Midrash su Geremia 30:10

R. Nachman and R. Isaac were dining together, and R. Nachman said to R. Isaac: "Let the master say something." Thus said R. Jochanan," replied the latter: 'While eating, one should not converse, lest the food might enter the windpipe (trachea) in front of the gullet, and cause danger.' " After they finished their meal, he said: "Thus said R. Jochanan: 'Jacob, our father, never died.'" "Was it for nothing," rejoined R. Nachman, "that the mourners mourned him, the embalmers embalmed him, and the undertaker buried him?" "I make this assertion from the following passage, was R. Isaac's reply; for it is said (Jer. 30, 10). Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob, my servant, saith the Lord. Neither be dismayed, O Israel; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall again return, and be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid; i.e., Jacob is identified with his children; just as his children are still living so is he also alive." When they were about to depart, R. Nachman said to R. Isaac: "Bless me." And he answered: "I shall tell thee a parable. To which may this [incident of your request] be likened, unto [that of] a man who once went into the desert; and when he became hungry, thirsty, and tired, he found a tree bearing luscious fruit and affording plenty of shade, with a spring of water running underneath. He ate of the fruit, drank of the water, and rested beneath the shade. When about to leave, he turned to the tree and said: 'Tree! Tree! Wherewith can I bless thee? That thy fruit may be sweet? These you have. That a spring may be near thee? Even these thou hast. That thou shouldst afford plenty of shade, — also that thou hast. The one thing left me which I can wish for thee is, that all trees planted from thy seed may be as fruitful as thou art.' (Fol. 6) So it is with thee. Shall I bless thee with knowledge? This thou hast. Shall I bless thee with dignity? This thou also hast. Shall I bless thee with honor? Thou hast that also. Shall I bless thee with riches? That thou hast also. Shall I bless thee with children? Even children thou lackest not. Hence all I can say to you is this: 'May it be His will that thy children be as prosperous as thou art.' "

He dreamed, and behold, a ladder set upon the earth; and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it (Gen. 28:12). R. Samuel the son of Nahman declared: These were the guardian angels of the idolatrous nations. He explained further: This verse teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Jacob, our father, the guardian angel of Babylon ascending seventy rungs of the ladder and descending, the guardian angel of Media ascending fifty-two rungs of the ladder and descending, the guardian angel of Greece ascending one hundred rungs of the ladder and descending, and the guardian angel of Edom ascending the ladder.²The ascent and descent of the guardian angels foretold the rise and fall of the nations they represented. Note that the text does not depict the guardian angel of Edom, i.e., Rome, as descending. Jacob did not know how many rungs of the ladder the guardian angel of Edom mounted, and he therefore cried out in terror: Perhaps Edom will never be compelled to descend. The Holy One, blessed be He, then said to him: Fear thou not, O Jacob, My servant; neither be dismayed, O Israel (Jer. 30:10), for even though you see him ascending unto My throne as though that were possible, I will cast him down, as is said: Though thou wert to rise as high as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord (Obad. 4).

R. Simeon the son of Yosinah interpreted the verse For all this they sinned still, and believed not in His wondrous works (Ps. 78:32) as follows: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: If you had ascended and trusted Me, you would never have been compelled to descend, but since you did not have faith, your descendants will be oppressed by these four kingdoms with imposts, taxes on their crops, and poll-tax. Will this oppression continue forever? Jacob cried out. And the Holy One, blessed be He, replied: And thou, do not fear, O My servant Jacob; neither be dismayed, O Israel; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return and sit in quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid (Jer. 30:10). I will save thee from the land of thy captivity, from Gaul, Spain, and its neighbors. And Jacob shall return from Babylon; and sit in quiet, from Media; and ease, from Greece; and none shall make him afraid refers to Edom, for I will make an end of all the nations, whither I have scattered thee, yet of thee I will not make an end (ibid., v. 11). That is to say, I will make an end of all the nations that reap their fields completely, but since (the people of) Israel do not reap their fields completely,³Thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of your field (Lev. 19:9–10). of thee I will not make an end. However, I will punish you, O Israel, in this world in order to cleanse you of your iniquities for the sake of the world-to-come. Hence it is said: And he dreamed.