Midrash su Geremia 2:6

Our Rabbis taught: "It is not proper to start to pray in a mood of sadness; nor in a mood of idleness, nor in a mood of laughter, nor in a mood of low talk, nor in a mood of jesting, nor in a mood of idle talk; but only in a mood of joy caused through the performance of a meritorious deed. Thus also shall one take leave of his friend neither in the mood of low talk, nor of laughter, nor of jesting, nor of idle talk; but immediately after the study of the Halacha (traditional law); for thus we find with our first prophets; they also finished their prophesies with matters of praise and consolation." And so has R. Mari, the grandson of R. Huna. the son of R. Jeremiah, recited [a tradition]: "A man shall not depart from his friend only immediately after reciting an Halacha; because by means of this his friend will always remember him." Just as it happened to R. Cahana, who accompanied R. Shimi b. Ashi, from Pum-Nahara to the place called "Between the Palm" in Babylonia. When they reached that place the latter said to the former: "Is it true, master, what people say that these palmtrees of Babylonia date from the days of Adam, the first man?" "Thou recallest to my mind," answered R. Cahaua, "what R. Jose, the son of R. Chanina said: 'What is meant by the passage (Jer. 2, 6.) Through a land through which no man had passed and where no man had dwelt. Since no man has passed through it, how is it possible for any man to have dwelt in it? It means to teach us that whatever land Adam, the first man, decreed should become inhabited did indeed become inhabited; but whatever land Adam, the first man, decreed shall not become inhabited, remained uninhabited.'"

(Ib. b) We are taught that R. Maier says: "It is proper to compel one to escort his associate, for the reward of escorting is unlimited, as it is written (Jud. 1, 24) And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, 'Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city and we will deal kindly with thee.' And it is written further, And he showed them the entrance into the city. And what was the kindness they showed him? They smote the entire city with the edge of the sword, but the man and all his family they let go free. (Ib., ib., 36) And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city, and called it Luz. We are taught in a Baraitha; that is the same Luz where they dye the Techaileth, it is the same Luz against which Sennacherib came to destroy but was not able to do so; and which Nebuchadnezzar had beseiged but could not destroy it, and even the angel of death has no right to pass and enter it. Its old people when they desired to die were brought outside of its surrounding walls where they died. Is this not an a fortiori conclusion? If this Canaanite who had not performed any duty through walking with his feet, nor through talking with his mouth, nevertheless was rewarded that he and his children until endless generations should be saved from the Angel of Death. He, who speaks with his mouth and walks with his feet to perform good things, how much more should he be rewarded? If so, then how did that man show them the city, if he neither walked nor spoke. Ezekiah said: "He made grimaces so that they received a hint." R. Jochanan said: "With his finger he showed them." We are taught in a Baraitha in accordance with the opinion of R. Jochanan: As reward for having shown them the entrance of the city within Canaan and his children until endless generations were rewarded to be saved from the Angel of Death. R. Joshua b. Levi said: "If one walks on the road and has no escort with him he shall study the Torah, as it is said (Pr. 1, 9) For the wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat." R. Joshua b. Levi said also: "On account of the four cubits space which Pharaoh escorted Abraham, the latter's children had to serve four hundred years." R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "If one escorts his associate even four cubits within the city, the traveler will not meet any injury of his trip." Rabina escorted Rabba b. Isaac four cubits and protected him from an incident with which he was met on the road. Our Rabbis were taught: A teacher should escort his disciple to the boundaries of the city; two colleagues should escort each other as far as it is permitted to walk on the Sabbath outside of the town. The distance a disciple is to escort his teacher is limitless. How far should this be? Said R. Shesheth: "A mile." And this refers only when the teacher is not a distinguished scholar, but if he is a distinguished scholar, he should go three Parthoa. R. Cabana accompanied R. Shimi b. Assi from Pum-Nahara to the place called "Between the Palm," in Babylonia. When they reached this place they said: "Is it true, master, what people say that those palm trees of Babylon date from the days of Adam, the first?" "Thou recallest to my mind," answered R. Cahana, "what R. Jose, the son of R. Chanina said: 'What is the meaning of the passage (Jer. 2, 6) Through a land through which no man had passed and where no man had dwelt. Since no man had passed through it, how is it possible for any man to have dwelt in it? It means to teach that whatever land Adam the first decreed, should become inhabited, indeed did become inhabited; but whatever land Adam, the first man, decreed that it should not become inhabited, remained uninhabited." R. Mordecai escorted R. Shimi b. Assi from Hagrunia as far as the place called Bekipai, and according to others, to the place called Be-dura.

It is related that while King Shapur (of Persia) was passing through that place with the members of his family, a serpent swallowed one of them. As he continued along, a second member of his family was swallowed up and then a third. King Shapur was deeply saddened, but he did not know what to do. His counselors advised him: “Summon ten mighty men to fill the place with a layer of straw.” He summoned them and they did so. They placed straw around the serpent, and he swallowed it. Then they placed more straw around him, and he swallowed it as well. This continued until his belly swelled up, and they killed him. Hence, Who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint (Deut. 8:15). It says also: The burden of the beasts of the south. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and the flying serpent (Isa. 30:6). The word ef’eh is employed with reference to a viper. They say that when a viper looks at the shadow of a bird flying through the air, the bird immediately becomes entranced and falls apart. Nevertheless, they did not say: Where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death (Jer. 2:6). What is meant by the word tzalmavet (“shadow of death”)? A place where there is tzal (“shadow”) accompanied by mavet (“death”).