"Why do you cry out to Me"

82. "And Hashem said to Moses, 'Why do you cry out to Me?'" (Shemot 14:15). This is explained in Sifra Detzni'uta ('the Hidden Book), and there is its secret. "And Hashem said to Moses..." Rabbi Yehuda opened the discussion, saying: "Then Jonah prayed to Hashem his Elohim out of the fish's belly" (Yonah 2:2). In, "Now Hashem had appointed a great fish" (Ibid. 1), "appointed" MEANS as you say, "And the king appointed them a daily provision" (Daniel 1:5), as well as, "Who has appointed your food" (Ibid. 10), WHICH IS A TERM OF GIVING A PORTION.

83. But this passage should have said, 'And Hashem appointed Jonah for the fish,' for he was the portion that HASHEM sent to THE FISH. AND HE ANSWERS, Assuredly, this fish was a portion for Jonah, to guard him from all the other fish of the sea, and that he would be concealed in it. As soon as HASHEM brought him into the fish, Jonah saw in its belly the breadth of his entrails, WHICH WAS like a large chamber, and the two eyes of the fish were brightly illuminating, like the sun. There was a precious stone in its entrails that shown on for him, and he saw everything existing in the sea and in its depths.

84. And you may question the meaning of, "I cried to Hashem out of my distress (also: 'narrow')" (Yonah 2:3)? It does not seem FROM THIS that he had very much space. HE ANSWERS, Rather, after this fish showed him all that there is in the sea and in the depths, it died. For it could not tolerate him for three days. Then it became 'narrow' for Jonah.

85. Rabbi Elazar said, When Jonah saw all that spaciousness, he rejoiced. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, And what do you need more, is it for this that I brought you here? What did THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, do? He slew that fish and it died. All the other fish circled around the fish; one bit it from one side and another bit from another side. Then Jonah saw himself in distress. Immediately, "Jonah prayed to Hashem."

86. HE ASKS, First the verse refers to it as "dag" ('fish:' masc.) and then it refers to it "dagah" ('fish:' fem.). HE ANSWERS, IT IS BECAUSE IT HAD ALREADY DIED, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "And the fish (Heb. dagah) in the river died" (Shemot 7:21). Then it is written, "I cried to Hashem out of my distress," and it is not written 'I was in distress' or 'I dwelt in distress,' but rather, "I cried" out of distress, as the fish of the sea distressed me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried" (Yonah 2:3), for it had died. It is not written, 'out of the belly of a living thing,' or 'out the belly of a fish,' but rather it was definitely dead, AND THEREFORE IT WAS CALLED 'SHEOL.'

87. As soon as he prayed his prayer, the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted it. He revived that fish and brought it out to the dry land before the eyes of everyone, as it is written, "And Hashem spoke to the fish and it vomited out Jonah" (Yonah 2:11). They all saw the work of the Holy One, blessed be He.

88. It is written, "Then Jonah prayed to Hashem his Elohim from the fish's belly," MEANING THAT HE PRAYED to the place to which he was bound, THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. This is understood from the words, "Hashem his Elohim." It is not written, 'Then he prayed to Hashem' and nothing more, but "Hashem his Elohim," WHICH ALLUDES TO THE ASPECT TO WHICH HE WAS BOUND. Here also, "And Hashem said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me?'" "...To Me," NAMELY, TO MY ASPECT, WHICH IS TIFERET, TO WHICH MOSES WAS CONNECTED. BUT RATHER IT WAS DEPENDENT UPON MAZAL AS IT IS WRITTEN THAT THE SPLITTING OF THE RED SEA IS DERIVED FROM MAZAL, THE SECRET OF THE HOLY DIKNA ('BEARD').

89. "Speak to the children of Yisrael, that they go forward" (Shemot 14:15), MEANING that they should go forward and refrain from speaking excessively, because now is not a time for prayer. HE ASKS, "That they go forward." To which place did He command them to go, seeing that they were camping by the sea? HE ANSWERS, It refers to the above, as it is written, "Why do you cry to Me?" WHICH MEANS TIFERET, AS MENTIONED EARLIER. They all stood in this place, IN TIFERET, FOR ALL THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL WERE CONNECTED TO TIFERET. Therefore, he said, "that they go forward," that the children of Yisrael should go forth FROM TIFERET, AND COME AND CONNECT WITH MAZAL. WHICH IS DIKNA ('BEARD'), AS MENTIONED. For now is not the time FOR TIFERET, BUT RATHER THE MATTER DEPENDS UPON MAZAL, AS MENTIONED BEFORE.