Rabbi Naḥman began: “You, have no fear, My servant Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:10) – it is speaking of Jacob, as it is written: “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on the ground…[God’s angels were ascending and descending on it]” (Genesis 28:12). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: These are the guardian angels of the nations of the world, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It teaches that the Holy One blessed be He showed him the guardian angel of Babylon ascending seventy rungs, [the guardian angel] of Media [ascending] fifty–two, [the guardian angel] of Greece [ascending] one hundred and eighty, and [the guardian angel] of Edom ascending, but [Jacob] did not know how many.4The guardian angel of Edom, a nation traditionally understood to be the forebear of Rome, seemed to be ascending continuously and not descending.
At that moment, Jacob our patriarch grew fearful. He said: ‘Is it possible that this one has no descent?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘“You, have no fear, My servant Jacob,” even if it ascends and sits near Me, I will bring it down from there.’ That is what is written: “If you raise yourself like the eagle, or place your nest among the stars, [from there I will bring you down, the utterance of the Lord]” (Obadiah 1:4).
Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: It teaches that the Holy One blessed be He showed Jacob the guardian angel of Babylon ascending and descending, of Media ascending and descending, of Greece ascending and descending, and of Edom ascending and descending. The Holy One blessed be He said to Jacob: ‘You, too, will ascend.’ At that moment, Jacob our patriarch grew fearful and said: ‘Perhaps, God forbid, just as there was descent for these, so it will be for me.’
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘“You, have no fear,” if you ascend, there will be no descent for you forever.’ He did not believe, and he did not ascend. Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: Rabbi Meir would expound: “Nonetheless, they continued to sin and did not believe in His wonders” (Psalms 78:32), this is Jacob our patriarch, who did not believe and did not ascend.
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Had you believed and ascended, you would never have descended. Now that you did not believe and did not ascend, your descendants will be subjugated by the four kingdoms in this world with land taxes, produce taxes, animal taxes, and head taxes.’ At that moment, Jacob grew fearful. He said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, is it, perhaps, forever?’
He said to him: “Do not be afraid, Israel, as, behold, I will save you from afar” (Jeremiah 30:10). Just as it says: “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon” (Isaiah 39:3). “And your descendants from the land of their captivity” (Jeremiah 30:10), that is from Gaul, from Spain, and from its allies. “And Jacob will return” (Jeremiah 30:10) from Babylon, “and be calm” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Media, “and tranquil” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Greece, “and there is none to cause trembling” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Edom.
“For I will bring annihilation upon all the nations to which I dispersed you” (Jeremiah 30:11), upon the nations of the world who reap their entire fields, I will bring annihilation. “But I will not bring annihilation upon you” (Jeremiah 30:11); but upon Israel, who do not reap their entire fields, as it says: “You shall not reap the corner of your field” (Leviticus 23:22), I will not bring annihilation.
“I will chastise you with justice” (Jeremiah 30:11), I will afflict you with suffering in this world in order to cleanse you of your iniquities in the future. When? It is in the seventh month.5Some suggest that there are missing words in the midrash, and the text is to be understood as saying that during the time of justice, namely on Rosh HaShana, in the seventh month, the suffering needed in order to cleanse one of iniquities can be foregone for those who have supported the poor.
This is derived from the juxtaposition of the law requiring leaving a corner of one’s field for the poor and the verses regarding Rosh HaShana (Leviticus 23:22–24; Rabbi David Luria).