Midrash su Deuteronomio 34:6

(Gen. 18:1:) THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM…. Let our master instruct us: How many blessings does one pray every day?¹Tanh., Gen. 4:1. Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 4:3): ONE MUST PRAY THE EIGHTEEN BENEDICTIONS.²The Mishnah cited attributes the teaching to R. Gamaliel. And why eighteen?³TBer. 3:25; yBer. 2:4 (5a); 4:3 (7d-8a); yTa‘an. 2:2 (65c); Ber. 9b; 28a; Gen. R. 69:4; Lev. R. 1:8; M. Pss. 20:2. < They > correspond to the eighteen references to the Divine Name which are written in (Ps. 29) ASCRIBE TO THE LORD, O HEAVENLY BEINGS. They reply to R. Levi:⁴The correspondence between the Eighteen Benedictions and Ps. 29 is attributed to R. Levi in yTa‘an. 2:2 (65c). But does not one say nineteen in Babylon? He said to them: That also is from references to the Divine Name, as stated (in Ps. 29:3): THE GOD (El) OF GLORY THUNDERS.⁵This mention of El, when added to the psalm’s eighteen repetitions of the Tetragrammaton, results in nineteen references to the Holy One. R. Simon said: < The Eighteen > correspond to the eighteen vertebrae which are in the spine, since when one stands to pray, it is necessary to bend over with all of them. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 35:10): ALL MY BONES SHALL SAY: LORD, WHO IS LIKE YOU? The Holy One said: Be strictly observant in prayer, for you have no finer way than that. And even though a person is not worth answering, I shall show him loving-kindness, since all my ways are loving-kindness. R. Simlay said: Do you want to know that all the Holy One's ways are loving-kindness?⁶See below, 4:4; 5:2; Gen. R. 8:13; M. Pss. 25:11; Eccl. R. 7:2:2; also Sot. 14a. At the beginning of Torah he has adorned the bride, as stated (in Gen. 2:22): THEN THE LORD GOD BUILT THE RIB < WHICH HE HAD TAKEN FROM THE HUMAN INTO A WOMAN >.⁷According Gen. R. 18:1, the point here is that “to build” can mean “to plait” hair. Thus the verse implies that God adorned Eve as a bride by plating her hair. See also below, section 4, and the note there. Also at the end of < the Torah > there is loving-kindness in that he buried the dead, as stated (in Deut. 34:6): THEN HE (THE HOLY ONE) BURIED HIM (MOSES) IN THE VALLEY. Moreover, in the middle < of the Torah > he visited the sick, as stated (in Gen. 18:1): THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM. As soon as Abraham had circumcised < himself > (in Gen. 17:24), the Holy One and his entourage⁸Lat.: familia. came to visit him. {It is so stated} [Where is it shown? Where they read on the matter] (in Gen. 18:1): THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM.

R. Simlai declared: You know that all His ways are merciful from the fact that at the very beginning of the Torah He adorned (kishet) the bride, as it is said: And the Lord God formed (vayiben) the rib, etc. (Gen. 2:22). In towns situated on the seacoast, a bride is called buneh (“well-adorned”). And at the conclusion of the Torah, He buried the dead, as is written: And He buried him in the valley (Deut. 34:6). In the middle of the Torah, He visited the sick, for after Abraham was circumcised, He and His angels visited him, as we read in the chapter: And the Lord appeared unto him (Gen. 18:1).

(Fol. 9b) MISHNAH: And so also do we find in connection with good deeds: Miriam waited for Moses once, as it is said (Ex. 2, 4) And his sister placed herself afar off, therefore did all Israel wait for her seven days in the wild forest, as it is said (Num. 12, 15) And Miriam was up without the camp seven days, the people did not set forward until Biriam was brought in again. Joseph took upon himself the duty of interring his father and there was none equal to Joseph among his brothers, as it is said (Gen. 50, 7) And Joseph went up to bury his father, and who is greater than Joseph who was in return attended by Moses (Moses merited to take care of the bones of Joseph, and there was none greater in Israel than Moses), as it is said (Gen 13, 19) And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Who is greater than Moses whom none else but the Shechina attended [after his death], as it is said (Deut. 34, 6) And He buried him in the valley. Not only of Moses alone is this said, but it includes all the righteous as it is said (Is. 58, 8) And before thee shall go thy righteousness, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.