This week's Haftorah contains Yirmiyahu's prophecy of the

destruction of Egypt. The nation of Israel worries that if

Babylonia could destroy the all-powerful Egypt, perhaps they

might also be destroyed, G-d forbid. Therefore, Yirmiyahu

concludes his prophecy with comforting words that epitomize the

difference between the way Hashem punishes Am Yisrael and the way

He punishes the other nations (46:28):

"You, do not be afraid, My servant Yaakov," -- the word of

Hashem -- "for I am with you; though, I shall make an end

of all the nations where I have dispersed you, but of you

I shall not make an end; I shall punish you with justice,

but I shall not destroy you utterly."

Yirmiyahu does not state that Israel will escape punishment. On

the contrary, "I shall punish you with justice." He does,

however, contrast the punishment of the other nations, "I shall

make an end of all the nations," and that of Am Yisrael, "but I

shall not destroy you utterly." The reason for this difference

is quite simple. Hashem does not punish the other nations

immediately, as He tells Avraham, "for the iniquity of the Emori

shall not be full until then." (Bereishit 15:16) Hashem allows

their sins to accumulate slowly, and only once their cup is full

does He punish them. At that point, the punishment which they

deserve is no less than total annihilation.

Hashem's treatment of Am Yisrael is quite the opposite; they are

punished immediately for their sins. As the Kuzari (2:36 ff.)

writes, since Israel amongst the nations is like the heart

amongst the limbs, Hashem does not want to allow the disease of

sin to become a life threatening illness, so he treats it

quickly. Thus, throughout history Am Yisrael has suffered,

preventing the quantity of overdue punishments from reaching a

catastrophic level. This is what the pasuk means when it says,

"In your blood you shall live." (Yechezkel 16:6)

History bears witness to this. The empires of Egypt, Babylonia,

Assyria, Persia, Greece and Rome fell from glory long ago. Only

archeology and history remain to tell their stories. Am Yisrael

alone, never an empire and always oppressed, remains alive today.

This may the reason that Rabbi Akiva laughed upon hearing the

noise of the Roman legions. (Makot 24a) He foresaw that their

reign will only continue for a few years but will then come to

an end. Meanwhile, the trials and tribulations of Klal Yisrael,

exemplified by a fox exiting from the Kodesh Hakadashim (Holy of

Holies), are proof of the ultimate geulah (redemption), "for

Hashem admonishes the ones He loves." (Mishlei 3:12)

The Vilna Gaon offers a parable of this idea: A king, angered by

his son, swears to stone the child with a boulder. As his anger

subsides, the king relents. He does not want to kill his son,

but he knows of no way to undo his promise. A wise man suggests

that the king shatter the boulder into smaller stones and have

his son pelted with them, thereby keeping his promise while not

endangering his son's life. With the tossing of each stone, the

son is pained, but, at the same time, laughs and rejoices.

It is possible that this is the intention of the stanza from the

Pesach Haggadah: "It was this thing that stood for our fathers

and for us, for it was not just one who stood up against us to

kill us." Were only one nation to attempt to destroy us, we

would not survive. Rather, "In every generation they stand up

against us to destroy us." As there are many who attack us, it

is clear that "Hakadosh Baruch Hu saves us from their hands."

The phrase "But I shall not destroy you utterly" (Yirmiya 43:28),

is reminiscent of when G-d said, "But despite all this, while

they will be in the land of their enemies, I will not have been

revolted by them nor will I have rejected them to obliterate

them." (Vayikra 26:44) The Zohar gives a parable to explain this

pasuk: A king has a loved one in a leather tanners' market, a

place which smells unpleasant. However, upon visiting her there,

he finds the smell like pleasant spices, out of his love for her.

Similarly, Hashem finds that even though Bnei Yisrael may find

themselves in the lands of their enemies, a place which is

revolting and despised, "I will not have been revolted by them

nor will I have rejected them." This is because of Hashem's

desire for the Jewish people. The tremendous love expressed in,

"I shall punish you with justice," leads to, "but I shall not

destroy you utterly."