Midrash sobre Provérbios 10:6

In the beginning God created (Gen. 1:1). It is written elsewhere in reference to this verse: Blessings are upon the head of the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked concealeth violence (Prov. 10:6). Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, commence the account of the creation of His world with the letter bet rather than with the alef, the first letter of the alphabet? He did so because the alef is the first letter of the word arur (“cursed”), while the bet is the first letter of the word barukh (“blessed”). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “I will begin the account of the creation of the world with the letter that symbolizes a blessing.” Even though the account of the creation of the world starts with a letter that symbolizes a blessing, mankind angered its Creator. How much angrier would man have made Him if the creation narrative had commenced with the letter that symbolizes a curse!

The Sadducees denied the existence of the hereafter, saying: As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more (Job 7:9).¹⁸The Sadducees were a Palestinian sect presumably named after Zadok, the high priest during the reigns of David and Solomon. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed: And the mouth of the wicked concealeth violence (Prov. 10:6).