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The Paradox of Human Existence: A Commentary on the Book of Jonah
English (translation)
Original Hebrew
Original Hebrew
269 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
3 people want to read
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October 13, 2022
Most of this book was too deep and abstract for my limited understanding. However, Lifshitz does occasionally have insights that I found useful.
Lifshitz believes that Jonah's primary goal is to withdraw from the world - partially to avoid sinning, and partially because he believes that God will achieve whatever goals God wants, Jonah or no Jonah. Jonah's adventure in the belly of the fish is a return to the womb, an existence where needs are met without the need for human input. After Jonah saves Nineveh, he is unhappy with his achievement- partially because he views their repentance as so shallow as to be "a lifeless existence." He then becomes slightly obsessed with a plant that God creates to give him shade. Why? Because Jonah sees the plant as "a sign of God's consent to Jonah's settling... in a place meant for his protection alone, serving only Jonah and ignoring the rest of the world."
Lifshitz believes that Jonah's primary goal is to withdraw from the world - partially to avoid sinning, and partially because he believes that God will achieve whatever goals God wants, Jonah or no Jonah. Jonah's adventure in the belly of the fish is a return to the womb, an existence where needs are met without the need for human input. After Jonah saves Nineveh, he is unhappy with his achievement- partially because he views their repentance as so shallow as to be "a lifeless existence." He then becomes slightly obsessed with a plant that God creates to give him shade. Why? Because Jonah sees the plant as "a sign of God's consent to Jonah's settling... in a place meant for his protection alone, serving only Jonah and ignoring the rest of the world."
Displaying 1 of 1 review