I AM DEEPLY grateful to Professor Benjamin Sommer, whose comments helped me improve the book’s 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.