Midrasch zu Jeschijahu 66:2

2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].

(Gen. 2:4:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH WHEN THEY WERE CREATED. Let our master instruct us: When someone sees shooting stars and lightnings, what blessing does he say over them? Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 9:2): OVER SHOOTING STARS, EARTHQUAKES, LIGHTNINGS, AND THUNDERS ONE SAYS: BLESSED BE THE ONE WHOSE POWER FILLS THE WORLD. Note that this is from the Mishnah. Where is it shown from Scripture? Where it is stated (in Ps. 104:32): WHO (i.e., the LORD) LOOKS ON THE EARTH AND IT TREMBLES. And what is written in connection with it (in vs. 31)? MAY THE GLORY OF THE LORD BE FOREVER. Elijah, of blessed memory, asked Rav Mari:³¹See yBer. 9:3 (12c); M. Pss. 18:12; 104:25. Why do earthquakes come upon the world? He said to him: When the Holy One sees Israel not separating their tithes as they should, earthquakes come upon the world. Elijah, of blessed memory, said to him: Upon your life, that is the < apparent > reason for the phenomenon, but the root of the phenomenon is this: When the Holy One looks at his world and sees temples of star worship sitting upon their tells in safety, security, and serenity, while his Holy Temple is destroyed, at that time he wants to overthrow the world and shakes < it >. The Holy One said: All this quaking is for the sanctification of my name, as stated (in Is. 43:7): EVERY ONE THAT IS CALLED BY MY NAME [AND WHOM I HAVE CREATED FOR MY GLORY, I HAVE FORMED HIM, EVEN MADE HIM].³²Isaiah goes on to list the blind and the deaf as examples. Thus God is sanctified by all creation, even earthquakes. Also, through that for which I deserve to be praised, the nations provoke me to anger. One says: The LORD does such and so. Another says to worship the constellations. Another says: I serve the sun and its rays. Therefore, I bring earthquake into the world. Although the heavenly bodies did not sin, because people provoke me to anger through them, they (the heavenly bodies) are also stricken along with them. So it is stated (in Joel 3:4 [2:31]): THE SUN WILL BE CHANGED TO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON, TO BLOOD. And what concern do they have? To make known that no other god created my world along with me. You yourself know that it is so.³³See above, 1:1, and the notes there. R. Johanan said: The angels were created on the second day, as stated (in Gen. 1:6): LET THE FIRMAMENT BE IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS. Another text (Ps. 104:3) says: WHO ROOFS HIS UPPER ROOMS IN THE WATERS. And what is written next (in vs. 4)? WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS SPIRITS (ruah). Ergo, it says: The angels were created on the second day. R. Hanina said: The angels were created on the fifth day. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 1:20): AND LET THE FOWL FLY (ye'ofef) ABOVE THE EARTH. These are angels, as stated (in Is. 6:2): AND WITH TWO HE WOULD FLY (ye'ofef). Ergo, it says: They were created on the fifth day. Either according to the words of R. Johanan or according to the words of R. Hanina, you have learned this, that the angels were created only after the Holy One had created his world. Why so? It is simply that the Holy One said: If I create them at the beginning, people will say: They assisted me with my world. The Holy One said: I created my world by myself, as stated (in Is. 66:2): [AND] ALL THESE THINGS MY HAND HAS MADE. Where is it shown about the created beings of heaven and earth? {Where it is stated} [From what they have read on the matter] (in Gen. 2:4): THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH….

R. Joshua b. Levi said: "He who answers Amen Yehei Shemei Rabba Mebarach with all his fervor will cause any evil dispensation passed on him, to be torn (nulliified); for it is said (Judg. 5, 2.) When decreed punishments had been set aside in Israel, then did the people offer themselves willingly, Praise ye the Lord. Why were decreed punishments set aside? Because Praise ye the Lord." R. Chiya b. Abba, in the name of R. Jochanan, said: "Even if there be some idolatry in him, he will also be forgiven; for it is written (Ib.) When decreed punishments were set aside (Pra'oth), and it is also written (Ex. 32, 25.) That it had become unruly (Parua)." Resh Lakish said: "He who answers Amen with all his fervor will have the gates of Eden opened for him, as it is said (Is. 26, 2.) Open ye the gates, that there may enter the righteous nation, which guardeth the truth. Do not read Shomer Emunim (which guardeth the truth) but read it Seomrim Amen (which say Amen)." What is the meaning of Amen? R. Chanina said: "The abbreviation of 'God, faithful king.'"

(Ibid.) "And Moses entered into the mist": This (his closeness to the L rd) was a function of his humility, viz. (Numbers 12:3) "And the man Moses was extremely humble, etc." Scripture hereby apprises us that if one is (truly) humble, in the end, he will cause the Shechinah to repose upon a man upon the earth, viz. (Isaiah 57:15) "For thus said the High and Exalted, who abides forever and whose name is holy (… I dwell with the oppressed and with the lowly of spirit, etc."), and (Ibid. 61:1) "The spirit of the L rd G d is upon me, for the L rd has anointed me to bring tidings to the humble, etc.", and (Ibid. 66;2) "And all of these things My hand created (… but it is to this that I look, to the poor and broken-spirited, etc."), and (Psalms 51:19) "The sacrifices of G d are a broken spirit. A heart broken and oppressed, G d will not despise." And all who are haughty of heart cause the land to be defiled and the Shechinah to depart, as it is written (Ibid. 101:5) "The haughty of eyes and the broad of heart, him will I not abide." And all the haughty of heart are called "abomination," as it is written (Mishlei 16:5) "The abomination of the L rd are all the haughty of heart." And idolatry is called "abomination," as it is written (Devarim 7:26) "And you shall not bring an abomination into your house." Just as idolatry defiles the land and causes the Shechinah to depart, so do all the haughty of heart. "And Moses entered into the mist": within the three partitions: darkness, cloud, and mist. Darkness, the outermost; cloud, within; mist, the innermost. As it is written "And Moses entered into the mist, where G d was.