Midrash su Salmi 119:72

(Deut. 32:1–2:) GIVE EAR, O HEAVENS, <….> LET MY INSTRUCTION DROP DOWN LIKE THE RAIN. R. Joshua ben Levi said: When Moses went up to the heights, the angels were about to kill him.⁶Tanh, Deut. 10:2; see ARN, A, 2:3; Shab. 88b; Exod. R. 28:1. He said to them: Is it because of the two things in my hands that were granted to me from the heavens that you wish to kill me? They left him alone. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a great merchant who was walking in a dangerous place. <When some> brigands⁷Gk.: lestai. seized him <and> wanted to kill him, he said to them: Is it because of the five minas⁸There are four hundred minas to a shekel. in my hand that you wish to kill me? But they did not know that there were in his hand precious stones and pearls,⁹Gk.: margaritai or margeleis. which were invaluable. They said to each other: What profit is there in killing him? He has nothing on him. So they left him alone. When he entered the city, he began to sell precious stones and pearls. They said to him: When we captured you yesterday, you said: There is nothing on me but five minas; but now you are bringing out precious stones and pearls. He said to them: When I spoke to you, I was in a dangerous situation. So also did Moses our Master say to the angels: There are two things in my hand. <In fact> there was in his hand a great gift, as stated (in Ps. 68:19 [18]): YOU ASCENDED ON HIGH; YOU CAPTURED CAPTIVES; YOU RECEIVED GIFTS FOR HUMANS,¹⁰Some translations interpret the passage to mean that the gifts are from humans, but the midrash requires the interpretation given here. <EVEN THOSE WHO REBEL AGAINST THE LORD GOD's ABIDING THERE>. Therefore David said (in Ps. 119:72): THE LAW OF YOUR MOUTH IS BETTER FOR ME THAN THOUSANDS OF GOLD AND SILVER PIECES. It also says (in Ps. 19:11 [10]): MORE DELIGHTFUL ARE THEY THAN GOLD, THAN MUCH FINE GOLD …; and it says (in Ps. 12:7 [6]): THE SAYINGS OF THE LORD ARE PURE SAYINGS. Israel said to Moses our Master: Blessed are you, for your having received gifts. He said to them: If I had not said to the ministering angels that there were two things, I should have been burned by their fire, but this Torah saved me from their hand. It was with reference to them that he said (in Deut. 32:2): LET MY INSTRUCTION DROP DOWN LIKE THE RAIN. DROP DOWN (rt.: 'RP) must mean killing, since it is stated (in Deut. 21:4): AND THEY SHALL BREAK THE NECK (rt.: 'RP) OF THE HEIFER THERE; and INSTRUCTION must mean Torah, since it is stated (in Prov. 4:2): FOR I GAVE YOU GOOD INSTRUCTION.

(Deut. 32:1:) “Let my instruction drop down like the rain.” R. Joshua ben Levi said, “When Moses went up to the heights, the angels were about to kill him.⁴See ARN, A, 2:3; Shab. 88b; Exod. R. 28:1. He said to them, ‘Is it because of the two things that were granted to me [from the heavens] that you wish to kill me?’ When they heard this, they left him alone. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a great merchant who was walking in a dangerous place. [When some] brigands⁵Gk.: lestai. seized him [and] wanted to kill him, he said to them, ‘Is it because of the five minas⁶There are four hundred minas to a shekel. in my hand that you wish to kill me?’ But they did not know that there were in his hand precious stones and pearls⁷Gk.: margaritai or margeleis. which were invaluable. They said to each other, ‘What profit is there in killing him? He has nothing on him.’ So they left him alone. When he entered the city, he began to sell precious stones and pearls. They said to him, ‘When we captured you yesterday, you said, “There is nothing on me but five minas”; but now you are bringing out precious stones and pearls which are invaluable?’ He said to them, ‘When I spoke to you, I was in a dangerous situation.’ So also did Moses our master say to the angels, ‘There are [only] two things with me.’ [In fact] there was a great gift with him, as stated (in Ps. 68:19), ‘You ascended on high; [you captured captives; you received gifts for humans].’”⁸Some translations interpret the passage to mean that the gifts are from humans, but the midrash requires the interpretation given here. Therefore David said (in Ps. 119:72), “The Torah of Your mouth is better for me [than thousands of gold and silver pieces].” It also says (in Ps. 19:11), “More delightful are they than gold, than much fine gold”; and it says (in Ps. 12:7), “The sayings of the Lord are [pure] sayings....” Israel said to Moses our master, “Fortunate are you, for your having received gifts.” He said to them, “If I had not said to the ministering angels that there were [only] two things, I should have been burned by their fire, but this Torah saved me from their hand. It was with reference to them that he said (in Deut. 32:2), “Let my instruction drop down like the rain.” “Drop down (rt.: 'rp)” must mean killing, since it is stated (in Deut. 21:4), “and they shall break the neck (rt.: 'rp) of the heifer there”; and so too with Judah, it states (in Gen. 49:8), “your hand will be on the neck (rt.: 'rp) of your enemy.” And my instruction must mean Torah, since it is stated (in Prov. 4:2), “For I gave you good instruction....” And why is Torah compared to rain? To say [that] just as rain erodes, as it states (in Job 14:19), “Water erodes stones”; so does the Torah erode a heart of stone. And this is related to that which our masters say (in Qidd. 30b), “If [the evil impulse] is [like] a stone, it will be dissolved. If it is [like] iron, it will be shattered.” Therefore, there is nothing that is good for a man besides killing himself over the words of the Torah and to constantly occupy himself with it, day and night. And it is so stated (in Josh. 1:8), “and you shall meditate upon them night and day.” And this is related to that which they said (in Meg. 6b), “If a man tells you, “I have toiled but I have not found,’ do not believe [it].” And it is therefore compared to rain. Just like there can be no world without rain, as it is needed to grow all good things; so can the world not survive without Torah, as it is stated (Jer. 33:25), “Were it not that I have established My covenant day and night, I would not have put the laws of heaven and earth.” And just like rain descends little by little, so too with the Torah, one starts at the beginning with the small count of aleph, bet, gimmel, and comes to the large count of kof, reish, shin at the end. So does one start and then one understands the Torah and its details. Another interpretation (of Deut. 32:2), “Let my instruction drop down like the rain.” Israel said to Moses our master, “You have not come to speak with heaven and earth but with the rain and the dew.” He said to them, “[Let me tell you] a parable. It is comparable to a wealthy person who went to honor the king. He took with him great ministers and honored men. [So when] he went into the king along with them, the king received them cordially.” So also did Moses say, “It is better for me to call for heaven and earth, the rain and the dew to be with me, so that when I call upon the Holy One, blessed be He, He will answer me.” For that reason he said to them (in Deut. 32:1-2), “Give ear, O heavens…. Let [my instruction] drop down like the rain…”; and [then] afterwards (in Deut. 31:3), “For I am proclaiming the name of the Lord.”

“Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain; and she came stealthily, uncovered his feet, and lay down” (Ruth 3:7).
“Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry.” Why was his heart merry? It is because he recited a blessing on his food. Alternatively, “his heart was merry,” because he ate different sweets after the meal, because it accustoms the tongue to recite Torah. Alternatively, “his heart was merry,” as he engaged in Torah study, as it is stated: “The Torah of your mouth is better for me” (Psalms 119:72). Alternatively, “his heart was merry,” as he was seeking a wife, as it is stated: “One who has found a wife has found goodness” (Proverbs 18:22).
“He went to lie at the end of the pile of grain.” Rabbi Yehuda Nesia raised a question before Rabbi Pineḥas bar Ḥama: Boaz was the greatest man in his generation and you say he [lay down] at the end of the grain pile? He said to him: Because that generation was steeped in licentiousness and they would pay a fee to the prostitutes from the threshing floor; that is what is written: “Do not rejoice, Israel, do not exult like the peoples, [as you have licentiously strayed from your God; you have loved the prostitute’s fee upon every threshing-floor of grain]” (Hosea 9:1). It is not the way of the righteous to do so.²⁰⁷Consequently, Boaz himself guarded his produce so that no one would steal any and use it to pay prostitutes. Moreover, because the righteous distance themselves from robbery, their property is very dear to them.