Midras Maleakhi 3:23: Shir HaShirim Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah, Devarim Rabbah & Pesikta Rabbati

Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair began: “If you seek it like silver…” (Proverbs 2:4). If you seek matters of Torah like these hidden treasures, the Holy One blessed be He will not withhold your reward. This is analogous to a person, if he loses a sela or a kilarin²²This was a valuable ornament of gold inlaid with a jewel. in his house, he will kindle several lamps, several wicks, until he finds them. The matter can be inferred a fortiori; if for these, that [enhance] the temporal life of this world, a person kindles several lamps and several wicks until he discovers them and finds them, matters of Torah, that [are essential for] life in this world and in the World to Come, do you not need to search for them like these hidden treasures? That is: “If you seek it like silver….” Rabbi Elazar said: In all my days, no one preceded me to the study hall and I did not leave a person there and exit. One time I awoke early and I found the collectors of manure and collectors of straw,²³These individuals would arise very early to collect straw and manure from public thoroughfares in order to sell them as fertilizer. They had begun their work before Rabbi Elazar had gone to the study hall. and I said: “If you seek it like silver and search for it like for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 2:4–5). We are not even like the collectors of manure and collectors of straw. Thus we have learned that Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair used to say: Alacrity leads to cleanliness. Cleanliness leads to purity. Purity leads to sanctity. Sanctity leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to piety. Piety leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory.
Alacrity leads to cleanliness, as it is stated: “He shall complete atoning²⁴The term kapara means atonement as well as cleanliness. This verse, which is about the service of the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur, indicates that it is the completion of a service, which is accomplished through alacrity, that leads to atonement, or cleanliness. for the Sanctuary” (Leviticus 16:20). Cleanliness leads to purity, as it is stated: “The priest shall atone for her and she will be purified” (Leviticus 12:8). Purity leads to sanctity, as it is stated: “He shall purify it and he shall sanctify it” (Leviticus 16:19). Sanctity leads to humility, as it is stated: “For so said the Exalted and Most High, who abides forever and whose name is holy: Exalted and holy I will dwell and I will be with the downtrodden and lowly” (Isaiah 57:15). Humility leads to fear of sin, as it is stated: “In the wake of humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4). Fear of sin leads to piety, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20).²⁵Some suggest that the text here should read: “The mercy [ḥesed] of the Lord is forever and ever upon those who fear Him” (Psalms 103:17), in accordance with the parallel text of the Jerusalem Talmud (Shekalim 3:3). The term ḥesed, translated in the verse as mercy, is related to the term ḥasidut, piety (see Etz Yosef). Piety leads to the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: “Then you spoke in a vision to your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20). The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, as it is stated: “I will place My spirit in you, and you will live” (Ezekiel 37:14). The resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you [before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord]” (Malachi 3:23).²⁶“The great and terrible day of the Lord” is understood as a reference to the resurrection of the dead. Elijah will come before the resurrection of the dead, but it is the need to perform the resurrection of the dead that leads to his coming (Etz Yosef).
Rabbi Matna said: What wisdom made as a crown on its head, humility made as a sandal on its heel. What wisdom made a crown on its head [roshah], as it is stated: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord” (Psalms 111:10), humility made a sandal on its heel [akevah], as it is stated: “In the wake of [ekev] humility is fear of the Lord…” (Proverbs 22:4).
The resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory. That is what is written: “Then you will understand fear of the Lord, and you will find knowledge of” (Proverbs 2:5), this is the Divine Spirit.²⁷Commentaries struggle to understand this line, which does not prove that resurrection of the dead is by means of Elijah. Some suggest that it be deleted (Etz Yosef). Others suggest that this is a proof that alacrity eventually leads to understanding via the Divine Spirit, as indicated above. This is because the verse that precedes the one cited here relates to alacrity (Midrash HaMevoar).
Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥalafta: [This is analogous] to a royal adviser who grew prominent in the king’s palace. The king said to him: ‘Make a request; what shall I give you?’ The adviser said: If I request silver and gold, he will give them to me; gems and pearls, he will give them to me. He said: I will request the king’s daughter, and everything will be included. So too, “In Givon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; God said: Request; what shall I give you?” (I Kings 3:5). Solomon said: If I request silver, gold, gems and pearls, he will give them to me. But I will request wisdom and everything will be included. That is what is written: “Give Your servant an attentive heart” (I Kings 3:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Solomon, you requested wisdom and you did not request wealth and property and the lives of your enemies. By your life, wisdom is granted you, and thereby, I will give you wealth and property.’ Immediately, “Solomon awakened and behold, a dream” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The dream was fulfilled; a donkey brayed and he knew what it was braying, a bird tweeted and he knew what it was tweeting. Immediately, “he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings, he performed peace offerings, and he made a feast for all his servants” (I Kings 3:15). Rabbi Elazar said: From here it is derived that one makes a feast upon completion of the Torah. Rabbi Yudan said: It is to teach you that anyone who teaches Torah in public is privileged to have the Divine Spirit rest upon him, as so Solomon did. He taught and the Divine Spirit rested upon him and he composed three books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

“Moses said to God: 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should take the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11)
“Moses said to God: Who am I [anokhi]?” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: This is analogous to a king who married off his daughter and committed to give her one province and gentlewoman as a maidservant, and he gave her a Kushite maidservant. His son-in-law said: ‘Didn’t you commit to give me a gentlewoman as a maidservant?’ So, Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, when Jacob descended to Egypt, didn’t you say this to them: “I [Anokhi] will descend with you into Egypt and I [Anokhi] will take you up” (Genesis 46:4), and now you say to me: “Go now, and I will send you to Pharaoh”? It is not I [anokhi] about whom you said: “And I [Anokhi] will take you up.”’¹²Moses is, as it were, pointing out to God that He promised to take Israel out of Egypt Himself, and not by means of an agent.
Another interpretation: Rabbi Nehorai says: Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You say to me: Go and take Israel out. Where do I shelter¹³Following Rabbi David Luria’s emendation mashkinam rather that mashkim. them in the summer due to the sun, and in the winter due to the cold? From where do I provide food and drink? How many birth mothers are among them, how many pregnant women, how many children are among them, how many types of foods have you provided them to sustain them, how many delicacies have you prepared for the pregnant women, how much toasted grain and how many nuts have you provided for the children?’ Where is this matter explicated? It is in Song of Songs, as it is stated: “Tell me, whom my soul loves…” (Song of Songs 1:7). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The bread that came out with them from Egypt will suffice them for thirty days; you know how I am destined to lead them.’
Another interpretation: “Who am I?” – He [Moses] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, how am I able to enter a place of robbers and a place of murderers? That is: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh…” “And that I should take the children of Israel out” – what merit do they possess that will enable me to take them out?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Because I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). One says “I will be with you” only to someone who is afraid.
“He said: Because I will be with you, and this is your sign that it is I who sent you: When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve God upon this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).
“And this is your sign that I sent you” – and in this manner it will be apparent that you are My emissary, because I will be with you and anything you wish I will perform.
“When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve God upon this mountain.” That which you said: ‘With what merit will I take them out of Egypt?’ Know that due to the merit of the Torah that they are destined to receive through you on this mountain they will emerge from there.
Another matter: “[you will serve] God” – what is it that He said to him: “That I [anokhi] sent you”?¹⁴Why does the verse change from first person to third person? “This is your sign that it is I who sent you…you will serve God.” Our Rabbis of blessed memory said: A sign of the first deliverance is that Israel went down to Egypt with anokhi, as it is stated: “I [anokhi] will go down with you to Egypt” (Genesis 46:4), and with anokhi I will take you up. A sign of the ultimate redemption is that with anokhi they will be cured and are destined to be delivered, as it is stated: “Behold I [anokhi] will send you Elijah the prophet” (Malachi 3:23).

Another matter, “carve for you” – they asked Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai: Why were the first Tablets, the work of Heaven, and the second, the work of man? He said to them: To what is the matter comparable: To a king who married a woman and brought the paper and the scribe at his own expense. He adorned her at his expense and took her into his house. The king saw her flirting with one of his slaves. He became angry at her and banished her. Her friend came to him and said to him: ‘My master, do you not know from where you took her? Did she not grow up among slaves? Since she grew up among slaves, she is familiar with them.’ The king said to him: ‘What are you requesting, that I reconcile with her? Bring the paper and the scribe at your expense, and I will give my signature.’ So, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He, when they committed that deed,³²The sin of the Golden Calf. he said to Him: ‘Do You not know from what place You took them? It was from Egypt, a place of idol worship.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘What are you requesting, that I reconcile with them? Bring the Tablets at your expense, and I will add My handwriting’ – “[The Lord said to Moses: Carve for yourself two Tablets of stone like the first,] and I will write on the Tablets” (Exodus 34:1).
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, as you live, just as you devoted your life to them in this world, so, in the future, when I bring Elijah the prophet, both of you will come as one.’ From where is this derived? From that which is written: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great of power, and He will not exonerate; the Lord, in a storm and in a tempest is His way, and the dust of His feet is a cloud. He castigates the sea and dries it, and all the rivers He has made dry; Bashan and Carmel are miserable and the flower of Lebanon is miserable” (Nahum 1:3–4). “In a storm [besufa]” – this is Moses, as it is written: “She could no longer conceal him, and she took a wicker basket for him and coated it with clay and with pitch; she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds [basuf] on the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:3). “And in a tempest” – this is Elijah, as it is written: “It was as they were walking, walking and talking, and behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and they separated between the two of them, and Elijah went up in a tempest to the heavens. Elisha saw, and he was shouting: My father, my father, chariot of Israel and its horsemen; and he did not see him anymore. He grasped his garments, and rent them into two pieces” (II Kings 2:11–12). At that time he will come and comfort you.³³Elijah, along with Moses, will come to comfort Israel. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “[Remember the Torah of Moses My servant…] Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you… He will return the heart of the fathers to the children” (Malachi 3:22–24).