ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף משלי 6:34

(The reason for the length of the present exile has been discussed in chapter thirty three in connection with Jacob's blessings) "attah hareyta la-daat," you have been allowed visual evidence. (4,35) Vis a vis those who scoff at our ironclad confidence in redemption, Moses reminds us that our collective experience of revelation is so much superior to those who ridicule our faith, that their reasoning should have no impact on our thinking at all. If our relationship with G'd is similar to the relationship of the bride to her betrothed, G'ds abiding anger can be understood better. In the betrothal ceremony, we refer to the fact that the betrothed is forbidden both to the groom and anyone else. An unusual benediction. However, since prior to the betrothal, the young lady was available to any potential suitor, betrothal results in her becoming universally unavailable; to her groom she is not yet available, to anyone else no more. Thus, since the gentile nations have never been betrothed to G'd, there was no reason for G'd to be jealous of their conduct; they could not have been disloyal, loyalty never having been demanded of them. In the case of the Jewish people, loyalty had been promised, indeed was a condition of the relationship. The lengthy exile then is a manifestation of G'ds jealousy.

At the time the ten commandments were given, the cherubs mounted on the holy ark were not included in the prohibition of reproductions of things in heaven or on earth, since up to the moment of their construction they were original, nothing like it had ever existed. Once they had been constructed however, the very fact of their existence made them subject to the prohibitions included in "do not make images." The reason G-d describes Himself as a "jealous HUSBAND," is to emphasize the husband/wife relationship. This explains the extreme patience G-d has demonstrated towards other nations serving idols. Only because Israel is related to Him by marital vows, does the "husband" display jealousy if He is cheated. The punishment that may extend to the fourth generation for those that hate G-d, i.e. who commit acts of idol worship of one form or another, is only the result of mercy. Were G-d to eliminate the aspect of mercy present in that kind of punishment, the second generation already would never have seen the light of day, since the generation guilty of idol worship would have been wiped out. The sin of the golden calf is a prime example. Had G-d wiped out the Jewish people at that time, the chances offered subsequent generations would have been lost then and there. On the other hand, reward for good conduct will be a factor as much as two thousand generations hence.