God has shown mercy to Israel, that he led the ones with Jeconiah into the exile before the ones with Zedekiah, so that the oral Torah would not be forgotten by them and so that they would remain in Babel in their schools from that time until now.  And over them has neither Edom [Rome] nor Greece had authority, not has anyone threatened them with religious persecution.  And even in the days of the Messiah they will not see the birth pains of the Messiah. Tanh 9a