Midrash su Giudici 5:22

Our sages of blessed memory said: “Observe that the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not the way of man.” It is not man’s way to heal with what he wounds. If he wounds with a knife, he heals with a plaster, but the Holy One, blessed be He, heals with what He wounds. When He smote Job, He did so with a tempest, as it said: And multiply my wounds without cause (Job 9:17), and when He healed him He did so with a whirlwind, as it is said: Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (ibid. 38:1). When He sent Israel into exile, He did so with clouds, as is said: How hath the Lord covered with a cloud (Lam. 2:1), and when He brought them back, He did so with a cloud, as it is said: Who are these that fly as a cloud? (Isa. 60:8). When He dispersed them, He scattered them like doves, as it is said: But they that shall at all escape of them, shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning (Ezek. 7:16). When He gathered them together, He did so as doves: As the doves to their cotes (Isa. 60:8). When He blesses them, He does so only while “looking forth,” as it is said: Look forth from Thy holy habitation (Deut. 26:15), and when He exacts retribution from their enemies, He does so while “looking forth,” as it is said: And it came to pass on the morning watch that the Lord looked forth through the pillar of fire and of cloud (Exod. 14:24). When the pillar of cloud descended it turned (the water) into mud, and the pillar of fire scalded them. The hoofs of their horses became entangled (and they fell), causing the horses to fall upon the mares that were beneath. Thus it says: Then did the horses’ hoofs stamp by reason of their prancings, the prancings of the mighty ones (Judg. 5:22). He confused and befuddled them. He took away their reasoning power, and they did not know what to do.

(Ibid. 24) "And it was in the morning watch": We find that the prayers of the righteous are heard in the morning. The "morning" of Abraham — (Genesis 22:3) "And Abraham rose early in the morning, etc." The "morning" of Isaac — (Ibid. 9) "and both of them went together, etc." — and both had risen early in the morning. The "morning" of Jacob — (Ibid. 28:18) "and Jacob rose early in the morning, etc." The "morning" of Moses — Exodus 34:4) "and Moses rose early in the morning, etc." The "morning" of Joshua — (Joshua 3:1) "And Joshua rose early in the morning and they journeyed from Shittim, etc." The "morning" of Samuel — (I Samuel 15:12) "and Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, etc." The "mornings" of the prophets that were destined to arise (for Israel) — (Psalms 5:4) "O L rd, in the morning shall You hear my voice; in the morning will I order (my prayer) before You, and I will hope." The "morning" of the world to come — |(Eichah 3:23) "New every morning; great is Your faith." And thus do you find that the Holy One Blessed be He is destined to exact punishment of the wicked in the world to come only in the mornings" — (Psalms 101:8) "In the mornings I will cut off all the wicked of the land to cut off from the city of the L rd all the workers of iniquity." Also Jerusalem, in time to come, every morning her judgment will come to light, viz. (Tzefaniah 3:5) "The L rd is righteous in its midst. He will do no wrong. Every morning He will bring His judgment to light. It will not fail. But the churl will not know shame." (Exodus 14:24) "And it was in the morning watch": This occurred at dawn. "and the L rd looked to the camp of Egypt with a pillar of fire and cloud, etc.": The Holy One Blessed be He heals all who enter the world, viz. (Exodus 15:26) "for I am the L rd who heals you", (Jeremiah 17:14) "Heal me, O L rd, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved.", (Ibid. 3:22) "Return, wayward sons; I will heal your waywardness." Come and see that the healing of the Holy One Blessed be He is not like the healing of flesh and blood. The healing of flesh and blood — With what he smites, he does not heal. He smites with a knife and heals with a plaster. Not so the Holy One Blessed be He. With what He smites, He heals. When He smote Iyyov, He smote him with a tempest, viz. (Iyyov 9:11) "He struck me with a tempest and multiplied my wounds in vain." When He healed him, He healed him with a tempest, viz. (Ibid. 38:1) "And the L rd answered Iyyov from the tempest." He answered him from the tempest and He healed him. And when the Holy One Blessed be He exiled Israel, He did so with clouds, viz. (Eichah 2:1) "How the L rd has beclouded in His wrath the daughter of Zion." And when He gathers them in, He does so with clouds, viz. (Isaiah 60:8) "Who are those who fly like a cloud, like doves to their dove-cotes?" When He scatters them, He scatters them like doves, viz. (Ezekiel 7:16) "And their fugitives will flee. They will be in the mountains, all of them moaning like the doves of the valleys, each man in his sin." And when He returns them, He returns them like doves, viz.: "like doves to their dove-cotes." When He blesses Israel, He blesses them with looking, viz. (Devarim 26:15) "Look down from Your holy abode, from the heavens, and bless Your people, Israel." And when He exacted punishment of Egypt, He did so with "looking," viz. "and the L rd looked to the camp of Egypt with a pillar of fire and cloud, and He confounded the camp of Egypt, etc." The pillar of cloud descended and made the sea-bed clay, and the pillar of fire made it so hot that the horses' hooves fell off. "and He confounded the camp of Egypt": He confounded them, He mixed them up, He removed their ensigns and they did not know what they were doing. Variantly: "Confounding" is plague, viz. (Devarim 7:23) "And He will confound them with a great confusion until they are destroyed."