Midrasch zu Bamidbar 31:50

Rabbi Yitzḥak interpreted the verse regarding the Midianite war. “Your hair is like a flock of goats” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the flocks that went to the Midianite war went only due to the merit of Moses and Pinḥas.²⁹They were successful in the war against Midian only due to the merit of Moses and Pinḥas (Etz Yosef). That is what is written: “Moses and Elazar the priest took the gold from…” (Numbers 31:54).³⁰Some suggest that the text should read: That is what is written: “Moses sent them, a thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Pinḥas” (Numbers 31:6). This verse may be understood as equating Pinḥas with the rest of those who went out to war (Matnot Kehuna). “That streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away [shegelashten], I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? This is the Midianite war. What is it that you took away from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, twelve thousand volunteers and twelve thousand conscripts, as it is stated: “One thousand per tribe from the thousands of Israel were provided, [twelve thousand mobilized soldiers]” (Numbers 31:5). Rabbi Ḥananya bar Yitzḥak said: They went to the Midianite war with twelve thousand.
“That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – Rabbi Huna said: Not one of them gave precedence to the head phylacteries before the arm phylacteries,³¹The arm phylacteries are supposed to be donned before the head phylacteries. as, had one of them given precedence to the head phylacteries before the arm phylacteries, Moses would not have praised them and they would not have ascended from there unharmed. That is to say that they were extremely righteous.
“That are all paired” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as when they would enter in pairs to the woman, one of them would blacken her face and one of them would remove her jewelry.³²The war against Midian was fought in the aftermath of the events in Shitim, where Moavite and Midianite women enticed Israelites to engage in sexual immorality and idolatry. As a result, twenty-four thousand Israelites died in a plague (see Numbers 25:1–9). When the Israelites defeated the Midianite army and entered the private dwellings where the women were located to take the spoils of war, they would enter two at a time and would cause the women to look less enticing, so as to ensure that they would not sin. [The women] would say to them: ‘Are we not creations of the Holy One blessed be He that you do this to us?’ The Israelites would say to them: ‘Is it not enough for you that our people received their punishment because of you?’ That is what is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them” (Numbers 25:4). “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – that not one of them was suspected of committing a transgression.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:3) – when they said to Moses: “Your servants took a census of the men of war under our command, and not a man is missing from among us” (Numbers 31:49), in lewdness and in sin.³³None of our men were killed, and none acted inappropriately with the captive women.
“Your speech is lovely” (Song of Songs 4:3) – as they said to him: “We brought the offering of the Lord” (Numbers 31:50). Moses said to them: ‘Your statements contradict each other. You said: “Not a man is missing from among us” (Numbers 31:49) – in lewdness and in sin. And you said: “We brought the offering of the Lord.” If you did not sin, what is the purpose of this offering?’ They said to him: Moses our master, we would enter to the woman in pairs, and one of us would blacken her face and one would remove her jewelry. Is it possible that the evil inclination was not moved at all? For that moving of the evil inclination we say to bring an offering.
At that moment, Moses began praising them: “Your temple [rakatekh] is like a pomegranate slice” (Song of Songs 4:3) – even the empty among you is packed with mitzvot like this pomegranate, for anyone who is confronted by the opportunity to commit a transgression and is spared from it and does not perform it has performed a great mitzva. It goes without saying: “Behind your braid [letzamatekh]” (Song of Songs 4:3) – regarding the modest and the fervent [metzumatin] among you.
“Like the tower of [kemigdal] David” – regarding which [David] elevated [gidel] you in his book. Regarding what did David elevate you in his book? “Siḥon king of the Emorites.… and Og king of the Bashan.… and gave their land as an inheritance” (Psalms 136:19–21).³⁴These verses state that God gave the land of Siḥon to Israel as an inheritance. Included in this territory was the land of Midian. The fact that Israel merited to inherit the land of Midian speaks positively of them. “Built magnificently [letalpiyot]” – a book that was stated by many mouths [piyot].
“One thousand bucklers are hung upon it” – all those tens of thousands and those thousands who went to the Midianite war and I defended them. I defended them only because of the merit of what came after one thousand generations. Not only you alone relied upon it, but rather, “all the shields of the mighty” – everyone who arises and controls and overcomes his inclination, is called mighty, like Moses in his time, David in his time, Ezra in his time. Their entire generation depends upon them. By means of whom was the Midianite war waged? It was by means of “your two breasts” (Song of Songs 4:5) – these are Moses, the head of the Sanhedrin, and Pinḥas.

Moreover, when he went into the market-place he saw the people forming themselves into various companies and groups, and each one would speak in his own tongue, and he knew what they were saying, as it is said, "He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out over the land of Egypt, when I heard the speech of one that I knew not" (Ps. 81:5). Further, when he was riding in the chariot, and passed through all the borders of the land of Egypt, the Egyptian girls were climbing up the walls for his sake, and they threw to him rings of gold, so that perchance he might look at them, and (they could) see the beauty of his figure, but nobody's eye degraded him, for he was highly esteemed in the eyes of everyone, as it is said, "Joseph is a fruitful bough… his daughters run over the wall" (Gen. 49:22).