21. Said Rabbi Chiya: It is certainly so, but we see, as well as the mighty ones of the world, MEANING THE NATIONS, that the exile grows long yet the son of David has still not come. Said Rabbi Yosi: All this is so. But all these pledges that the Holy One, blessed be He, has guaranteed them to enable Yisrael to bear this exile. And we have learned that they enter synagogues and study halls and see all these consolations IN THE HOLY BOOKS, and rejoice in their hearts to suffer whatever comes upon them. And were it not for that they would not be able to tolerate it.

22. Rabbi Chiya said: Certainly, it is so. And everything depends upon repentance. If you believe that everyone together can be aroused to repent, even now, it is not so. What is the reason that they can not? Because it is written: "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you...and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, into which Hashem your Elohim has driven you, and shall return to Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 1:2). And then, "If your outcasts be at the utmost parts of heaven, from there will Hashem your Elohim gather you" (Ibid. 4). And before all these things are fulfilled they can not be aroused to repentance.

23. Rabbi Yosi said: How concealed you have made the ways and paths for all those in exile, and have not left them any excuse. For otherwise they will remain as they are, MEANING THAT THEY WILL NOT STRIVE FOR REPENTANCE in every generation, and will not bear the exile, and will not REQUEST reward, but will depart from the laws of the Torah, and will intermingle with the other nations.

24. He opened the discussion, saying: "Like a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and cries out in her pangs..." (Yeshayah 26:17). What is "Like a woman with child?" It is the way of a pregnant woman to undergo nine complete months. There are many in the world for whom only one or two days of the ninth MONTH pass, when all labor and birth pangs are. Nevertheless, it is considered for her as though she has undergone the entire ninth MONTH. This is also the case with Yisrael: since they had the taste of exile, if they repent it is considered by them as though all THE TROUBLES that are written in the Torah befell them, especially since so many troubles have befallen them.

25. But what of the words: "When you are in distress, and all these things are come upon you, in the latter days" (Devarim 4:30)? Come and behold: how much Mercy has the Holy One, blessed be He, shown on Yisrael in this matter. It is like a king who had an only son whom he loved with his whole soul. In his great love for him he gave him over to his mother, the queen, to raise him and teach him the right ways. Once the son sinned against his father. His father came and beat him, and afterwards forgave him. When he sinned against his father again, his father put him out of his house, and was angry with him; the son left his house.

26. Instead of going in the right path to be meritorious, as is proper, so that his father, the king, should hear about it and long for him, what did he do? He thought: after having left my father's palace, from now on I will do whatever I please. Then he associated with prostitutes and was besmirched and soiled with them, and remained only in their company. His mother, the queen, visited her son daily and knew that her son had joined with prostitutes and associated only with them. She started to weep and grieve for her son.

27. One day, the king came to her and saw her weeping. He asked her why she was weeping. She said to him: How can I not weep? Our son is outside the king's palace, and not only does he no longer live in the king's palace, he lives in a brothel. What will people say of the king's son who lives in a brothel? She started to weep and beseech the king. The king said: for your sake I will return him, but you must be his surety THAT HE DOES NOT SIN. She said: I WILL surely BE HIS GUARANTOR.

28. The king said: Since it is so, then it is not advisable to return him during the day, publicly, for it is an embarrassment for us to follow him to the brothel. Had it not been so, that he soiled himself so and desecrated my honor, I and all my hosts would go after him with much glory, with many trumpeters before him, with many weapons on his right and left, so all the inhabitants of the world would tremble and everyone would know that he is the king's son. But now, since he has soiled himself and desecrated my honor, he must return stealthily, so he will not be recognized. The son returned to the king, who gave him over to his mother.

29. After some time, he sinned again. What did the king do? He exiled him and his mother with him out of his palace. He said: Both of you go, and both of you suffer exile and blows there. Since both of you will suffer together, then I know that my son will repent properly.

30. Thus, He brought Yisrael, the children of the Holy King, down to Egypt. And you may argue that at that time they had not sinned AND HE DID NOT BRING THEM DOWN BECAUSE OF SIN, but rather it was a decree that the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed between the parts that had to be fulfilled. SO IT WAS, for the Holy One, blessed be He, looked at two things. One was because of that which Abraham said, "by what shall I know that I shall inherit it" (Beresheet 15:8), which was the cause and grounds FOR THE EGYPTIAN EXILE. AND ONE WAS that before they left Egypt, they were not a nation and were not worthy TO BE A NATION.