Menachem, I agree on greatness of challenges starting at enlightenment. A lot of people lived happily before that without encountering challenges to their faith or simply opportunities to go otd. Spinoza could, but not people of lower abilities. So, there was less concern about amei haatetz in some sense. Yes they were irritating, and sometimes deserving of pity, but nobody worried that a Jewish farmer will stop producing potatoes. We even had extra days to read megillah when they come to the market. Too much to expect them to come on Purim itself, and it was okay. This all changed with haskala, and maybe reaching a new level with current generation, when they can travel the world on the phone before modeh ani.
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