Jonah was a "prophet". The prophets were righteous and special people. God would talk to them and tell them to carry out special missions. These missions were intended to "fix" the world, so that the world will be a better place.
What was the mission of Jonah, the prophet?
Go to the great city "Nineveh", talk to them, that they will return from their evil ways.
But Jonah ran away from his mission, and sailed on a ship to the city of Tarshish.
Yona and the other passengers sat inside the ship, ready for the voyage to Tarshish.
Suddenly a strong wind blew, and there was a great storm in the sea. The ship almost broke from the wind and the storm.
The sailors on the ship were very afraid, and prayed to God. They also threw vessels from the ship into the sea, so as to lighten the ship. This may help the ship during the storm.
Jonah found a corner in the ship, where he lay down and fell asleep.
The captain came to Jonah, and said to him: "Why do you fall asleep? Get up and call to your God! Maybe God will save us."
Since the storm did not stop, the people on the ship decided to draw lots, in order to know who the person was who caused the severe storm.
The people drew lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
The people said to Jonah: "Who are you? From what country and from what people are you?"
Jonah said: "I am a Jew, and I will fear the Lord God of heaven." Jonah told them that he was running away from the mission that God had given him.
The people were afraid, very afraid, and said: "How did you do such a thing?"
They asked: "What shall we do now, so that the storm will cease, and the sea will be calm?"
Jonah said: "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. That way the sea will be calm. Because I know that this storm is because of me."
The people tried to return the ship to the land, but they did not succeed, because the storm was very strong.
So they prayed to God. After praying, they threw Jonah into the sea, and the sea became calm again.
The people prayed, and thanked God.
After Jonah was thrown into the sea, a big fish, which the Lord sent, immediately arrived to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah sat inside the fish, and felt great darkness. He prayed to God to bring him out of the darkness.
God heard Jonah's prayer and told the fish to throw up Jonah onto the dry land.
The Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: "Get up to Nineveh, the great city, and tell its people the things I have given you."
Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, as God commanded.
He warned the people of Nineveh: "In forty days Nineveh will be overthrown!"
The people of Nineveh heard the prophet's words, and they believed in God. They all fasted and prayed. The king also took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth.
All the people of the city prayed from the bottom of their hearts and turned from their evil ways. They stopped doing bad deeds. They hoped that God would forgive, have mercy on them, and not be angry with them anymore. That way they won't get lost.
The Lord saw their deeds and saw that they turned from their evil way. God forgave them, and did not punish them.
Jonah was angry that God forgave, and did not punish the people of Nineveh. He thought that their deeds were so bad, that it was impossible to do penance for them. That is, it is no longer possible to correct such acts.
This is why Jonah initially ran away from this mission, he did not believe that the people of Nineveh could correct their evil deeds.
Jonah left the city of Nineveh and sat in a place close to the city. The sun was very strong, and God summoned a castor tree to Jonah, that made a shadow over his head. The castor tree saved Jonah from the strong sun, and Jonah rejoiced over the castor with great joy.
But the next day, God summoned a worm that attacked the castor, and the castor dried up. The sun was very strong and hit Jonah's head. Jonah fainted from the heat of the strong sun.
God said to Jonah: "Were you angry and sad about the castor, because the castor dried up?"
Jonah answered: "I was angry to death!"
The Lord said to Jonah: "You took pity on the castor tree, that you did not labor in it, and did not raise it. It was in the night, and in the night it was lost, and I will not pity Nineveh, the great city, which has so many people in it?"
המסר בסיפור של יונה הנביא הוא הכוח המיוחד של התשובה והיכולת לתקן. אנשים עלולים לא האמין שאפשר לתקן את המעשים הרעים, כפי שיונה טעה בכך, ולכן ברח משליחותו. ה' הוכיח לו שאפשר לתקן!
מסר נוסף הוא הייעוד של האדם, ואל לאדם לברוח מייעודו. אפשר לראות כאן 3 ייעודים: הייעוד של יונה להחזיר את אנשי נינוה למוטב. הייעוד של אנשי נינוה לעשות טוב, ולא רע. הייעוד של הקיקיון לעשות צל ליונה, שזה בעצם משל לייעוד של אנשי נינוה.