Midras Mazmur 19:10: Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Devarim Rabbah & Bamidbar Rabbah

Moses devoted his life to three things, and they were (all) called by his name. He devoted his life to Torah and it was called by his name, viz. (Malachi 3:22) "Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant." Now is it not the Torah of G–d? viz. (Psalms 19:8) "The Torah of the L–rd is whole, restoring the soul." How, then, are we to understand "the Torah of Moses, My servant"? Because he devoted his life to it, it is called by his name.

R. Samuel b. Nachman, in the name of R. Jonathan said: "What is the meaning of the passage (Prov. 17, 16) Wherefore is the purchase-money in the hand of a fool to acquire wisdom, seeing he hath no heart; i.e., woe to the scholars who study the Law, and have no fear of Heaven!" R. Janai proclaimed: "Woe to him who has no court, yet makes a gateway for it (who possesseth erudition but no fear of the Lord)." Raba said to his disciples: "I pray you, do not inherit a double Gehenna." R. Joshua b. Levi said: "What is the meaning of the passage (Deut. 4, 44) This is the law which Moses set; i.e., if he is worthy, it acts on him as a medicine of life; if not, it acts on him as a deadly drug." And this is the same that Raba has said: "To the deserving it is a medicine of life; to the undeserving it becomes a deadly drug." R. Samuel b. Nachmani said that R. Jonathan, pointed out the following contradictions: "It is written (Ps. 19, 9) The precepts of the Lord are upright, rejoicing the heart, and (Ib. 18, 31) The word of the Lord is tried (tried and rejoice are not harmonious); i.e., if he is worthy, he is rendered joyous; if not, he is molten to death." Resh Lakish said: "This we may infer from the same passages: If he deserves well, he is steeled for life; if not, he is molten to death." (Ib. 19, 10) The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. R. Nechunia said: "This refers to a man who studies the Law in purity." What is meant by purity? When he first marries, and then studies. (Ib. 8) The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. R. Chiya said: "The Torah itself is a trusted witness to testify on behalf of its students as to who practices what he studies and who does not."

“This is the blessing” – halakha: A person of Israel who ascended to read the Torah, it is not permitted for him [to read] until he recites the blessing, and then he reads. When Moses was privileged to receive the Torah, first he recited the blessing, and then he read. Rabbi Elazar said: Which is the blessing that Moses recited over the Torah beforehand? ‘Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the world, who chose this Torah, sanctified it, and desired those who fulfill it.’ It does not say ‘who toiled in it,’ and not ‘who contemplate it,’ but those who ‘fulfill it.’ Those who fulfill the words of the Torah – a person says: I have studied wisdom, but I have not studied Torah, what can I do there?¹⁵I am unable to study Torah; what can I do with regard to Torah study? The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘As you live, all the wisdom and all the Torah are one simple matter. Anyone who fears Me and fulfills the words of the Torah, all the wisdom and all the Torah are in his heart.’ From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, all who perform it have a good understanding” (Psalms 111:10). “Fear of the Lord is pure, and endures forever” (Psalms 19:10); “Behold, the fear of the Lord, it is wisdom…” (Job 28:28).