Midras Ulangan 29:2: Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Devarim Rabbah

What is written above on the matter (in Deut. 29:1–2, 6 [2–3, 7])? THEN MOSES SUMMONED ALL THE {ELDERS OF} ISRAEL [AND SAID UNTO THEM]: YOU HAVE SEEN <ALL THAT THE LORD DID BEFORE YOUR EYES IN THE LAND OF EGYPT, > …, THE GREAT TRIALS <WHICH YOUR EYES SAW, THE SIGNS, AND THOSE GREAT WONDERS>…. WHEN YOU CAME UNTO THIS PLACE, <SIHON KING OF HESHBON AND OG KING OF BASHAN CAME OUT TO ENGAGE US IN BATTLE; BUT WE DEFEATED THEM>. Now in your case, for what reason were you not destroyed? After all, you did not heed my voice, and you uttered words before me for which you deserved destruction. Still I did not wreak destruction upon you, when it is stated (in Ps. 106:7): WHEN OUR ANCESTORS WERE IN EGYPT, THEY DID NOT CONSIDER YOUR WONDROUS WORKS…. And not only that but they said of the calf (in Exod. 32:4): THIS IS YOUR GOD, O ISRAEL. Now if you should say: For what reason are the nations of the world deserving destruction, while we are remaining alive? It is because, when afflictions come upon them, they kick against them and do not recognize the name of the Holy One, as stated (in Ps. 79:6): POUR OUT YOUR WRATH UPON THE NATIONS THAT HAVE NOT KNOWN YOU,…. In the case of Israel, however, when afflictions come upon them, they submit, as stated (in Ps. 116:3–4): I FOUND TROUBLE AND SORROW, BUT I SHALL INVOKE THE NAME OF THE LORD. Therefore the Holy One said: even though maledictions were coming upon you, they themselves were raising you up; and so it says (in Deut. 8:16): <They were coming upon you> IN ORDER TO HUMBLE YOU AND IN ORDER TO TEST YOU, SO AS TO BENEFIT YOU IN THE END. Thus did Moses say to Israel: Even though afflictions come upon you, you have a standing.³Amidah. This word is also the name of the central Eighteen Benedictions in the daily liturgy, which are always recited standing. The implication is that Israel always has a standing before the Holy One through liturgical prayer. It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10]): YOU {it is therefore stated: YOU} ARE STANDING.

What the verse said: “My son, if you take my sayings and store my commandments with you” (Proverbs 2:1) – what is “if you take my sayings”? Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Aḥa: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, do not let My Torah be for you like a person who has an adult daughter and he seeks to marry her to whomever he finds.’²²Treat the Torah as something of great value that you have to toil in order to acquire. Do not treat it as something which God is trying to give away to whoever will take it. What is “if you take my sayings”? ‘If you will have merit, you will receive My Torah, as the ministering angels desired it but I did not give it to them.’ From where is it derived? “The kings of hosts flee again and again” (Psalms 68:13).²³The midrash is assuming that the “kings” mentioned in the verse are the angels. And what does it say? “And the wives [unvat] at home divide the spoils” (Psalms 68:13) – they said before Him: ‘Master of the universe: The beauty [hanaya] that You have in the upper worlds, are You distributing it in the lower worlds?’ That is, “if you take my sayings” – if you will have merit. What is “and store my commandments with you”? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘If you store Torah and mitzvot for Me in this world, I will store a good reward for you in the World to Come,’ as it is stated: “How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You” (Psalms 31:20).
Another matter: “If you take my sayings” (Proverbs 2:1) – Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘When are you called My children? It is when you take My sayings.’ To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king whose son said to him: ‘Distinguish me within the province, that I am your son.’ His father said to him: ‘Do you seek that everyone should know that you are my son? Don my purple garment and place my crown on your head, and everyone will know that you are my son.’ So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Do you seek to be distinguished that you are My children? Engage in Torah study and mitzvot, and everyone will see that you are My children.’ That is, when are you My children? It is when you take “My sayings.”
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: When Israel was in the wilderness, the pillar of cloud went before them, and the smoke of the arrangement²⁴The smoke from the fire on the altar. and the smoke of the incense would rise. Two sparks of fire would emerge from between the two staves of the Ark and would burn the serpents and the scorpions from before them. The nations of the world would see them and would say: ‘These are gods; all their functioning is only with fire.’ Moses said to them: ‘Know that all this goodness that the Holy One blessed be He performed on your behalf is due to the fact that you received His Torah at Sinai.’ That is, “Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them…” – he said to them: ‘All the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on your behalf, you witnessed with your eyes. In Egypt, He performed on your behalf, and your eyes were seeing.’ From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “The great masot that your eyes saw, [the signs and the wonders]” (Deuteronomy 29:2). What are the “masot”? They are plagues, which dissolve [memisot] the bodies of Egyptians. What are “the signs”? The Rabbis say that they [the plagues] left an impression on their bodies, [i.e.,] blood, frogs, and lice. What are “the wonders [vehamofetim]”? It is that the plagues would entice [mefatot] them.²⁵To harden their hearts. How so? The plague would come after thirty days, would last one week, and pass. They would have twenty-three days of relief between the one plague and the next, and they would not change their minds. That is, that they would entice them.