Midrash for Isaiah 57:2

... Teach us, our master, from when does the mitzvah of the Channukah lamp begin? Our rabbis taught – from when the sun sets until the majority of people are gone from the marketplace. And where are they to be lit? If one lives on an upper floor with a window facing the public domain, light there. If it is a time of danger, light within your house [and it is forbidden to do work by its light. R’ Asi said] it is forbidden to see by its light. Why do we light Channukah lamps? When the Hasmonean High Priest defeated the Greeks, as it says “For I bend Judah for Me like a bow; I filled [the hand of] Ephraim, and I will arouse your children, O Zion, upon your children, O Javan; and I will make you as the sword of a mighty man,” (Zechariah 9:13) they entered the Holy Temple. They found there eight iron stakes, fixed them in the ground and lit lamps upon them. Why do we read the Hallel psalms of praise? Because it is written “The Lord is God, and He gave us light.” (Tehillim 118:27) Why don’t we read it on Purim? It is written “…to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish the entire host of every people and province that oppress them…” (Esther 8:11) and we don’t read it except to mark the fall of a kingdom and the kingdom of Ahasuerus still stood. But when the Holy One destroyed the kingdom of Greece they began to sing hymns and praises and to say that in the past we were servants to Pharoah, servants to Greece and now we are servants to the Holy One “Praise, you servants of the Lord…” (Tehillim 113:1) How many channukot (dedications) were there? There were seven. The dedication of heaven and earth, as it says “Now the heavens and the earth were completed…” (Bereshit 2:1) What dedication was there then? “And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth.” (Bereshit 1:17) The dedication of the wall, as it says “And in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nechemiah 12:27) The dedication of those who came up from the exile, as it says “And they offered up for the dedication of this House of God…” (Ezra 6:17) The dedication of the priests, which we light for. The dedication of the world to come, as it says “And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will search Jerusalem with candles…” (Tzephaniah 1:12) The dedication of the princes “This was the dedication offering of the altar…” (Bamidbar 7:84) The dedication of the Sanctuary, which this is speaking of “A psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David.” (Tehillim 30:1) Another explanation. There are seven channukot. The dedication of the creation of the world, as it is written “Now the heavens and the earth were completed…” (Bereshit 2:1) Completion is the language of dedication, as is written “All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed…” (Shemot 39:32) The dedication of Moshe, as it is written “And it was that on the day that Moses finished erecting the Mishkan…” (Bamidbar 7:1) The dedication of the House, as it is written “A psalm; a song of dedication of the House, of David.” (Tehillim 30:1) The dedication of the Second Temple [as it says “And they offered up for the dedication of this House of God…” (Ezra 6:17) and the dedication of the wall] as it says “And in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nechemiah 12:27) The current one of the House of Hasmonean. The dedication of the world to come, because even that has lights, as it is written “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold as the light of the seven days…” (Isaiah 30:26)

[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. 104) On the day that Rabbi died the Rabbis proclaimed a day of fast and prayers. They also said: "Whoever should announce the mournful fact that Rabbi is dead should be killed with a sword." The servant of Rabbi went upon the roof and said thus: "Up in Heaven Rabbi is demanded, and down on the earth Rabbi is demanded. May it be the will that those here below should conquer those above." As soon as she noticed that Rabbi had so much pain, in taking off his phylacteriss and putting them on again, she said: "May it be the will that those above should conquer those below." The Rabbis, however, did not stop from offering prayers for his health, so the servant took a dish, and threw it down from the roof, causing the Rabbis to stop from offering prayers. At that moment Rabbi died. The Rabbis then said to Bar Kapara: "Go, find out what his condition is." The latter went and found that he was dead. He tore his clothes and turned them behind, and began saying: "Mortals and angels long have striven the tables of the covenant to gain, each champion to defeat now driven, weep for the treasures, that no more remain." At the moment when Rabbi was dying he lifted up his ten fingers and said: "Sovereign of the Universe, it is known and revealed to Thee that with my ten fingers I have labored unceasingly in the law, and did not enjoy the worldly profit in so much as my little finger. May it therefore please Thee that there may be peace in my rest!" Whereupon a Heavenly voice went forth and said (Is. 57, 2) He shall come to his father in peace: they shall repose in their resting place. It should have been said, in thy resting place. This will support the opinion of R. Chiya b. Gamda, who quoted R. Josi b. Saul: "In the moment when the righteous takes leave of the world, the ministering angels say before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, the righteous is coming to us.' Whereupon He says: 'Let the righteous go out to meet him, and greet him that he shall come in peace, and they shall repose in their resting place.' " R. Elazar said: "At the moment when the righteous takes leave of the world three groups of ministering angels are sent out to meet him. One group says: Came in peace. The other group says: Everyone that walketh in his uprightness. The third group says: He shall come in peace, they repose in their resting place. But, at the moment when a wicked is destroyed from the world, three groups of destroying angels go out to meet him. One says (Ib. 48, 22) There is no peace saith the Lord unto the wicked. The second one says (Ib. 50, 11) In pains shall ye lie down, and the third one says (Ez. 32, 32) Go down and be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised."