Midrasz do Izajasza 7:20

“Much water cannot extinguish love, and rivers cannot wash it away; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be scorned” (Song of Songs 8:7).
“Much water cannot extinguish love”; “Much water” – these are the nations of the world, as it is stated: “Ah, the uproar of many peoples” (Isaiah 17:12). “Cannot extinguish love” – the love that the Holy One blessed be He has for Israel, as it is stated: “I loved you, said the Lord” (Malachi 1:2). “And rivers cannot wash it away” – these are the nations of the world, just as it says: “On that day, the Lord will shave with a great razor those who are from across the River…” (Isaiah 7:20); “therefore, behold, the Lord is raising [upon them] the waters of the River, [mighty and many, the king of Assyria]” (Isaiah 8:7).
“If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah,¹⁶Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to gain atonement for causing Israel to fail to fulfill even one mitzva (Rabbi David Luria). they will never thereby gain atonement.
Another matter: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah, and give all their money for the blood of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues,¹⁷Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to atone for the execution of Rabbi Akiva and others by non-Jewish authorities in times of persecution. they will never thereby gain atonement.
Rabbi Yoḥanan was strolling and ascending from Tiberias to Tzippori, and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba was next to him. They arrived at a certain agricultural estate. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This agricultural estate was mine, and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain vineyard. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This vineyard was mine and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain olive grove. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘The same is true regarding this.’ Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba began crying. [Rabbi Yoḥanan] said to him: ‘Why are you crying?’ He said to him: ‘I am crying because you did not leave anything for your old age.’ He said to him: ‘Ḥiyya my son, is it inconsequential in your eyes what I did, that I sold something that was given in six days, as it is stated: “For in six days the Lord made” (Exodus 20:11)?¹⁸Was it not worthwhile to sell something created in six days in order to gain something far more valuable? But the Torah was given in forty days, as it is stated: “He was there with the Lord forty days” (Exodus 34:28), and it is written: “I remained on the mountain forty days”’ (Deuteronomy 9:9). When Rabbi Yoḥanan died, his generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” the love that Rabbi Yoḥanan had for the Torah, “he would be scorned [boz yavuzu lo].”¹⁹He will gain a portion of the plunder [biza] of the war of Gog and Magog (Yefe To’ar).
When Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya died, they saw his bier floating in the air. His generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” that the Holy One blessed be He loved Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya, he would be scorned.²⁰He would be scorned for thinking that money is sufficient to attain this love.

And how many remained of them? Rab said: "Ten, as it is said (Ib. 10, 19) And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few in number, so that a boy may write them down, i.e., what [letter] can a boy write, a yud whose numerical value is ten." And Samuel said: "Nine, as it is said (Ib. 17, 6) And there shall be left on it gleanings, two or three berries on the top of the uppermost bough, four to five on the outermost branches of a fruitful tree." R. Joshua b. Levi said: "Fourteen, as the just quoted verse reads two, three … four, five." R. Jochanan, however, said: "Only five, and they were Sennacherib, his two sons and Nebuchadnezzar and Nebusaradan; the latter is known by tradition; concerning Nebuchadnezzar, it is written (Dan. 3, 25) And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods; if he would not have seen [an angel before] how would me know [to describe him so]?" And concerning Sennacherib and his two sons, as it is written (II Kin. 19, 37) And it came to pass, as he was prostrating himself in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him." R. Abahu said: "Were it not for the following verse, it would be impossible to believe, [that the Lord himself did it] for it is written (Is. 7, 20) On the same day, will the Lord shave with the razor that is hired, (namely) by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet, and also the beard shall it entirely remove." The Holy One, praised be He! appeared before Sennacherib as an old man, and questioned him: "When thou wilt return to the kings of the East and the West, what excuse canst thou give to them for their sons whom thou didst bring with thee and who were killed?" And he answered: "I myself am trembling about this. Canst thou advise me what to do?" And he rejonied: "Go (Fol. 96) and change thyself that thou mayest not be recognized." "How can I do it?" The old man said: "Bring me a pair of scissors and I will cut your hair off." "Where shall I procure the scissors?" The old man said: "Go into that house and you will get it." He went there, and found angels who had appeared before him as men, engaged in grinding the kernels of dates. And he asked them for the scissors. To which they answered, "Grind one kernel and thou wilst get it." He did so, whereupon they gave him the scissors. But when he returned, it grew dark, and the old man told him to bring a light. He went and brought a light; and while carrying the light, the wind blew and the fire caught his beard, and therefore he had to cut off both his hair and his beard. And this is what is meant by the passage (Ib.) And also the beard shall it entirely remove. R. Papa said: "This is what people say: 'When you cut the hair of an Aramaen, and he likes it, singe his beard, and you will have plenty of sport'." When he went away he found a board from the ark of Noah. And he exclaimed: "This is the great God, who saved Noah from the flood. I vow that if I will succeed in the future, I will sacrifice my two sons to him." This his sons heard, and therefore they killed him, and this is what is meant by the passage (Kin. 19, 37) And it came to pass, as he was prostrating himself in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adramelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him.