Midras Yesaya 54:13: Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Zuta, Devarim Rabbah, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Esther Rabbah

Said Rabbi Yochanan: Once I was walking on a path and I came across a man who was collecting firewood. I spoke to him but he did not respond to me. Afterwards he approached me and said "Rabbi, I am dead and not alive", I said to him: "If you are dead - why do you need the firewood?". He responded: "Rabbi, listen carefully to what I am saying to you, when I was alive, my friend and I were doing a sin in my palace and when we came here we were sentenced to punishment by fire, when I gather wood they burn my friend, and when my friend gathers wood they burn me". I asked him: "Till when do you have to endure this punishment?" He told me: "When I came here I left my wife pregnant and I know she is pregnant with a son, therefore, please take caution with him and from the time he is born until he is five years old take him to he house of his rabbi to learn biblical verse (mikrah) because when he can say Barchu Et Hashem HaMevorach then I will be saved from the punishment of Gehenna".

Another interpretation, Rav Asi said: A person does not utter malicious speech until he denies the existence of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Those who said: With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own. Who is a lord over us?” (Psalms 12:5).
Rabbi Shimon said: If the righteous Miriam, who did not intend to utter malicious speech, but spoke out only because of procreation,²²Her comment about Moses was that he had separated from his wife. She thought it proper that he should take her back and have children with her. this befell her, the wicked who intend to utter malicious speech about their counterparts in order to cut short their lives, all the more so that the Holy One blessed be He should sever their tongues, as it is stated: “May the Lord sever all flattering lips [and the tongue that boasts]” (Psalms 12:4). The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘In this world, because there were speakers of malicious speech in your midst, I removed My Divine Presence from your midst, as it is stated: “Rise above the heavens, God” (Psalms 57:6).²³See Devarim Rabbah 5:10. But in the future, when I will uproot the evil inclination from your midst, as it is stated: “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26), I will restore My Divine Presence to your midst.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “It will be thereafter, I will pour My spirit upon all flesh…” (Joel 3:1). [God said:] ‘As a result of My restoring My Divine Presence upon you, all of you will merit to study the Torah and will reside in peace in the world,’ as it is stated: “All your children will be disciples of the Lord and the peace of your children will be abundant” (Isaiah 54:13).

(Ib. b) Rab said unto Chiya his son: "Make haste and pronounce the benediction [over the glass of wine, and do not wait for others."] And so also said R. Huna to his son Raba: "Make haste and recite a blessing upon the glass of wine." Shall I assume that the one who recites a blessing performs a greater duty than the one who listens to it? Behold, we have been taught in a Baraitha that R. Jose says: "The one who answers Amen performs a greater deed than the one who recites the blessing." "I swear that this is so," remarked R. N'horai to him, "for we find that the common soldiers begin a battle and the veterans win the victory." [Hence the end of the thing is the most important part.] We must therefore say that concerning this matter the sages differ; for we are taught in a Baraitha: No matter whether one recites the benediction or answers Amen, they are both alike, except that the one who recites will be rewarded first." R. Elazar said in the name of R. Chanina: "Scholars promote peace in the world, as it is said (Is. 54, 13) And all thy children shall be taught and great shall be the peace of thy children."