Midrash su Deuteronomio 28:59

When Rabbi Yosei of Milḥaya died, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish went up to perform an act of kindness¹³⁶They went to participate in the funeral. and Rabbi Yitzḥak Pesaka went up with them. There was a certain elder there who sought to ascend and begin eulogizing him, but they did not allow him to do so. Rabbi Yitzḥak Pesaka said to him: ‘Before these lions of Torah you open your mouth?’ Rabbi Yoḥanan said to them: ‘Leave him, as he is an elder. Let him ascend and be honored in his place.’¹³⁷Since he is an elder and a local, let him deliver the first eulogy. He ascended, began, and said: ‘We find that the departure of the righteous is more difficult before the Holy One blessed be He than the ninety-eight rebukes in Mishne Torah¹³⁸This is a reference to the book of Deuteronomy. The reference is to the warnings of punishment in Deuteronomy 28:15–68. and the destruction of the Temple. In the rebukes it is written: “The Lord will render your blows extraordinary [vehifla]” (Deuteronomy 28:59).¹³⁹The Lord will strike you with extraordinary blows. Regarding the destruction of the Temple it is written: “She has declined extraordinarily [pela’im].” However, regarding the departure of the righteous it is written: “Therefore, behold, I will continue to bewilder [lehafli] this people, bewilderment [hafleh] upon bewilderment [vafeleh]” (Isaiah 29:14). Why to that extent? “The wisdom of her wise will be lost and the understanding of her men of understanding will be concealed” (Isaiah 29:14).’ Rabbi Yitzḥak Pesaka said: ‘May the mouth of this man be blessed.’ Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him: ‘Had we not allowed him, from where would we have heard this pearl?’
The Divine Spirit was shouting and saying: “See, Lord, my affliction, for the enemy has expanded.”¹⁴⁰The midrash has returned to explicating the verse in Lamentations 1:8. The point is that the first part of the verse is a description of what has happened, whereas the phrase “see, Lord…” is the prophet, influenced by the Divine Spirit, calling out to God. “Evildoers dig pits for me that do not accord with Your Torah” (Psalms 119:85). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said two [examples]: It is written: “Do not take the mother with the young” (Deuteronomy 22:6), and here: “A mother was torn apart with her children” (Hosea 10:14);¹⁴¹The Torah prohibits trapping the mother bird while she is with her young, but the enemies attacked mothers in the presence of their children. that is, “that do not accord with Your Torah.”
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said another: It is written: “To eradicate an infant from the street” (Jeremiah 9:20), but not from the synagogues; “young men from the squares” (Jeremiah 9:20), but not from the study halls. But here, “the wrath of the Lord arose against them…[He struck down the young warriors among them]” (Psalms 78:31);¹⁴²The “young warriors” refers to those involved in the study of Torah. At times the debate of matters of halakha in the course of study is compared to war (see, e.g., Megilla 15b). Alternatively, some suggest that the correct version of the text is as cited in Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 877, which provides a different prooftext: “Who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary” (II Chronicles 36:17) (Rabbi David Luria; Etz Yosef). that is, “that do not accord with Your Torah.”
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said two [examples]: It is written: “An ox or a sheep, it and its offspring you shall not slaughter on one day” (Leviticus 22:28), but here, child and mother were killed on one day, as it is stated: “A mother was torn apart with her children” (Hosea 10:14); that is, “that do not accord with Your Torah.”
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said another: It is written: “Who will hunt game of a beast…he shall [pour out its blood and] cover it with dirt” (Leviticus 17:13). But here, “They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them” (Psalms 79:3); that is, “that do not accord with Your Torah.”
Rabbi Berekhya said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, You afforded burial to donkeys, but to Your children You did not afford burial.’ You afforded burial to donkeys, these are the Egyptians. That is what is written: “Whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys” (Ezekiel 23:20). And Rabbi Berekhya said: Because the sea would cast them to the dry land and the dry land cast them to the sea. The sea said to the dry land: ‘Accept your people,’ and the dry land said to the sea: ‘Accept your people.’ The dry land said: ‘If when I accepted only Abel’s blood, it is stated in my regard: “Cursed is the land” (Genesis 3:17), how can I accept the blood of this entire multitude?’ [This continued] until the Holy One blessed be He took an oath to it that He would not place it on trial. That is what is written: “You extended Your right hand; the earth swallowed them” (Exodus 15:12). The right hand is nothing other than an oath, as it is stated: “The Lord took an oath by His right hand” (Isaiah 62:8). But to your people, you did not afford burial, that is, “that do not accord with Your Torah.”

Agrippas, the general of Rome, said to Rabban Gamaliel: "It is written in your Torah, Thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. In our everyday life we find it to be the rule that a potentate is but jealous of his equal, a sage of another sage, a hero of another hero, a rich man of another rich man; now, then, if God is jealous of an idol, the idol must be of some power!" R. Gamaliel explained it to him with the following reasoning: "If one who has a wife takes yet another one, the former will not be jealous if the new one is superior to her, but if she be superior to the new wife, she will be jealous." An Israelite named Zunin said to R. Akiba: "I know just as well as you do that the idols are nothing, yet I should like to know, how is it that so many cripples are cured by the idols in their temples?" Replied R. Akiba: "Listen to the following parable: There once lived in a town a pious man who enjoyed the unlimited confidence of his fellow townsmen so that they would deposit money with him without any witnesses, with the exception, however, of one who would leave nothing with him without witness. It once happened, however, that this man left something in the hands of the pious man without any security; thereupon said the wife of the latter: 'Now we shall take revenge for his mistrust of us, let us deny hat he has a deposit with us.' Whereupon her husband answered: 'Because of the short-comings of his understanding shall I put my reputed name at stake?' The same is the case with inability, disease and pains visited upon man; they are under oath assigned a certain time, no more, no less, during which to torture a man; it is further predestined by what man or what medicine the disease be eliminated. Now, when its time is come, the afflicted goes to the idol-temple the disease protests, saying, 'Because the man takes recourse to the idol, I ought not abandon him.' But again they say, 'Since we are bound by oath to depart, why should we break it just on account of this foolishman.' Thus the disease leaves the sick, and he believes that it was the work of the idol." And this is what R. Jochanan said, "What is the meaning of the passage (Deut. 28, 59) Then the Lord will make thy plagues … and sore sicknesses and ne'emonim (literally trustful)? Sore, in their visit; and trustful, in their oath [for it never breaks its oath]"

(Fol. 138b) Rab said: "There will be a time in the future when the Torah will be forgotten by Israel, as it is said (Deu. 28, 59.) Then will the Lord render wonderful thy plagues. I do not know what the word Hafla'ah (wonderful) means. But when it is said (Is. 29, 14.) Therefore, behold, I will do yet further a marvelous work with the people doing wonder on wonder (Ilaflei Vafele); so that the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden. I understand that Hafla'ah refers to the Torah."Our Rabbis taught: When our Rabbis entered the Kerem (college) of Jamnia, they said: 'There will be a time when the Torah will be forgotten by Israel, as it is said (Amos 8. 11.) Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land; not a famine for bread, nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of the Lord. And they will wander about from sea to sea, and from the North even to the East, they will roam about to seek the word of the Lord; but they shall not find it. The words of the Lord, alludes to Halacha (laws); The words of the Lord, refers to the end of the exile (Messiah); by The word of the Lord, is meant Prophecy."