Deuteronômio 7:2 Midrash: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Devarim Rabbah, Aggadat Bereshit & Bamidbar Rabbah

(Fol. 20) (Deut. 7, 2) Nor show mercy unto them, i.e., do not show them mercy. This will support Rab, who said: "It is forbidden to say: How nice is this female heathen." An objection was raised. R. Simon b. Gamaliel, being once on the steps of the Temple mountain, happened to see a female heathen who was a great beauty, and he exclaimed: (Ps. 104) How great is Thy work, O Lord! The same also happened to R. Akiba that when he saw the wife of Tornus Rupus, he laughed and wept. Laughed, because he saw that she would become a proselyte, and he would marry her; wept, that such a beauty must be buried under earth. [Hence it is contrary to Rab?] This does not contradict Rab, for the Rabbis merely praised God through reciting a passage, as the master said: "Whoever sees nice creatures or nice trees, shoul say, 'Blessed is He who hath such things in His world.' "

Another matter, “the Lord your God will maintain for you.” “Will maintain” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Everything of which Israel partakes in this world is a result of the blessings with which the wicked Bilam blessed them. But the blessings that the patriarchs blessed them are reserved for the future, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain [for you the covenant and the kindness regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers].”
Another matter, Rabbi Ḥelbo said: To what is the matter comparable? To an orphan who was being raised by a homeowner. He would eat, drink, and be clothed from [the homeowner’s] property, and [the homeowner] taught him a trade. The orphan said: ‘Everything that I eat, drink, and wear, he will deduct from my wages.’ The homeowner said to him: ‘As you live, whatever you eat, drink, and wear is due to the barrel of water that you fill for me, due to the wood that you chop for me, but your wages are bound and stored for you.’⁶Your food, drink, and clothing are due to ancillary acts that you do that are not part of your formal job. Your actual wages will be paid to you in full in the future. So, everything that Israel consumes in this world is due to the suffering that befalls them, but their reward is bound and reserved for the future, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain for you...”
And what is “the covenant and the kindness”? Rabbi Ḥiyya said: Israel has three good attributes, and these are: They are shy, merciful, and perform acts of kindness. From where is it derived that they are shy? As it is stated: “So that His fear will be upon your faces” (Exodus 20:17). From where is it derived that they are merciful? As it is stated: “He will give you mercy, and He will be merciful to you” (Deuteronomy 13:18).⁷Given that the verse states separately that “He will be merciful to you,” the phrase “He will give you mercy” is interpreted to mean that God will give Israel the attribute of mercy. From where is it derived that they perform acts of kindness? As it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain for you the covenant and the kindness [regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers].”⁸This verse is interpreted to mean that God took an oath to the forefathers due to their kindness; see Genesis 18:19.

[3] And another explanation: The son Ephraim is dear to me [said God]. All of Israel is called by the name of Ephraim, as it is said, "For I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9). And so in many places, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "Ephraim is dear to me; they are held in high esteem before me." Our Rabbis said that even if Pharaoh had demanded a hundred talents of silver for every Jewish soul, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have given it to him, and if He had not, He would have taken vengeance on their behalf, as it is said, "Lest you try to purchase [protection from the nations]" (Deuteronomy 7:2). And when they made the Golden Calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to do to them what He had done to the generation of the Flood, as it is said, "Let me alone [so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven]" (Exodus 32:10). And in the generation of the Flood, it is written, "I will blot out man [whom I have created] from the face of the earth" (Genesis 6:7). And He was speaking to Moses about how to destroy them, but once Moses said to Him, "Remember Abraham" (Exodus 32:13), the Holy One, blessed be He, remembered and said, "If so, then I will return." Immediately, "the Lord relented [from the evil that He had planned to do to His people]" (Exodus 32:14), and the ministers of the nations came close to Him and said, "If you disappoint [us], You have said that You would blot out their name from under heaven like the generation of the Flood who corrupted their ways," as it is said, "And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt" (Genesis 6:12). And [the ministers of the nations said], "They did the same thing; You told Moses to go down, for Your people have become corrupt" (Exodus 32:7), yet You do not do what You say. He [God] said to them, "No." And Moses said, "The Lord also listened to me at that time" (Deuteronomy 9:19), even though I said that I would return to You, from whom do I have anything to fear and who will absolve [me]? As it is said, "I will not execute the fierceness of My anger" (Hosea 11:9). And why is Ephraim called "my son, my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9)? Because I said to Moses, "Let Me alone," but I remembered him and remembered his ancestors and forgave [Israel] for their sake. Therefore, Habakkuk said, "I have heard Your report and am awed, O Lord" (Habakkuk 3:2).