Berger - Jonah in the Shadows of Eden

JONAH IN THE SHADOWS OF EDEN

INDIANA STUDIES IN BIBLICAL LITERATURE
Herbert Marks, editor

YITZHAK BERGER

This book is a publication of

Indiana University Press

Office of Scholarly Publishing

Herman B Wells Library 350

1320 East 10th Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA

iupress.indiana.edu

2016 by Yitzhak Berger

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Berger, Yitzhak, author.

Title: Jonah in the shadows of Eden / Yitzhak Berger.

Description: Bloomington ; Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, [2016] | ?2016 | Series: Indiana studies in biblical literature | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015047498 | ISBN 9780253021298 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. JonahCriticism, interpretation, etc. | Bible. JonahTheology. | ParadiseJudaism.

Classification: LCC BS1605.52 .B47 2016 | DDC 224/.9206dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015047498

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To our children
Racheli, Sara, Tehilla, Baruch Meir, Breindy, Tova, and Batsheva

You cast me into the deep waters in the heart of the seas,
A river surrounding me.

Jonah 2:4

This refers to the famous river that goes forth from Eden
from beneath the Tree of Life.
It surrounded me and gave me life.

Rabbi Moses Alshekh, sixteenth century

I AM DEEPLY grateful to Professor Benjamin Sommer, whose comments helped me improve the books presentation significantly. I also thank the many individuals at Indiana University Press and elsewhere who helped guide the book through the publication process, enhancing it along the way.

As I completed my last substantial revision, I learned of the passing of my mentor and teacher Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, head of Yeshivat Har Etzion, where my interest in biblical studies grew in a pivotal way. An advocate of the literary study of the Bible already in the early 1960s (see his essay cited in the bibliography), Rabbi Lichtenstein devoted his life to studying and teaching the rabbinic tradition, his legendary brilliance matched only by the wholesomeness of his character. His legacy and inspiration will endure.

When other topics beckoned, my study partner Menachem Leff tolerated my seemingly endless musings on Jonah. I thank him for his patience and encouragement.

Above all, I am indebted to my family. My parents, Pearl and Professor David Berger, and my parents-in-law, Pearl and Carmi Schwartz, continue to assist me in ways that cannot be measured. My father also offered many helpful comments at various stages of the work. My children, to whom I dedicate the book, showed remarkable patience while I worked on the project, and are a source of boundless joy. I pray that the final product will enhance their appreciation of the Bible and its richness.

As for my wife Ditza, her devotion to me and to the family transcends description. If that were not enough, she also made a crucial observation on the text of Jonah that sparked this entire project. If the book contains other worthy insights, I regard them to be, much like Ditza herself, a gift from heaven.