Midrasch zu Jirmejahu 42:78

(Exodus 12:1) "saying": Go and say it to them immediately. These are the words of R. Yishmael. As it is written (Exodus 34:34) "And he went out and spoke to the children of Israel what he had been commanded." R. Eliezer says: (The intent is) Go out and say it to them and return word to Me, viz. (Ibid. 19:8) "and Moses returned the words of the people to the L rd," and (Ezekiel 9:11) "And, behold, the man clothed in linen on whose loins was the scribe's slate returned word saying I have done according to all that You have commanded me," and (Iyyov 38:35) "Did you dispatch lightning bolts, so that they should go forth and say to you 'Here we are'"? The messengers of the Holy One Blessed be He are not as those of flesh and blood. The messengers of flesh and blood must return to their sender. Not so Your messengers, but "Did You dispatch lightning bolts so that they should go forth?" It is not written "and they shall return and say." Wherever they go they are before You and they say we have fulfilled Your embassy, in fulfillment of (Jeremiah 23:24) "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" R. Oshiyah said: When the Holy One Blessed be He decrees good and bad decrees for Israel, a report is returned to Him for the good, but not for the bad, viz. (Ezekiel 9:2-11) "And, behold, six men were coming, etc." — whereupon they fulfilled their embassy. Of those who were commanded to carry out the evil decree (i.e., to destroy), we do not learn that they returned report. Of him who was commanded over the good (i.e., the man clothed in linen), we learn that he returned report (viz. 9:11) "Ben Azzai says: "In the voice that you hear (what is taught), in that voice you teach." (i.e., "Affirmation begets affirmation."). R. Akiva says (Exodus 12:1) "saying": Go and say to them that it is in their merit that He speaks to me (Moses). And thus do we find, that in all the thirty-eight years that He was angry with Israel (i.e., from the episode of the spies and on), He did not speak with him, viz. (Devarim 2:16-17) And it was, when all the men of war (those from the age of twenty) had finished dying from the midst of the people, that the L rd spoke to me, saying." R. Shimon b. Azzai said: I do not come to detract from my master's words, but to add to them, viz.: Not to Moses alone did He speak in the merit of Israel, but to all of the prophets, viz. (Ezekiel 3:15) "And I sat there seven days, mute (i.e., without prophecy) among them," (Ibid. 16-17) "And it was at the end of seven days (of being among them) that the word of the L rd (i.e., prophecy) came to me, saying." (Likewise, after the people had asked for Divine guidance), (Jeremiah 42:7) "And the word of the L rd came to Jeremiah, etc." And thus do you find with Baruch the soon of Neriah, who complained before the L rd, (Ibid. 45:3) "You (Baruch) say: Woe unto me, the L rd has added grief to my pain!" (You say:) Why am I different from all the disciples of the prophets? Joshua served Moses and the spirit of the L rd reposed upon him. Elisha served Eliyahu and the spirit of the L rd reposed upon him. Why am I different? (Ibid.) "I wearied myself with groanings but I did not find rest," "rest" being prophecy, as in (Numbers 11:21) "And the spirit rested upon them … and they prophesied in the camp," (II Kings 2:15) "And the spirit of Eliyahu has rested on Elisha," (Isaiah 11:2) "And the spirit of the L rd will rest upon him." Come and see how the L rd answered him (Jeremiah 45:4-5) "Thus said the L rd. What I have built I am going to destroy, and what I have planted I am going to uproot, and you are seeking 'great things' for yourself?", "great things" being prophecy, as in (II Kings 8:4) "Tell me, now, of all the 'great things' that Elisha (the prophet) has wrought," and (Jeremiah 33:3) "Call Me and I will tell you (Jeremiah the prophet) 'great things' and in forms that you have not known," (G d) saying to Baruch the son of Neriah, as it were: If there is no vineyard, there is no (need of a) fence; if there is no flock, there is no shepherd. Why? (Jeremiah 45:5) "For I am going to bring evil upon all flesh. And shall I render your soul (i.e., your prophetic soul) as spoil unto you wherever you go?" — whence we see that the prophets prophesy only in the merit of Israel.

“The Lord will return you to Egypt in ships [baoniyyot], by the route of which I said to you: You will never see it again; and you will offer yourselves for sale there to your enemies, as slaves and as maidservants, and there will be no buyer” (Deuteronomy 28:68).
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: “In ships” [baoniyyot] – in poverty [baaniyyut] of good deeds. Why to Egypt? Because a slave experiences humiliation and mistreatment when he returns to his original master. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: In three places, the Holy One blessed be He cautions Israel not to return to Egypt. The first, as it is stated: “For as you saw Egypt [today, you shall not see them ever again]” (Exodus 14:13). The second, it is written: “The Lord said to you: You shall not return again on that way anymore” (Deuteronomy 17:16). This is the third, as it is written: “The Lord will return you to Egypt in ships” (Deuteronomy 28:68).
They [Israel] contravened all three of them and were punished for all three of them. The first, during the reign of Sanḥeriv, as it is stated: “Woe! Those who descend to Egypt for aid” (Isaiah 31:1), and what is written thereafter: “Egypt is man, not god […and all of them will perish together]” (Isaiah 31:3). Second, during the days of Yoḥanan ben Kare’aḥ, as it is stated: “It shall be that the sword which you fear [will overtake you there in the land of Egypt]” (Jeremiah 42:16). The third, during the reign of Trajan, may his bones be crushed: His wife gave birth on the Ninth of Av when all Israel was mourning. The baby died on Hanukkah. Israel said: Shall we light [Hanukkah lamps], or not light? They said: We shall light, and anything that he seeks to inflict upon us, let him inflict. They lit. They went and slandered them to Trajan’s wife: Those Jews,⁴The reference is possibly to the Jews of Egypt who participated in the Kitos War (115-117), a rebellion against the Romans during Trajan’s reign. when you gave birth, they were mourning, when the baby died, they lit lamps. She sent a missive to her husband: Before you conquer the barbarians, come and conquer these Jews who have rebelled against you. He boarded the ship and expected to arrive in ten days, and the wind brought him in five days. He arrived and found them engaged in this verse: “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle will swoop” (Deuteronomy 28:49). He said to them: I am the eagle, as I expected to arrive in ten days and the wind brought me in five days. His legions surrounded them and killed them.
“And there is no buyer [koneh]” (Deuteronomy 28:68). Why is there no buyer? Rav said: It is because you did not impart the words of the covenant, as there is no one among you who is a buyer [koneh] of [i.e., one who learns] the five books of the Torah, the numerical value of koneh.⁵The word koneh – kof, vav, nun, heh – can be read as koneh heh, i.e. ‘buyer of heh.’ The numerical equivalent of heh is five. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: Because I went around to all the nations of the world and there was no one acquiring [no buyer of] the words of the Torah like you [Israel] did. Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzhak said: You have acquisition of [members of] the nations of the world [i.e. the ability to buy them as slaves], as it is stated: “Also from the children of the resident aliens who reside with you, from them you shall acquire” (Leviticus 25:45); but the nations have no acquisition of you. Why do you have acquisition of the nations of the world? It is because you imparted: “These are the words of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 28:69). Why don’t the nations of the world have acquisition in you? It is because they did not acquire: “These are the words of the covenant.”
Rabbi Yonatan said: You have patrons, and what are they? They are the words of the covenant. Rabbi Yuda said: You are property of the crown; Isn’t the life of one who takes a slave from the property of the crown forfeit? And so Aḥashverosh said to his wife: “Behold, I gave the house of Haman to Esther [and they hanged him on the gibbet]” (Esther 8:7), and Rabbi Yuda bar Rabbi Simon said: It is because he extended his hand to harm the property of the crown, so it befell him.
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: There was an incident in Protzefya involving a certain woman who would redeem captives. One captive woman came, and she redeemed her. A second, and she redeemed her. When her means failed her and she was unable to redeem any more, soldiers immediately surrounded her and killed her. Why did they go to that extreme? In order to motivate future captors.⁶The local soldiers killed her in order to motivate future captors to kill their prisoners rather than hold them for ransom.
Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yitzḥak. Rabbi Levi said: Who acquires a friend, and the next day he is executed? Who acquires a wife, and the next day she is executed? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You will not be acquired as slaves and maidservants, but you will be acquired to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated, as Esther said to Aḥashverosh: “For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated; had we been sold as slaves and as maidservants, I would have been silent” (Esther 7:4). And so Moses wrote about us in the Torah: “And you will sell yourselves there to your enemies as slaves and as maidservants, and there will be no buyer” (Deuteronomy 28:68); perhaps to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be eliminated? When everyone saw, they began screaming: ‘Woe!’ “It was [vayhi],” woe [vai] for what transpired during the reign of Aḥashverosh.⁷The first verse of Esther begins Va-yhi bi-mei Aḥashverosh, “It was during the days of Aḥashverosh.”

"For as you see Egypt": In three places the L rd exhorted Israel not to return to Egypt: (Here:) "for as you see Egypt this day, you shall see them no more, forever", (Devarim 17:16) "You must not go back this way again", (Ibid. 28:68) "… by the way which I told you, you shall not see it again." Three times they returned and three times they fell. The first, in the days of Sancheriv, viz. (Isaiah 31:1) "Woe unto those who go down to Egypt for help!" The second, in the days of Yochanan ben Kareach, (Jeremiah 42:16-17) "And it shall be, the sword which you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt and the famine which you worry over will follow after you in Egypt, and there will you die." The third, in the days of Trajanus. Three times they returned and three times they fell. As it is written, (Hoshea 7:11) "Ephraim is a silly dove, without a heart. They have called to Egypt, etc. Israel were four factions at the sea: One was for lunging into the sea; another, for returning to Egypt; another for warring against them; another, for crying out against them. Those who were for lunging into the sea — it was said to them: "Stand ready to see the salvation of the L rd. Those who were for returning to Egypt — it was said to them: "For as you see Egypt this day, you shall see them no more, forever." Those who were for warring against it" — it was said to them: "the L rd will war for you." Those who were for crying out against them — it was said to them: "And you be still."

What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sent an angel to him to deliver him, and to save him from the hand of Esau; and he appeared unto him like a man, as it is said, "And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day" (Gen. 32:24). As soon as the dawn appeared, the angel said to him: Let me go, for the time has arrived when I must stand to sing and to chant praises before the Holy One, blessed be He. But Jacob did not wish to let him go. What did the angel do? He began to sing and to chant praises from the earth, || and when the angels (on high) heard the voice of the angel who was singing and praising from the earth, they said: Because of the honour of the righteous (one) do we hear the voice of the angel who is singing and praising from the earth; and concerning him the verse says, "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, glory to the righteous" (Isa. 24:16).