Agrippa the army commander asked Rabban Gamliel: It is written in the Torah, For I the LORD your God am a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). Does one grow jealous of anything except a wise man over a wise man, a strong man over a strong man, a rich man over a rich man? He said to him: I will offer you a parable. To what may this be compared? To a man who married a second wife alongside his first. If the second is more distinguished than the first, the first is not jealous of her; if she is lower than the first, the first is jealous of her. Zonin the elder said to Rabbi Akiva: My heart and your heart know that there is no real substance in idolatry; yet we see broken men go to it and come back made whole. He said to him: I will offer you a parable. To what may this be compared? To a trustworthy man in the world with whom all the people of his city would deposit goods without witnesses. One man came and deposited with him before witnesses. Once that man forgot and deposited without witnesses. The trustee's wife said to him: Come, let us deny it. He said to her: Because this fool acted this way, shall we destroy our faithfulness? So too the sufferings: when they are dispatched upon a person, they are made to swear that they will come only on such a day, by such a means, and through such a remedy. When the time comes for them to depart, the man goes to the house of his idol. The sufferings say: By right we should not depart. Then they reconsider and say: Because this fool acted improperly, shall we break our oath? This is what Rabbi Yochanan said: What is the meaning of the verse, and severe and lasting sicknesses (Deuteronomy 28:59)? Severe in their mission, and lasting [faithful] in their oath. Rabbah bar Rabbi Yitzchak said to Rabbi Yehudah: There is a house of fools in our place; when the world needs rain and no rain comes, they slaughter a man to it, and rain comes. He said to him: Were I now dead, I could not have told you this teaching, for Rav said: What is the meaning of the verse, which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples (Deuteronomy 4:19)? It teaches that He made them slip with smooth words in order to drive them from the world. And this is what Resh Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse, Toward the scorners He is scornful, but to the humble He gives grace (Proverbs 3:34)? One who comes to defile himself, they open the way for him; one who comes to purify himself, they assist him.
Divine Jealousy and the Faithful Trustee of Suffering
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 289:1
שָׁאַל אַגְרִיפָס שַׂר צָבָא אֶת רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, כָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה כִּי אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא, כְּלוּם מִתְקַנֵּא אֶלָּא חָכָם בְּחָכָם גִּבּוֹר בְּגִבּוֹר עָשִׁיר בְּעָשִׁיר. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֶמְשֹׁל לְךָ מָשָׁל לְמַה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְאָדָם שֶׁנָּשָּׂא אִשָּׁה עַל אִשְׁתּוֹ, חֲשׁוּבָה מִמֶּנָּה אֵין מִתְקַנֵּא בָּהּ, פְּחוּתָה מִמֶּנָּה מִתְקַנֵּא בָּהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ זוֹנִין רַבָּה לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא לִבִּי וְלִבְּךָ יַדְעֵי בַּעֲבוֹדַת אֱלִילִים (דליה) [דִּלֵית] בָּהּ מַשָׁשָׁא, וְהָא קָא חֲזֵינָן דְּאַזְלֵי בֵּיהּ תְּבִירֵי וְאָתוּ כִּי מְצַמְּדֵּי, אָמַר לֵיהּ אֶמְשֹׁל לְךָ מָשָׁל לְמַה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְאָדָם נֶאֱמָן שֶׁהָיָה בָּעוֹלָם וְכָל בְּנֵי עִירוֹ הָיוּ מַפְקִידִין אֶצְלוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּעֵדִים וּבָא אָדָם אֶחָד וְהִפְקִיד אֶצְלוֹ בְּעֵדִים, פַּעַם אַחַת שָׁכַח וְהִפְקִיד אֶצְלוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּעֵדִים, אָמְרָה לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ בֹּא וְנִכְפְּרֶנּוּ, אָמַר לָהּ וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שׁוֹטֶה זֶה שֶׁעָשָׂה כֵּן נְאַבֵּד אֶת אֱמוּנָתֵנוּ. אַף כָּךְ יִסּוּרִין, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּשַׁגְּרִין אוֹתָן עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם מַשְׁבִּיעִין אוֹתָן שֶׁלֹּא יֵלְכוּ אֶלָּא בְּיוֹם פְּלוֹנִי עַל יְדֵי פְּלוֹנִי וְעַל יְדֵי סַם פְּלוֹנִי, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ זְמַנּוֹ לָצֵאת הוֹלֵךְ לְבֵית פִּסְלוֹ, אוֹמְרִים יִסּוּרִין דִּין הוּא שֶׁלֹּא נֵצֵא, חוֹזְרִין וְאוֹמְרִים וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שׁוֹטֶה זֶה שֶׁעָשָׂה שֶׁלֹּא כָּהֹגֶן אָנוּ נַתִּיר אֶת שְׁבוּעָתֵנוּ. וְהַיְינוּ דְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מַאי דִּכְתִיב (דברים כח, נט) "וָחֳלָיִם רָעִים וְנֶאֱמָנִים" "רָעִים" בִּשְׁלִיחוּתָם, "וְנֶאֱמָנִים" בִּשְׁבוּעָתָן. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה בַּר רַבִּי יִצְחָק לְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, וְהָא אִכָּא בֵּית כְּסִילִים בְּאַתְרִין, דְכִי מִצְטָרֵךְ עַלְמָא לְמִטְרָא וְלֹא אָתֵי מִטְרָא שָׁחֲטוּ לֵיהּ גַּבְרָא וְאָתֵי מִטְרָא, אָמַר לֵיהּ הַשְׁתָּא אֵיכוּ שְׁכִיבוּ לָא אָמְרֵי לְכוּ הָא מִלְּתָא, דַּאֲמַר רַב מַאי דִּכְתִיב (שם ד, יט) "אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֹתָם לְכָל הָעַמִּים", מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶחֱלִיקָן בִּדְבָרִים כְּדֵי לְטָרְדָן מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְהַיְינוּ דַּאֲמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ מַאי דִּכְתִיב (משלי ג, לד) "אִם לַלֵּצִים הוּא יָלִיץ וְלַעֲנָוִים יִתֵּן חֵן", בָּא לִטָּמֵא פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ, בָּא לִטָּהֵר מְסַיְיעִין לוֹ.