ספר בראשית

Another way of understanding the line ‎ואתה אמרת היטב איטיב ‏עמך‎, is that even when G’d shares out His largesse to both the ‎Jewish people and the gentiles, there is always a difference. When ‎this “largesse” is bestowed on the Jewish people the intent is ‎invariably for their benefit. When it is dispensed to the gentiles, ‎the gentiles may see in it something positive, whereas in the long ‎run it is something that works to the detriment of the recipients.‎Let us explain this apparent paradox by referring to ‎Deuteronomy 7,10, where Moses speaks of G’d “paying” the ‎sinner to his “face.” Moses touches on the subject known to us ‎under the heading of ‎צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו‎, “why does it appear ‎often that the person we perceive as a just person suffers a great ‎deal in this world, whereas the patently wicked person appears to ‎enjoy every day of his life on earth.” Moses describes the reward ‎in store for the wicked, for they too have performed some good ‎deeds for which G’d owes them a reward,- as “payment,” ‎משלם‎. He ‎has to do it while the wicked person is alive as he has no afterlife ‎to look forward to. The righteous who has an eternity of life on a ‎different plane to look forward to, need not lose some of this by ‎being ‘paid” by G’d for his good deeds while here on earth. ‎Yaakov, when referring to ‎היטב איטיב‎, refers to G’d bestowing ‎such “good” on him for the sake of the good itself, not as ‎‎“payment” for good deeds performed. Gentiles, i.e. pagans, have ‎no claim to that kind of “good.”‎