Midrash su Geremia 32:19

Chanina b. Tradion was then brought before them and questioned why he occupied himself with the Torah, and he answered: "Because I am so commanded by the Lord my God." The decree was then rendered that he should be burned, his wife killed, and his daughter to be taken to the house of prostitutes. He to be burned, because (Fol. 18) he used to express the Tetragrammaton as it is written [and not as it is to be read instead]. But why did he so? Did not Aba Shaul say that he who does so has no share in the world to come? He did so in the course of learning, as we are taught in a Baraitha concerning the passage (Deut. 18, 9) Thou shalt not learn to do, i.e., but thou mayest learn to understand and teach. Why then was he punished? We must therefore say that he did it also publicly. His wife to be killed, because she had not prevented his doing so by protesting; from this it is to be inferred that he who feels that his protests would effect and does not protest, is punished therefor. And his daughter to prostitution, because, according to R. Jochanan, it happened once that she walked in the presence of the great people of Rome, and they exclaimed: "How nice are the steps of this girl!" And from that time she took care of her steps to please the spectators. And this is meant by Resh Lakish: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ps. 49, 6) When the iniquity of my supplanters compasseth me about? This means the sins which one commits with his feet in this world will surround him on the day of judgment." When all three went out of the court, they justified the decrees upon them. Chanina said (Deut. 32, 4) He is the Rock, His work is perfect, etc. His wife said, The God of truth and without iniquity; and his daughter said (Jer. 32, 19) Great in council, and mighty in execution (Thou) whose eyes are open over all the ways of the sons of man. Said Rabbi: "How great are these upright that to justify their decrees, the three verses of justification came to their mouths, at the time of so great a trouble."

(Exodus 14:26) "And the L rd said to Moses: Stretch forth your hand over the sea": It will not stand against you and it will not deviate from your command. "and the waters will turn back upon Egypt, upon its chariots, and upon its riders": The "wheel" will turn back upon them. For with the counsel that they thought to destroy Israel, I will destroy them. They thought to destroy Israel by water, and it is by water that I will exact punishment of them, viz. (Psalms 7:16) "He has dug a pit and he has deepened it, and he will fill in the pit he has wrought", (Koheleth 105:8-10) "He who digs a hole will fall in it; he who breaches a fence will be bitten by a snake. He who quarries stones will be saddened by them; he who splits timbers will be imperiled by them", (Mishlei 26:27) "The digger of a pit will fall in it, etc." And thus Solomon says (Ibid. 12:14) "From the fruit of a man's mouth, he will be sated with good, and the payment of a man's hands will revert to him." And thus, Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 59:18) "As with reward (for good), so will He return wrath to His enemies, payment to His foes — to (distant) isles will He bring retribution." And it is written (Ibid. 65:7) "And I will measure out (retribution for) their deeds, etc." And thus did Jeremiah the prophet say (Jeremiah 32:19) "Wondrous in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of man, to give each man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds." And thus is it written (Ibid. 50) "Summon many against Bavel, all who draw the bow. Encamp against her roundabout. Let there be no escape for her. Repay her according to her deeds. According to all that she has done, do to her. For she has acted insultingly against the L rd, against the Holy One of Israel." And thus did Yithro say to Moses (Exodus 18:11) "Now I know that greater is the L rd than all the gods." I recognized Him in the past, and now, even more so, His name having been magnified in the world. (Ibid.) "For (they were destroyed) by the (very) thing (water) whereby they devised evil against them."

When they seized R. Chanina b. Teradyon, it was decreed upon him to be burned together with his Torah scroll. They said to him: It was decreed upon you to be burned together with your Torah scroll — whereupon he recited "The Rock, perfect is His work." They said to his wife: It was decreed upon your husband to be burned together with his Torah scroll, and upon you to be executed — whereupon she recited "He is a G-d of trust, without wrong." They said to his daughter: It was decreed upon your father to be burned together with his Torah scroll, upon your mother to be executed, and upon you to sit in a hovel of harlots — whereupon she recited (Jeremiah 32:19) "Great in counsel and mighty in deed, Your eyes are open to all the ways of men to give to a man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds." Rebbi said: How great are these righteous ones, who were presented in the time of their affliction with these three verses of vindication of (G-d's) justice (tzidduk hadin), (the likes of) which are not to be found in all of the writings! All of them directed their hearts (to Heaven) and vindicated His judgment upon them — whereupon a philosopher stood up against his consul, (who had issued the decree, and said to him: Don't let your head swell over having burned the Torah scroll. As soon as you left, it (the Torah) returned to its Father's house. The consul: Tomorrow, your fate will be as theirs. The philosopher: Glad tidings! — Tomorrow, let my portion be with those in the world to come!