Midrash sur Job 37:5

"And God said to Aharon, 'Go to meet Moshe in the wilderness'": This is that which is written (Job 37:5), "God thunders wonders with His voice" - what is it that he thunders? When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah at Sinai, He showed wonders of wonders to Israel. How is it? The Holy One, blessed be He would speak and the voice would go out and travel the whole world: Israel would hear the voice coming to them from the South and they would run to the South to meet the voice; and from the South, it would switch for them to the North, and they would all run to the North; and from the North, it would switch to the East, and they would run to the East; and from the East, it would switch to the West, and they would run to the West; and from the West, it would switch [to be] from the heavens, and they would suspend their eyes [to the heavens], and it would switch [to be] in the earth, and they would stare at the earth, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:36), "From the Heavens did He make you hear His voice, to discipline you." And Israel would say one to the other, "And wisdom, from where can it be found" (Job 28:12). And Israel would say, from where is the Holy One, blessed be He, coming, from the East or from the South? As it is stated (Deuteronomy 33:2), "The Lord came from Sinai, and shone from Seir (in the East) to them"; and it is written (Habakuk 3:3), "And God will come from Teiman (in the South)." And it is stated (Exodus 20:15), "And all the people saw the sounds (literally, voices)" - it is not written, "sound," here, but rather, "sounds." Rabbi Yochanan said, "The voice would go out and divide into seventy voices for the seventy languages, so that all the nations would hear. And each and every nation would hear in the language of the nation and their souls would depart. But Israel would hear and they were not injured." How did the voice go out? Rabbi Tanchuma said, "It would come go with two faces; [one] would kill the idolaters who did not accept it, and [one] would give life to Israel that did accept it." This is what Moshe stated to them at the end of forty years (Deuteronomy 5:23), "As who is it, from all flesh that heard the voice of the living God speak from amidst the fire" - you would hear His voice and live, but the idolaters heard and died. Come and see how the voice would go out among all of Israel - each and every one according to his strength: the elders according to their strength; the young men according to their strength; the infants according to their strength; the sucklings according to their strength; the women according to their strength; and even Moshe according to his strength, as it is stated (Exodus 19:19), "Moshe would speak and God would answer him with a voice" - with a voice that He could withstand. And so [too,] it states (Psalms 29:4), "The voice of the Lord is in strength" - it is not stated, "in His strength," but rather "in strength"; in the strength of each and every one, and even the pregnant women, according to their strength. Hence one would say each and every one according to his strength. Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said, "If you wonder about this thing, learn from the manna, as it would only come down according to the strength of each and every one of Israel: the young men would eat it like bread, as it is stated (Exodus 16:4), 'Behold I will rain upon you bread from the skies, etc.'; the elders like a wafer in honey, as it is stated (Exodus 16:31), 'and its taste was like a wafer in honey'; the sucklings like the milk of it's mother's breast, as it is stated (Numbers 11:8), 'and its taste, was like the taste of, etc.'; the sick ones like fine flour mixed with honey, as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:19), 'And My bread that I gave you, fine flour and oil I fed you'; and the idolaters tasted it bitter and coriander, as it is stated (Numbers 11:7), 'And the manna was like coriander seed.'" And Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina said, "And since the manna which was one type switched to many types because of the need of each and every one, all the more so, the voice that had strength in it would change for each and every one, so that that they would not be injured, as it is stated (Exodus 20:15), 'And all the people saw the voices.'" Hence, "God thunders wonders with His voice." Another explanation: "God thunders wonders with His voice" - Rabbi Levi said, "There are three voices that go from the end of the world to its end; and [even though] the creatures are among them, they do not hear at all, and these are them: the day; the rains and the soul at the time that it departs from the body." From where [do I know] the day? Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Eelayai said, "This star (sun) that floats in the sky is none else than a saw (other books: this nail placed in wood)." From where [do I know] the rains? As it is stated (Psalms 42:8), "A depth to a depth calls to the voice of Your channels." How is this? There is a tree with roots going down twenty ells, there is [one] thirty, there is [one] fifty and there is [one] that only goes down three handbreadths. And if the rains above only water the ones that are three handbreadths, the ones of fifty ells die; if the ones of fifty drink, it destroys the ones of three handbreadths. Rather this is the top depth calling to the bottom, saying, "Arise and I will come down"; and the bottom, saying, "Come down and I will arise" - until the top goes down and waters [the ones] of three handbreadths and the bottom comes up and waters the ones of fifty. Come and see how much [distance] is between these and those and they call one to the other; and [even though] people are among them, they do not [know] hear. Hence, "God thunders wonders with His voice." And the soul at the time that it departs from the body, and [even though] people are sitting next to him, they do not hear. Hence, "God thunders wonders with His voice." Rabbi Reuven said, "At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe in Midian, 'Go return to Egypt' (Exodus 4:19), the speech divided into two voices and it became two faces. And Moshe heard in Midian, 'Go return to Egypt,' but Aharon heard, 'Go to meet Moshe in the wilderness.'" Hence, "God thunders wonders with His voice."

This text is related (to Job 37:5): GOD THUNDERS MARVELOUSLY WITH HIS VOICE; <HE DOES GREAT THINGS WHICH WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND >. What is the meaning of THUNDERS? It is simply that, when the Holy One gave the Torah on Sinai, the Holy One through his voice showed Israel miracle after miracle. How? When the Holy One spoke, his voice went back and forth throughout all the world. When Israel heard the voice, it came from the south; so they ran {from the south} [southward] to receive the voice <coming> from there. And so it was for <all> the four winds.¹⁰²The parallel accounts (Tanh., Exod. 1:25; Exod. R. 5:9) explain that the voice shifted successively to the north, the east, and the west, with Israel running after it in each case. After that it shifted <so that it came> to them from the heavens; so they were raising their eyes to the heavens. Then the voice shifted <so that it came> to them from the ground. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Deut. 4:36): FROM THE HEAVENS HE HAD YOU HEAR HIS VOICE ADMONISH YOU. ON EARTH HE SHOWED YOU HIS GREAT FIRE, <AND FROM THE MIDST OF THE FIRE YOU HEARD HIS WORDS>.

For the small ones it was like milk from their mother's breast, as stated (in Numb. 11:8): AND ITS TASTE WAS LIKE THE TASTE OF FAT CREAM. And the sick savored it as the taste of fine flour mixed with oil and honey like barley grits¹⁰⁷Gk.: ptisane; Lat.: ptisana. as one prepares it for the sick {fankokha' in the Arabic language}. It is so stated (ibid.): BOILED IT IN A POT. It also says (in Ezek. 16:19): ALSO MY BREAD, WHICH I GAVE YOU, FINE FLOUR, [OIL], AND HONEY, WHICH I HAD YOU EAT. R. Jose b. R. Hanina said: If the manna, which was one species, was changed into several varieties and into many species because of Israel's need, how much the more so in the case of the voice in which was < uttered > with power (koah). Ergo (in Job 37:5): GOD THUNDERS MARVELOUSLY WITH HIS VOICE….

Another interpretation (of Job 37:5): GOD THUNDERS MARVELOUSLY WITH HIS VOICE; <HE DOES GREAT THINGS WHICH WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND>. When did the Holy One do marvels with his voice?¹⁰⁸Tanh., Exod. 1:26. When the Holy One desired to send Moses on his mission to redeem Israel, he was in Midian <and> afraid of Pharaoh from whom he had fled lest he kill him. It is so stated (in Exod. 2:15): BUT MOSES FLED FROM PHARAOH…. When the oracle was revealed to him in Midian and told him to return to Egypt, as stated (in Exod. 4:19): THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES IN MIDIAN: GO BACK TO EGYPT, the oracle was divided into two voices and became two faces.¹⁰⁹Gk.: duo prosopa. In Midian Moses heard (according to Exod. 4:19): GO BACK TO EGYPT, while in Egypt Aaron heard (according to Exod. 4:27): GO INTO THE DESERT TO MEET MOSES. But whoever was in the middle did not hear anything. Ergo (in Job 37:5): GOD THUNDERS MARVELOUSLY WITH HIS VOICE.

And the Lord said to Aaron: “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses” (Exod. 4:27). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: God thundereth marvelously with His voice; great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend (Job 37:5). What is meant by God thundereth marvelously with His voice? When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah at Sinai, He revealed untold marvels to Israel through His voice. In what way did He do that? The Holy One, blessed be He, spoke, and His voice reverberated throughout the entire world. When Israel heard the sound of His voice, it appeared at first to come from the south, and so they ran to the south to receive the voice. In the south the sound appeared to reverse itself and to emanate from the north, whereupon they ran to the north. In the north it shifted as though it came from the east, and so they hastened to the east to await the voice; then it appeared to shift once more from the east to the west, and they ran to the west. In the west, it turned about as though it came from the heavens, but when they lifted their eyes toward heaven, it seemed to come from the earth. Whereupon they looked toward the earth, as it is said: Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon the earth He made thee to see His great fire; and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 4:36).

R. Yosé the son of Hanina stated further that just as the manna, which was actually of one kind, could change into different kinds (tastes), because of the requirements of each of them, so could the voice that went forth change for each of them according to the individual’s ability to hear it, so that no harm might befall him. Whence do we know that the voice divided itself into many sounds? It is said: And all the people perceived the thunderings. The plural thunderings is written, and not the singular “thundering.” Therefore, God thundereth marvelously with His voice (Job 37:5).

Another explanation of God thundereth marvelously with his voice (Job 37:5). When did the Holy One, blessed be He, perform these miracles with His voice? He did so at the time he wished to send Moses to Pharaoh to redeem the Israelites from Egypt. When Moses was in Midian, he was afraid to go to Pharaoh, so the Lord revealed Himself him and told him: Go, return into Egypt (Exod. 4:19). These words divided themselves into two distinct sounds and took two different forms. Moses heard the voice in Midian saying: Go return into Egypt, and Aaron heard it saying: Go, meet Moses (ibid., v. 27), while those in between heard nothing at all. Hence, God thundereth marvelously, etc.