Musar su Giudici 14:14

In interpreting the verse in Lamentations 4,22: תם עונך בת ציון, "your iniquity is expiated, daughter of Zion," Rabbi Chelbo quoting Rabbi Yochanan said that Pharaoh's withdrawing his "ring" (protection) from the people of Israel while the latter were in Egypt, was better for them than the forty years Moses kept prophesying for them in the desert, since only the former resulted in redemption whereas the latter did not. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said that the withdrawal of Ahasverus' ring was better than the six hundred thousand prophets who prophesied in the days of Elijah, because the former resulted in repentance and subsequent redemption. The Rabbis also said that the scroll of Lamentations was better for Israel than the forty years the prophet Jeremiah spent predicting the destruction of the Temple, since the former resulted in repentance. This is the meaning of the above mentioned verse in Lamentations that Israel's sins have been expiated (Eichah Rabbah, end of fourth chapter). All of the foregoing is an example of Judges 14,14: ומעז יצא מתוק, "out of the strong came something sweet." I have elaborated on the meaning of this elsewhere.