Sept. 1, 1923 was the 20th of Elul – almost 102 years ago. An earthquake, a very powerful one, hit Japan’s Kanto plain. It completely destroyed Tokyo, Yokohama and its surrounding cities killing over 100,000 people. When the news reached the Chofetz Chaim in Radin, he fasted and said that the news should galvanize everyone to do teshuva. He wrote a Kol Koreh about it (“Letters of the Chofetz Chaim,”10-12). The Chofetz Chaim teaches us that everything that happens in the world carries a message for Klal Yisroel.
Right now, all of Klal Yisroel is davening fervently for the hostages. And we stand less than two months before Pesach.
As we prepare for Pesach, Zman Geulaseinu (Time of our Redemption), a remarkable incident has occurred that bears interesting similarity to the account of Yonah HaNavi in Sefer Yonah.
Adrián Simancas, a 24-year-old adventurer, found himself briefly engulfed in the mouth of a massive humpback whale off the coast of Chilean Patagonia. This extraordinary event, reminiscent, lehavdil, of Yonah’s experience, offers us profound insights particularly relevant to our current times.
The Incident
Simancas was paddling with his father in the Strait of Magellan when, without warning, a humpback whale emerged and took him into its mouth. “I saw dark blue and white colors before feeling a slimy texture brush against my face,” Simancas reported. “When its mouth closed around me and pulled me down, I felt like I was in a whirlpool, lying down and spinning around.” Unlike Yonah’s experience, which lasted three days and three nights, Simancas’s encounter was brief, ending when his life jacket pulled him to the surface.
Parallels to Yonah’s Experience
The Midrash provides us with fascinating details about Yonah’s experience that shed light on how we should view such encounters. We learn that Yonah’s ordeal involved two fish: First there was a male fish where he found himself in a spacious place but did not daven, and then there was a pregnant female fish filled with 365,000 small fry fish. As the Midrash explains, “The Holy One Blessed Be He said: ‘I made him a spacious place in the belly of the fish but still he did not daven. I shall prepare for him a pregnant fish carrying 365,000 fry, so that he will be in pain and pray to me’” (Midrash Yonah).
Rabbeinu Bachya (Bamidbar 11:5) provides additional insight, noting that the word “dagah” (the feminine form used in the text) signifies a dead fish, suggesting that at one point, Yonah was surrounded by death itself — a profound metaphor for the Oct. 7 hostages and for the depths from which redemption can emerge.
The Waters of Redemption
The Midrash (Eicha Rabbasi 3:43) teach us that “as the bath is sometimes open and sometimes shut, so the gates of tefillah are sometimes shut and sometimes open, but as the sea is always open, so the gates of teshuva are always open.” This powerful metaphor of the sea as a place of constant potential for geulah may resonate deeply with both Yonah’s experience and Simancas’ modern-day experience.
A Message for Our Times
Simancas emerged from his encounter saying, “I felt blessed with a second chance to review the mistakes that led me to be there — not just in the expedition, but in life itself.” This personal reflection may help us focus on the deeper message of Yonah’s experience. As our sources teach us, complete transformation is not a one-time event but a process of growth and development.
Unlike the Ninevites’ immediate but superficial repentance that ultimately proved temporary, true geulah requires sustained commitment and growth.
Contemporary Applications
While Chilean law mandates maintaining a distance of at least 100 meters from whales, Simancas and his father had ventured far into open waters. Their experience reminds us that while we must do our hishtadlus (reasonable effort) and express hakaras hatov (gratitude) to President Trump, ultimately our salvation comes not from politics but from Hashem alone. But let us also realize that just as Klal Yisroel at the Yam Suf needed to take the first step into the water before it split, we too must combine our practical efforts with complete faith in Hashem’s salvation.
Hope for Immediate Redemption
As we prepare for Pesach, this whale encounter carries particular significance. The parallels to Yonah’s experience remind us that geulah comes k’he’eref ayin —swiftly and unexpectedly. Just as Yonah emerged from the depths of the sea to fulfill his purpose, tachlis and mission, and just as our ancestors were freed from the seemingly inescapable bondage of Mitzrayim, we daven for the imminent release of the hostages and the ultimate redemption of Klal Yisroel.
Conclusion
As we clean our homes of chametz and prepare to celebrate Zman Cheiruseinu, this whale encounter can serve as a reminder that Hashem continues to show us signs of His presence and hashgacha. Following the teaching of the Chofetz Chaim, we recognize that perhaps this event carries a powerful message of hope — that just as Simancas was freed from the whale’s mouth, and just as we were redeemed from Mitzrayim, we too await the moment when we will witness the complete geulah of our people, speedily in our days. Amein.
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