Midras Yesaya 58:2: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Shemot Rabbah

R. Idi, the father of R. Jacob b. Idi, had the habit of being on the road for three months, and one day in college. The students of the college called him "The one-day student." He soon became discouraged, applying the following verse to himself (Job 12, 4) I am one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, a man that called upon God, and He answered him. R. Jochanan then said to him: "I pray thee, do not cause the Rabbis to be punished [by Heaven on accoimt of you]." He thereupon lectured: (Is. 58, 2) Yet Me do they ever seek day by day, and to know My ways do they always desire. Do they then seek only by day, and not by night? This is to teach us that he who studies the Torah even one day in the year. Scripture considers it as if he had studied the whole year; and so also does the passange concerning evil compensation read (Num. 14, 34) After the number of days in which ye spied out the lands, forty days, yea, each one day for a year, shall ye bear for your iniquities, for forty years. Did they sin forty years, is it not a fact that they sinned but forty days? But this is to teach us that he who violates but one command, and this once in a year, the Scripture regards it as though he transgressed the whole year.

“And the people shall go out and gather each day’s portion on its day” (Exodus 16:4). That is what is written: “Blessed be the Lord, day by day” (Psalms 68:20). The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘In accordance with the measure that a person metes, so it is meted for him; I gave you the Torah in which you engage each day, as it is stated: “Happy is the man who heeds Me, to persist at My gates each day” (Proverbs 8:34). Likewise, “they seek Me each day” (Isaiah 58:2). As you live, I will sate you with bread from the heavens each day, as it is stated: “And the people shall go out and gather each day’s portion on its day, so that I may test them, whether they will follow My Torah…” (Exodus 16:4). Moreover, I bless you each, as it is stated: “Blessed be the Lord, day by day, He will provide [yaamos] for us day after day” (Psalms 68:20). When you perform My will, I call you: “Those borne [haamusim] by Me from birth” (Isaiah 46:3), and I will provide [maamis] you with a cup of salvation, due to the merit of the Temple,’ which is known as “a stone of burden [maamasa],” as it is stated: “It will be on that day, that I will render Jerusalem a stone of burden” (Zechariah 12:3).

It is not written here, “they abandoned [averu] the path that I commanded them,” but rather, “they have quickly deviated [saru] from the path” (Exodus 32:8). When they were in Sinai they were lilies and roses; now they have become foul [saryut], they became liars. They did not spend even one or two hours,²²They did not remain loyal to God for even a short time. but they deviated immediately.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: They were with the Holy One blessed be He for eleven days, and for twenty-nine days they were calculating how to craft the calf, as it is written: “Eleven days from Ḥorev” (Deuteronomy 1:2). And then they came to the path [derekh] of Esau – “via [derekh] Mount Seir” (Deuteronomy 1:2).²³Esau dwelled in Seir (see Genesis 36:8–9) and is therefore sometimes called Seir. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: They were with the Holy One blessed be He for twenty-nine days, and for eleven days they were calculating how to craft the calf, as it is written: “Eleven days from Ḥorev via [derekh] Mount Seir,” that they performed an act of Seir.²⁴They acted like Esau for eleven days in that they planned on crafting the golden calf.
Another matter: “Mount Seir” – just as Esau cursed and blasphemed, they too were cursing and blaspheming before the idol. Just as Esau worshipped idols, they too did so. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai says: They were with the Holy One blessed be He for one day. From where is this derived? It is as Micah explicates: “Yesterday, My people arose as an enemy” (Micah 2:8). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Yesterday you said: “Everything that the Lord spoke, we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), and today: “This is your god Israel” (Exodus 32:4)?’ Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta said: Two days, as it is stated: “My people has forgotten Me for days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32). How many are days? Two.²⁵This is the minimum number that can be implied by the plural term days. Rabbi Yona said: The source is from another verse, as it is stated: “They seek Me daily [yom yom]” (Isaiah 58:2).²⁶The verse is understood to mean that they sought God for two days, as the term day [yom] is stated twice.