Midrash su Malachia 3:19

(Ib. b) R. Chanina said in the name of R. Myashia, who quoted R. Juda b. Eliah: "What does the passage (Mal. 3, 20) But unto you, that fear My name, shall the sun arise, mean? This refers to men who are afraid to mention the name of the Lord in vain." Shall the sun of righteousness arise, with healing in its wings. Said Abaye: "We infer from this that the sunbeams are healing to sickness." This will differ with the opinion of R. Simon b. Lakish, who said: "There is no Gehenna in the future world, but the Holy One, praised be He! — will bring forth the sun from its sheath, with which the righteous will be cured and the wicked will be punished; as it is said (Mal. 3, 19) For, behold, the day cometh it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branches."

R. Acha, the Galilean, said to R. Nachman b. Isaac: "There is no smiling by the Holy One, praised be He! since the Temple was destroyed, as it reads (Ib. 42, 14) I have long time held My peace, I have been still and refrained Myself. But what does He do in the last three hours? He teaches the Torah to the school-children. As it reads (Ib. 28, 9) Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom shall one make to understand the message. Them that are weaned from the milk, them that are drawn from the breasts. And what does He do in the night-time? If you wish, it may be said that He does the same as in the day-time. And if you wish, it may be said that He rides upon His light cloud and moves in all directions upon eighteen thousand worlds. As it is said (Ps. 68, 8) The chariots of God are two myriads; thousands of angels (follow Him). And if you wish, it may be said that He sits and listens to the song of the angels, as (Ib. 42, 9) And in the night his song shall be with Me. R. Juda said in the name of Samuel: "What is the meaning of the passage (Hab. 1, 14) And makest men as the fish of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? Why are men compared to fish of the sea? To teach you that just as fish die as soon as they are taken on land, so do men die, when they separate themselves from the law and the commandments." Another explanation may be given to it: Just as fish die as soon as the heat of the sun penetrates to them, so also do men. If you wish it may be referred to this world, and this would be in accordance with R. Chanina, who said: "Everything is decreed by heaven, except cold, for the passage says (Pr. 22, 5), Thorns and snares are in the way of the forward; he that keepeth his soul holdeth himself far from them." And if you wish it may be referred to the world to come, and this is in accordance with Resh Lakish, who said: "There is no Gehenna in the future world, but the Holy One, praised be He! will bring forth the sun from its sheath with which the wicked will be punished and the upright cured." The wicked will be punished (Fol. 4), as it is written (Mal. 3, 19) For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And the righteous will be cured thereby, as it is said, But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. Furthermore, the latter will have pleasure and become fat from it, as the passage says (Ib.) And ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall. There is another explanation [why men are likened unto fish]: Just as the larger fish in the sea, swallow the smaller, so also is it with man; if not for the fear of government the stronger would have swallowed the weaker. And this is meant by what we are taught in a Mishna that R. Chanina, the Vice-High-Priest, said: "Pray for the welfare of the government, since but for the fear thereof, men would swallow each other alive."

Another explanation. Until the day breatheth (Song 4:6). This refers to judgment day, as it is said: For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch (Mal. 3:19).