Sanhedrin 101B

״גם אלה משלי שלמה אשר העתיקו אנשי חזקיה מלך יהודה״. וכי חזקיה מלך יהודה לכל העולם כולו לימד תורה, ולמנשה בנו לא לימד תורה? אלא, מכל טורח שטרח בו ומכל עמל שעמל בו, לא העלהו למוטב אלא יסורין, שנאמר: ״וידבר ה׳ אל מנשה ואל עמו ולא הקשיבו. ויבא ה׳ עליהם את שרי הצבא אשר למלך אשור וילכדו את מנשה בחחים ויאסרהו בנחשתים ויוליכהו בבלה״.

“These too are the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judea, copied” (Proverbs 25:1), indicating that Hezekiah taught Torah and disseminated it to the multitudes. And is it conceivable that Hezekiah, king of Judea, taught Torah to the entire world and to Manasseh his son he did not teach Torah? Rather, Hezekiah certainly taught Manasseh much Torah; nevertheless, from all his exertion to teach him and from all his toil to teach him, it was only afflictions that elevated him to the path of good, as it is stated: “And YHWH spoke to Manasseh and to his people but they would not heed. And YHWH brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, and bound him with chains, and carried him to Babylonia” (II Chronicles 33:10–11).

וכתיב: ״וכהצר לו חלה את פני ה׳ אלהיו ויכנע מאד מלפני אלהי אבותיו. ויתפלל אליו ויעתר לו וישמע תחנתו וישיבהו ירושלים למלכותו וידע מנשה כי ה׳ הוא האלהים״. הא למדת שחביבין יסורין.

And it is written after that: “And when he was in distress, he sought YHWH his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and he prayed to Him and He was entreated of him, and He heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom; then Manasseh knew that YHWH He was God” (II Chronicles 33:12–13). You learned from this that afflictions are cherished.

תנו רבנן: שלשה באו בעלילה, אלו הן: קין, עשו ומנשה. קין, דכתיב: ״גדול עוני מנשוא״. אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם, כלום גדול עוני מששים ריבוא שעתידין לחטוא לפניך ואתה סולח להם? עשו, דכתיב: ״הברכה אחת היא לך אבי״. מנשה ⁠– בתחילה קרא לאלוהות הרבה, ולבסוף קרא לאלהי אבותיו.

Apropos Manasseh’s repentance, the Talmud cites that A baraita states: 3 came with a demand, and these are they: Cain, Esau, and Manasseh. Cain came with a demand, as it is written: “My sin is too great to bear” (Genesis 4:13). Cain said before God: God! is my transgression greater than the transgression of the 600,000 who are destined to sin before You with the Golden Calf, and You will nevertheless forgive them? There should be atonement for my transgression as well. Esau came with a demand, as it is stated: “Have you but one blessing, my father?” (Genesis 27:38). With regard to Manasseh, initially he called to multiple gods, and his prayers were not answered, and ultimately he called to the God of his forefathers with the demand: If God does not answer my prayer, then apparently all the gods are equal to the God of my forefathers.