Why was Judaism able to flourish in exile for so many centuries?

Answer 1

There is no rational answer. This is an open miracle; and according to Rabbi Yaakov Emden, it is the greatest of miracles.

Mark Twain had this to say:

"The Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded...and passed away; the Greeks and the Romans followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all...and is now what he always was; exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

The answer is an explicit scriptural verse:

"When they are in the land of their enemies (in exile), I (God) will not reject them; neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly or to break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations." (see Leviticus 26:44-45).

Answer 2

There are, of course, two main answers. The first, as set out in the Community Answer, is the Divine Miracle Answer, which the flourishing of the Jewish people may indeed be. However, there are also discernible reasons in the context of world history that can serve to partially explain the flourishing of the Jews.

Judaism as a way of life was something that promoted the highest ideals in terms of working and education among the civilizations of Europe and the Arab World. While Jews in 17th Century Poland were relatively poor, they had literacy rates that far exceeded the wealthiest classes (at roughly 90% for males), which allowed them to contribute to social and literary circles far in excess of their population. Jewish tradition also encourages questioning and protracted, reasoned debate, which served Jews well in the scientific world whereas dogmatic intransigence in many Christian and Muslim communities served as an impediment. Probably, the most important thing was that the Jewish community did not resign itself to failure and ruin as bad as the discriminatory treatment was. They continued to push for increased equality and emancipation. They set up their own businesses if they could not get jobs at those that already existed and founded organizations to take care of their sick and wounded when the national services were not extended to them.

Answer 3

The Persians took control of Mesopotamia. the Persian ruler let them go back and rebuild.