Midrasch zu Jeschijahu 48:16

[partial transl.] - [regarding II Sam. 23:1] [regarding II Sam. 23:1] "The utterance of is David the son of Ishai, and he utterance of the person who stands" on the mountains of learning, who accepted upon themselves the yoke of Torah and the yoke of mitzvot. What is your payment in front of Me? That you will be called 'the anointed of the God of Yaakov, and the sweet singer of Israel'. Happy is the person who sets themselves as an ox to the yoke, and as a donkey to the burden, and sits and meditates every day in Torah, always, immediately the Spirit of God rests on them, and the their Torah gets inside them, as it is written "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water" (Isaiah 55:1), and any mention of water really means Torah. How so? Explanation: a person reads Torah, prophets, writings, Mishnah, Halakhot, Agadot, and Midrash; and spends much time sitting, and little time in business, immediately the spirit of God is within that person, and His message are in that person's tongue, as it is written "The spirit of Ad-nai has spoken through me, His message is on my tongue" (II Sam 23:2). Happy is the person that plays with the words of the Torah and sits and chews on them like an animal that chews the cud on the field. ...

(Fol. 16) It once happened that Rabbi ordered that disciples should not study in the public streets, for he expounded the passage (Songs 7, 2) The rounding of thy thighs; just as the thigh is concealed so also should the Torah be studied in a privacy. R. Chiya disregarded the order, and taught to Rab and Rabba b.b. Chama, his two nephews in the public street. When Rabbi heard of it, he became angry. Subsequently R. Chiya appeared before him, and Rabbi said to him: "lyya, see who is calling you outside." R. Chiya understood the hint, and he rebuked himself for thirty days. On the thirtieth day Rabbi sent a message to him to come; and a short while after he sent him another message not to come. What did he think at first and what was his final decision when he revoked the previous order? At first he thought that a part of a day is considered the whole [hence R. Chiya was called on the morning of the thirtieth day ] but his final decision was that a part of a day is not considered the whole and therefore ordered him not to come. R. Chiya finally came. Rabbi then asked him: "Why didst thou come?" "Because," replied R. Chiya, "the master sent for me." "But did I not subsequently send thee not to come?" Rabbi asked him. Whereupon he replied: "The first message I received, but the second one I did not." Rabbi then applied to him the following passage (Prov. 16, 7) When the Lord receiveth in favor a man's ways, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. "Why did the master transgress my order?" Rabbi asked. "Because," answered R. Chiya, "it is written (Prov. 1, 20) Wisdom cries loudly without." Then Rabbi said to him: "If thou hast read (studied), thou hast not repeated it, and if thou hast repeated it, thou hast not reviewed it a third time, and if thou hast done so, then your teachers did not explain it to you, because the passage, Wisdom cries loudly without, means as Raba explained it; for Raba said: "Who studies the Torah inside (in privacy), him will the Torah proclaim [as a scholar] outside.'" But there is also another passage (Is. 48, 16) Never from the beginning have I spoken in secret?" R. Chiya rejoined. "This refers to lectures," explained Rabbi. But what will R. Chiya do with the above passage. The rounding of the thighs, [which indicates secret study]? R. Chiya explains that the last passage refers to charity and loving kindness.

“There is a matter of which it is said: See, this is new. It has already been, in the ages that were before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10).
“There is a matter of which it is said: See, this is new.” It is written: “The Lord delivered to me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them [va’aleihem] was written in accordance with all [kekhol] the matters [hadevarim]…” (Deuteronomy 9:10). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: “Aleihem, va’aleihem; kol, kekhol; devarim, hadevarim;⁸⁹All of these words contain prefixes or introductory words, e.g. the verse could have stated aleihem but instead says vaaleihem, with the prefix va. These additional letters and words are amplifications that come to include additional matters. “all the commandment [kol hamitzva] [that I command to you today you shall observe to perform]” (Deuteronomy 8:1); hamitzva, kol hamitzva. It is to teach you that Bible, Mishna, halakhot, Tosefta, and aggada, and rulings that distinguished disciples were destined to issue, already existed, and were given as halakhot to Moses from Sinai. From where is it derived? From what is written: “There is a matter of which it is said: See, this is new.” His counterpart admonishes him: “It has already been, in the ages [that were before us].”
Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabi Ḥelbo: This is analogous to one who had a sela coin tied into the corner of his garment,⁹⁰He intended thereby to form a kind of button. and it fell from him. To replace it with one larger, there is no room for it; to replace it with one smaller, it will not be filled; to replace it with an identical one, it will be filled. So too, if you hear Torah from a Torah scholar, you should consider it as though your ears heard it from Mount Sinai. That is what the prophet is admonishing them and saying to them: “Approach me, hear this: From the beginning I did not speak in secret. From the time that it was, I was there” (Isaiah 48:16).⁹¹The prophet is saying that his words, which the people have not followed, are not new. They were given at Sinai, and the prophet heard them there, and now in his generation he has been told to relay this prophecy to the people (Etz Yosef). They said to him: ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ He said to them: ‘Because I did not have the capacity.⁹²Literally, “chambers were not created in me.” But now I have the capacity, “now the Lord God has sent me and His spirit” (Isaiah 48:16).’

And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord thy God” (Exod. 20:1). R. Isaac said: All the prophets received the inspirations for their future prophesies at Mount Sinai. How do we know this to be so? It is written: But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day (Deut. 29:14). That standeth here with us this day refers to those who were already born, and with him that is not here alludes to those who were to be born in the future. Hence they are not with us this day. “Not standing here with us this day” is not written in this verse, but rather Is not here with us this day. This alludes to the souls who were to be created in the future, since standing here could not be said of them. They were included in the general statement. And that is why the verse states: The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi (Mal. 1:1). It does not say “of Malachi,” but merely by Malachi, indicating that the prophecy had been transmitted to him previously at Sinai. Similarly Isaiah said: Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I; and now the Lord hath sent me, and His spirit (Isa. 48:16). Isaiah is saying here that at the time the Torah was given I received the prophecy. Hence it says: from the time that it (the Torah) was, there am I; and now the Lord God hath sent me, and His spirit, but until now He did not give me permission to prophesy.

Another explanation: "And God said all of these things, saying" - Rabbi Yitzchak said, What the prophets were to prophesy in the future in each generation, they received from Mount Sinai. As Moshe said to Israel (Deuteronomy 29:14), "But with those here with us standing today and with those not here with us today." It does not say [at the end of the verse], "with us standing today," but rather, "with us today"; these are the souls that will be created in the future, who do not have substance, about whom "standing" is not mentioned. For even though they did not exist at that time, each one received that which was his. And so [too], it states (Malachi 1:1), "The burden that God spoke to Israel by ['in the hand of'] Malachi" - it does not state, "in the days of Malachi," but rather "in the hand of Malachi," as the prophecy was already in his hand from Mount Sinai, but until that time, he was not given permission to prophesy. Likewise Yeshayahu said (Isaiah 48:16), "from the time it was, was I there." Yeshayahu said, "From the time the Torah was given at Sinai, I was there and received this prophecy, except [only] 'now did God send me and His spirit'" - until now, he was not given permission to prophesy. And it was not only of the prophets who receive their prophecy from Sinai, but also the sages who arise in each generation - each of them received what was his from Sinai. And so [too] it states (Deuteronomy 5:19), "These things did the Lord speak to your entire congregation, [...] a great voice and it did not cease": Rabbi Yochanan said, "One voice was split into seven voices and they were divided into seventy languages"; Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, "From it prophesied all of the prophets who arose." The Sages said that it did not have an echo. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "What is [the meaning of] 'The voice of the Lord is in strength' (Psalms 29:4)? Can one really say this? Isn't it true that, with even one angel, no creature can stand up to his voice, as it states (Daniel 10:6), 'And its body was like beryl (tarshish) [...] and the voice of its words was like the voice of the multitude.' And does the Holy One, blessed be He, about Whom it is written (Jeremiah 23:24), 'do I not fill the heavens and the earth,' need to speak in strength? Rather, 'The voice of the Lord is in strength' - in the strength of all of the voices." And this verse supports the view of Rabbi Yochanan: "The Lord gives the word, the announcers are a great host" (Psalms 68:12).