Midrash su Ecclesiaste 8:8

And the time drew near that Israel must die (Gen. 47:29). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it (Eccles. 8:8). R. Joshua of Sikhnin declared in the name of R. Levi: Prior to the death of Moses, the Holy One, blessed be He, hid the shofars that Moses had fashioned in the wilderness, lest some person (Moses) might blow upon them and cause all the Israelites to assemble before him.²In an attempt to postponse his death. Some copies of the parallel passage Bereshit Rabbah 96:3 imply that the subject of “should not blow them” is Moses. He did this to fulfill the verse Neither hath he power over the day of death.

[(Genesis 47:29:) THEN, WHEN THE DAYS FOR ISRAEL TO DIE DREW NEAR.] This text is related (to Eccl. 8:8): NO HUMAN HAS CONTROL OVER THE WIND TO CONTAIN THE WIND, NOR IS THERE CONTROL ON THE DAY OF DEATH. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: In regard to the trumpets which Moses made in the desert (according to Numb. 10:1-10) when he was at the point of death, the Holy One hid them lest he blow on them (the trumpets) for them (the Israelites) to come to him. < This act was > to fulfill what is stated (in Eccl. 8:8): < NO HUMAN HAS CONTROL OVER THE WIND TO CONTAIN THE WIND >, NOR IS THERE CONTROL ON THE DAY OF DEATH.⁶Tanh., Gen. 12:2; Gen. R. 96:3; Numb. R. 15:15; Eccl. R. 8:8:1.

(Numb. 5:13:) “In that a man has slept with her carnally.” [“A man” is to] exclude a minor, and one who is not a man.³⁸On the exception, see Sifre, Numb. 5:13 (7). Cf. Sot. 4:4; TSot. 5:6; and Sot. 26b, all of which regard “one who is not a man” as a separate, non-human category. “[With her] carnally.” [This is the case] when her sleeping renders her unfit; and no other sleeping renders her unfit. [There is] a story about two sisters who resembled each other. Now one was married in one city and the other was married in another city. The husband of one of them wanted to accuse her of infidelity and have her drink the bitter water in Jerusalem. She went to that city where her married sister was. Her sister said to her, “What was your reason for coming here?” She said to her, “My husband wants to have me drink [the bitter water].” Her sister said to her, “I will go in your place and drink it.” She said to her, “Go.” She put on her sister's clothes, went in her place, drank the bitter water, and was found clean. When she returned to her sister's house, she joyfully went out to meet her, then embraced and kissed her on the mouth. As soon as the one kissed the other, she smelled the bitter water and immediately died, in order to fulfill what is stated (in Eccl. 8:8), “No human has control over the wind to contain the wind, nor is there control on the day of death […].”