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Section: Tanach   Category: Yonah

Vilna Gaon on Yonah – 1: More Than Meets The Eye

The book of Yonah is read in Shul every Yom Kipur. The simple meaning of the story contains the theme of repentance. However, as is known there are 4 main dimensions of interpretation in the torah. They are 1) "Pshat" (simple, literal meaning), 2) Remez (allusion, hinted), 3) Drosh (not explicit interpretation), 4) Sod (secret meaning, which form the acronym PaRDeS (orchard). The Vilna Gaon on Mishlei (verse 1:6, commentary "chemda genuza") explains: "The 4th level of torah, called "Sod" (secret) is the inner and primary meaning. The other lower meanings, are also true, but serve primarily for the purpose of straightening a man in order that he be sufficiently spiritually developed to understand the Sod". These four dimensions of interpretation exist certainly in the 24 books of the bible and even in the mishna and in the talmud. Very few people can delve properly beyond the pshat. Only one who has attained mastery in the four levels can be capable of deciphering the hidden code. The Vilna Gaon was such a rare person and offers us a spectacular view of a parallel book of the Yonah story in the realm of "Remez". Note that the simple meaning of the book is also true as we see, for example, that the Midrash Raba lists the "special fish" which swallowed Yonah as one of the creatures created before the creation of the world. Yet in the Vilna Gaon's "remez" version of the story, the fish is not real but is only symbolic of the grave of Yonah. This parallel story of Yonah is one of a human being who got caught up in materialism, dies, goes through Gehinom, and returns in a Gilgul, reincarnation. Chazal teach that the vast majority of people alive today are reincarnations, who are sent back down because they did not complete their previous "mission". So this book, can very well speak personally to many of us. (In Perek 4 Pasuk 3 the Vilna Gaon gives us a sign into how to see what went wrong in our previous lives.)

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Visitor Comments: 3 ZS, GOLUS, 2008-08-26 18:13:37 i remember reading that RAMBAM and CHAI GAON (if i remember correctly) held that there is no such thing as gilgul neshamos. 1-is that true 2-if it is true, why do they hold that opinion, 3-what is the source for our knowledge of -gilgul? sz, Golus, 2008-08-26 19:58:17 "Chazal teach that the vast majority of people alive today are reincarnations, who are sent back down because they did not complete their previous "mission". i've read that rambam didnt hold from gilgul neshomos as well as sadia gaon? is that true? #2- what is the exact source of the above chazal? thanx, keep up the good work shlomo zalman The statement that most people today are reincarnations is from the Arizal in shaar hagilgulim and is based on the zohar. The subject of gilgul neshamos is brougth down in many places in the zohar. zs, brooklyn, 2010-08-12 20:44:10 this excerpt seems to indicate that rav Saadia Gaon DISAGREES with the concept of gilgul neshamot: '"Yet I must say that i have found certain people, who call themselves Jews, professing the doctrine of metempsychosis(Gilgul/Reincarnation) which is designated by them as the theory of 'transmigration' of souls. What they mean thereby is that the spirit of Reuven is transferred to Shimon and afterwards to Lewi and after that to Yehuda. Many of them would go so far as to assert that the spirit of a human being might enter into the body of a beast or that of a beast into the body of a human being, and other such nonesense and stupidities." "The reader may be assured that our arguements are stronger than theirs, and that ,moreover, we are in a position to disprove their arguements, whatever their school of thought. We have, too, the advantage of being supported in our doctrine by the signs and miracles of Scripture which were intended to confirm our belief. I would ask the reader to bear in mind these three facts which will meet him in every part of this book, namely, 1. That our arguements are stronger than theirs; 2. that we are able to disprove the arguements of our opponents; and 3. that we have in the bargain the testimony of the miracles narrated in Scripture." The Book of Beliefs and Opinions/Emunot V'Deot Rav Saadia Gaon