Midrash su Salmi 105:8

Rabbi Yonah said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Why was the world created with a "bet"? Just as a bet is closed on all sides and open in the front, so you are not permitted to say, "What is beneath? What is above? What came before? What will come after?" Rather from the day the world was created and after. Bar Kappara said: "You have but to inquire about bygone ages that came before you [ever since God created humanity on earth]" (Deuteronomy 4:32). From the moment God created them you may speculate, however you may not speculate on what was before that. ["From one end of Heaven to the other"] on this you may speculate and investigate, but you may not speculate and investigate on what was before. Rabbi Yehudah ben Pazzi explained the Creation story according to Bar Kappara: Why was the world created with a "bet"? To teach you there are two worlds: this world and the world-to-come. Another interpretation: Why with a "bet"? Because it is an expression of "blessing." And why not with an "aleph"? Because it is an expression of "cursing." Another interpretation: Why not with an "aleph"? So as not to give an argument to the heretics, who would say 'how could the world endure since it was created with an expression of curse?' Rather, the Holy One of Blessing said: 'behold I create it with an expression of blessing, and hopefully it will endure.' Another interpretation: Why with a "bet"? The bet has two points, one on its top and one behind it, they say to the "bet": 'who created you?' and he points with his point on top, and says: 'the One Above created me'. 'And what is His name?' and he shows with his point of behind, and says 'Hashem is His name.' Said Rabbi Eleazar Bar Chanina in the name of Rabbi Acha: for 26 generations the "aleph" screamed 'injustice!' in front of the throne of the Holy One of Blessing, saying to Him: 'Master of the Universe! I am the first of the letters and You did not create the world with me!' The Holy One of Blessing said to her [the aleph]: the world and all what it contains were only created due to the merit of Torah, as it is written: "Ad-nai set the earth with wisdom [with understanding He established the heaven]" (Mishlei/Prov 3:19). Tomorrow I come to give Torah at Sinai and I am going to open at first instance only with you, as it says Anochi 'I am Ad-nai your God' (Exodus/Shemot 20:2). Rabbi Hoshaya says: Why is its name "aleph"? Because he agrees from the outset [aleph], as it says " the word which He commanded to a thousand [eleph] generations."

“I praise the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are still alive” (Ecclesiastes 4:2).
“I praise the dead who are already dead” – these are the generation of Enosh and the generation of the Flood; “more than the living who are still alive” – these are the Sodomites and the Egyptians.⁶The generations of Enosh and the Flood were destroyed and will never come back to life. The Sodomites and Egyptians will come back to life in the World to Come, and will be punished and abhorred by all (Etz Yosef).

“Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil actions that are done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:3).
“Better than both of them is one who has not yet been” – these are the one thousand generations that were in God’s mind to have created. How many of them were eliminated? Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: Nine hundred and seventy-four generations, as it is stated: “He commanded the matter for one thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8).⁷God intended to give the Torah after one thousand generations, but He actually gave the Torah after just twenty-six generations.
Rabbi Yehoshua interpreted the verse regarding the Israelites at the time that they stood before Mount Sinai. Once they performed that act,⁸The sin of the Golden Calf Moses did not leave any corner of the ground on the mountain upon which he did not prostrate himself in prayer asking for mercy upon Israel, but he was not answered. Five angels of destruction harassed him: Anger, Destruction, Annihilation, Wrath, and Fury. Moses was fearful of them. What did he do? He relied on the actions of the patriarchs, and immediately mentioned them and said: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants” (Exodus 32:13). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, what claims do the patriarchs of the world have against Me? If I come to be exacting with them, I have claims against them. I have a claim against Abraham, who said: “How will I know that I will inherit it” (Genesis 15:8)? I have a claim against Isaac, as it is stated: “Isaac loved Esau” (Genesis 25:28), but I hated him, as it is stated: “And Esau I hated” (Malachi 1:3). I have a claim against Jacob, who said: “My way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27).’ Once [Moses] said: “To whom You took an oath by Yourself” (Exodus 32:13), for the sake of Your name, at that moment, the Holy One blessed be He was filled with mercy, as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered…” (Exodus 32:14). Immediately, three of the angels of destruction, Anger, Destruction, and Annihilation, departed, and two remained: Wrath and Fury. That is what is written: “For I was in dread due to the Wrath and the Fury” (Deuteronomy 9:19). He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, am I able to withstand the two of them? You bear one and I will bear one.’ That is what is written: “Arise, Lord, in Your wrath [be’appekha]…” (Psalms 7:7).⁹This is expounded to mean that God will arise against His angel, Wrath [af]. From where is it derived that Moses withstood one, the angel of Fury [Ḥema]? It is as it is stated: “He said He would destroy them, were it not for Moses, His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach to turn back His fury” (Psalms 106:23).¹⁰This is expounded to mean that Moses stood in the breach against the angel of destruction, Fury [Ḥema]. It is regarding that moment that he said: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates.¹¹Solomon thus states from the perspective of Moses: The dead, namely Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were able to have a greater effect than the living, namely my associates and me.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted the verse regarding David. When Solomon built the Temple, he requested that fire descend from the heavens, but it did not descend. He sacrificed one thousand burnt offerings, but it did not descend. He prayed twenty-four prayers, but it did not descend, until he said: “Remember the good deeds of David your servant” (II Chronicles 6:42), [and then] it descended immediately, as it is stated: “When Solomon concluded praying, the fire descended” (II Chronicles 7:1). Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Le’ai and the Rabbis: Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Le’ai said: David came to life at that time. The Rabbis say: He brought his coffin. They do not disagree;¹²They do not disagree based on their own reasoning but based on verses (Etz Yosef, citing Yefe To’ar). the one who said David came to life at that time, that is what David himself said: “Lord, You have raised my soul from the grave…” (Psalms 30:4), and another verse says: “Lord God, do not reject the face of Your anointed” (II Chronicles 6:42), as he is alive before You. The one who said: He brought his coffin, that is what is written: “Remember the good deeds of David Your servant” (II Chronicles 6:42). It is regarding that moment that he said: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon interpreted the verse regarding Ezekiel. When he stood in the valley and said: “Dry bones, heed the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4), immediately, “the bones came together, each bone to its bone…” (Ezekiel 37:7). He said to them: ‘Initially I said to you: “Heed the word of the Lord, house of Jacob” (Jeremiah 2:4), but you did not heed; and now you are heeding. During your lifetimes you did not heed; after your deaths you heeded.’ Regarding that moment it is stated: “I praise the dead […more than the living]” (Ecclesiastes 4:2), like me and my associates.¹³The generation of Ezekiel did not heed the word of God, but those who had already died were heeding His word after death.