Midras Yesaya 27:3: Bereshit Rabbah & Shemot Rabbah

Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon said: The land is watered only at its upper layer. If so, what should the roots of the carob tree and the roots of the sycamore do, as their roots reach into the depths [of the earth]? Rather, each and every [tree] is watered according to its needs. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Rabbi Izka and Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: The roots of a wheat stalk breach the ground up to fifty cubits. The roots of the fig tree breach rocks. Rabbi Levi said: It is as you⁴⁹Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon. said: [The land is watered] only up to its upper layer; and as for the carob tree and the sycamore, once in thirty days the waters of the depths rise and water them. What is the source? “I, the Lord, guard it; at set times I water it” (Isaiah 27:3).
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When the rain falls, it gives the ground a new face [panim].⁵⁰It causes greenery to grow. This is expounded from the phrase “the surface [penei] of the ground.”

“These are the ordinances that you shall place before them” (Exodus 21:1).
“These are the ordinances [hamishpatim],” that is what is written: “The might of the King is that He loves justice [mishpat]” (Psalms 99:4). When is might ascribed to the Holy One blessed be He? When He executes judgment upon the idolaters. Thus you find regarding the wicked Nebuchadnezzar that because he boasted and said: “Is this not the great Babylon?” (Daniel 4:27), the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Wicked one, putrid discharge, you boasted and said: Due to the greatness of my might and in honor of my splendor. Do you not know that everything is Mine; greatness is Mine, might is Mine, honor is Mine, and splendor is Mine?’ Likewise, David said: “Yours, Lord, is the greatness, and the might, and the splendor, and the triumph, and the glory” (I Chronicles 29:11). And it says: “The Lord my God, You have become exceedingly great” (Psalms 104:1). The Holy One blessed be He said to Nebuchadnezzar: ‘The limited royalty that has been given you is from Me.’ Likewise Daniel said to him: ‘“To whom the God of the heavens has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory” (Daniel 2:37), and you said: Due to the greatness of my might and in honor of my splendor?’ That is, “the might of the King is that He loves justice.” The might belongs to the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He. He loves justice and He gave it to Israel who are His beloved.
That which is written: “You established equity [meisharim]” (Psalms 99:4); You established uprightness [yashrut] for Your beloved as, by means of the ordinances that You gave them, when they enter into disputes with one another they come to judgment and make peace.
Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, until when will You refrain from executing justice upon the idolaters?’ He said to them: ‘Until their time will arrive to be harvested,’ as it is stated: “On that day, sing about it: a vineyard of wine” (Isaiah 27:2). Does a person pick his vineyard before it ripens? Rather, after it ripens, he picks it, places it into the wine press, stomps it, and sings, and [his fellows] answer after him. Thus the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Wait for Me until the time of Edom will arrive, and I will stomp it, as it is stated: “I will cast my shoe at Edom” (Psalms 60:10). I will open for you and you will answer after Me.’ That is why it is stated: “Sing about it: a vineyard of wine.”
‘“I, the Lord, guard it; every moment I water it” (Isaiah 27:3). It is I who guards it in order to give it many [bitter] cups to drink, as it is stated: “Every moment I water it.” If I come to look at them, I will eliminate them from the world. However, “I have no fury” (Isaiah 27:4), like they become filled with fury against My children. Rather, what do I do to them? “I would trample and ignite them together” (Isaiah 27:4).’¹God is saying: Although Edom immediately acts with fury against My children, I do not do so against them. I wait for them, until their measure of sin is full, but then I will trample them and set them on fire.
Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said to the idolaters: ‘Israel is Mine,’ as it is stated: “For the children of Israel are servants to Me” (Leviticus 25:55). ‘Fury is Mine,’ as it is stated: “The Lord is vengeful and filled with fury” (Nahum 1:2). ‘You become filled with what is Mine,²Fury. against what is Mine,’ as it is stated: “If only I were given thorns and thistles in war” (Isaiah 27:4).³This is not cited as proof of the preceding statement but as a consequence; God says that He will, eventually, light the idolaters on fire like thorns and thistles.
The Rabbis say: The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘If I alter [meshaneh] My attribute of justice,⁴If I stop having patience with sinners. I will eliminate them with one lightning bolt [barak], as it is stated: “If I hone [shanoti] My flashing [berak] sword” (Deuteronomy 32:41). But what do I do? “My hand will grasp judgment”’ (Deuteronomy 32:41).⁵God says: I will continue My general course of judgment, which involves delaying judgment for sinners. Likewise it says: “He will grasp My stronghold [bema’uzi]” (Isaiah 27:5). Ma’uzi means nothing other than justice, as it is stated: “The might [oz] of the King is that He loves justice” (Psalms 99:4). The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Just as I could violate justice for the idolaters, but I do not violate it, but rather grasp justice, so you shall not go outside the bounds of justice, as it is stated: “These are the ordinances [mishpatim].”

Rabbi Elazar said: The entire Torah is contingent on justice, that is why the Holy One blessed be He gave laws after the Ten Commandments. Because people pervert justice, He exacts retribution from them and teaches the entire world that He overturned Sodom only after it perverted justice, as it is stated: “[Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom…] pride, surfeit of bread and tranquil calm, [but she did not support the hand of the poor and indigent]” (Ezekiel 16:49). Jerusalem, too, was not exiled until she perverted justice, as it is stated: “They will not provide justice for an orphan and the cause of the widow will not come to them” (Isaiah 1:23).
Why did the Holy One blessed be He give the crown to Judah?⁷⁶The kings of Israel descend from the tribe of Judah. It is not that he was mightier than his brothers; were Simeon, Levi and the others not mighty? Rather, it is because he adjudicated a true judgment for Tamar;⁷⁷See Genesis 38:26. that is why he became a judge of the world.⁷⁸In ancient times, the king served as the highest judge in the land. This is analogous to a judge who adjudicated the case of an orphan girl that came before him and he exonerated her. So too, the case of Tamar came before Judah, and [her sentence was] to be burned, but he exonerated her because he found merit on her behalf. How so? Isaac and Jacob were sitting there, as well as all his brothers, and they were protecting him.⁷⁹Although they recognized that the signet ring, cords, and staff presented by Tamar (see Genesis 38:25) belonged to Judah, the presentation of these artifacts did not prove that she had not engaged in a forbidden relationship. Judah acknowledged the Omnipresent and said the truth of the matter, and said: “She is more righteous than I” (Genesis 38:26). The Holy One blessed be He appointed him king.
Likewise, ben Zoma would say and expound: You were shamed in this world; you will not be shamed in the World to Come in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is a consuming fire. Why? Because the shame in this world is nothing compared to the shame of standing [guilty] in the World to Come, as it is stated: “Therefore, everyone who is pious should pray to You [at the time of searching]” (Psalms 32:6).⁸⁰The time of searching is expounded to mean the day of death. The previous verse states: “I acknowledged my sin to You; I did not hide my iniquity. I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And You forgave the guilt of my sin, selah” (Psalms 32:5). Thus, this is understood to mean that every pious individual prays that he has the strength to confess his sins before he dies.