movie.

Jonah by Rabbi Josh Warshawsky - Lyric Video

No, not the movie. The original whale - or Big Fish. No, not the movie… the one that swallowed Jonah. I know we already connected this week, but I couldn’t let Yom Kippur pass us by without a note about Jonah.

The book of Jonah is read on Yom Kippur afternoon. It contains so many important lessons and yet is only read aloud at a time when most Jews may already have left synagogue and haven’t come back yet for Ne’ilah (closing of the gates)! 

It is a story about free choice, sacrifice, mercy, kindness, and truth. It is a story that teaches that it is okay to change your mind and change your ways. Your actions of the past are important, but they do not define you. Can we change our ways? Yes. But it’s not always easy! Do we sometimes need time to reflect and think on our own before we make decisions? Yes. Can we learn from our mistakes? Yes. Jonah, God, and the People of Nineveh all have something to teach us, if we are willing to listen.

Check out the lyric video to my song, Jonah, and if you are interested here is a viewing guide with thoughts and questions.

Gmar Chatimah Tovah, may we all be written and sealed in the Book of Life in 5784,

Josh