Midrash su Deuteronomio 32:47

Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Akiva and said to him "seeing as you served Nahum, the man from Gamzu, twenty two years, [who teaches that] ach and raq are [hermeneutic tools for] dimunition (mi'ut) and et and gam are [tools for] expansion (ribuy) what is your opinion on the et written here; what is it?" and he said to him: "if it was said "in the beginning God created heavens and earth" we would say that the heavens and the earth are divinities." He said to him ""for this is no empty thing for you" (Deuteronomy 32:47) and if it seems empty to you, then it is because you do not know to interpret correctly when you are not careful with it "for it is your life" (Deuteronomy 32:47). When is it your life? When you are careful with it." But, et the heavens, [this et] expands to include the sun and moon and zodiac signs, and et the earth, [this et] expands to include the trees and grass and the Garden of Eden. Rabbi Tanchuma from Rav Huna said "And Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur from the tribe of Judah made what Moses commanded him" (Exodus 38:22), does it not say "et all which Hashem commanded Moses", even the words which he did not hear from the mouth of his master, he planned his judgment from what was spoken to Moses on Sinai. Rabbi Chonya in the name of Rabbi said ""The Torah of truth was from his mouth" (Malachi 2:6) these are the words which he heard from the mouth of his master". And the rabbis said "For Hashem will be your confidence" (Proverbs 3:26), even though you are confident in them, "He will guard your foot from being caught" (Proverbs 3:26)". Rabbi Dosai said "from erroneous decisions". Rabbi Abbahu said "from sin". Rabbi Levi said "from harm". Said Rabbi Avdimus "if you gave charity from your money, the Holy One, blessed be He, guards you from tariffs and from fines, from head-taxes and from forced contributions".

We have a Baraitha coinciding with R. Chisda's opinion: "If one is walking in filthy alleys, he should not read the Sh'm'a; moreover, even if he were in the middle of his reading and should happen to find himself in a filthy street, he should stop." If he do not stop, what then? R. Meyasha the grandson of R. Joshua b. Levi said: It is of him that the passage says (Ezek. 20, 25.) "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and ordinances whereby they could not live. R. Assi said from this (Is. 5, 18.) Woe unto those that draw iniquity with the cord of vanity. R. Ada b. Ahaba said from this (Num. 15, 31.) Because the word of the Lord hath he despised. And if he does stop what will his reward be? R. Abuhu said: "To him may be applied the passage (Deu. 32, 47.) And through this thing ye shall prolong your days."

R. Ishmael questioned R. 'Aqiva,²¹Cf. Hag. 12b; Gen.R. 1:14; 22:2; 53:15. who was interpreting the words akh ("but") and raq ("only") as < indicating > exclusions, with et (either the sign of a definite accusative or the preposition "with") and gam ("also") as < indicating > inclusions. R. Ishmael said to him: "In the beginning God created heaven and earth" is not written here but ET THE HEAVEN AND ET THE EARTH. < The use of ET is simply > a clarification of Scripture. R. 'Aqiva said to him: It is written (in Deut. 32:47): FOR IT (the Torah) IS NO EMPTY THING FOR YOU. If "heaven and earth" had been stated (in Gen. 1:1), we should have said: They are two deities.²²Without the use of et the two might be seen as the subject of “create” along with God. But ET THE HEAVEN AND ET THE EARTH means those < two creations > and what was created along with them.²³Aquila apparently followed the principle of his master ‘Aqiva in his Greek rendering of Gen. 1:1.