Мал’ахи 3:1 Мидраш: Devarim Rabbah, Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai, Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

Another matter, “when the Lord your God will expand [your border]” – is it possible that the Holy One blessed be He will expand the Land of Israel? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This scroll, no one knows how long it is or how wide it is. When it is unfurled, it becomes clear what its [true size] is. So, the Land of Israel, the great majority of it is mountains and hills. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Rather, the land into which you are crossing to take possession of it is a land of mountains and valleys, from the rain of the heavens it drinks water. A land that the Lord your God seeks; always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year until year’s end” (Deuteronomy 11:11–12). When the Holy One blessed be He will flatten it – from where is it derived [that He will do so]? As it is stated: “Every valley will be raised and every mountain and hill will be lowered; the crooked will become straight and the ridges a valley” (Isaiah 40:4) – at that time it will become clear what its [true size] is.
Another matter, “when [the Lord your God] will expand [your border]” – the Rabbis say: It is speaking of Jerusalem. If only I could see the tranquility of Jerusalem when the Holy One blessed be He will expand it! Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: To what is the matter comparable? It is to a province….²²The midrash appears to be referencing a known midrashic exposition, but there is no extant midrash that would seem to fit into the midrash here. “The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).²³The midrash cites a number of verses that describe a future period of blessing, in order to conclude this section on a positive note. “Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. He will return the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction” (Malachi 3:23–24). “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me, and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to His Sanctuary; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he is coming, said the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:1). “Therefore, so said the Lord: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My House will be built in it, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, and a line will be extended over Jerusalem. Again proclaim, saying: So said the Lord of hosts: My cities will again expand with prosperity, and the Lord will comfort Zion again, and will choose Jerusalem again” (Zechariah 1:16–17). “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; cheer, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king will come to you; he is righteous and saved; he is humble, and riding upon a donkey, on the foal of a female donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God the Omnipotent: Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Yosei HaGelili, says. "There is a difference between the prophecy of the forefathers and the prophecy of Moses and the other prophets: When the Holy One, blessed be He, arose upon them to speak with them, He did not arise with chayot [angelic creatures], nor with a chariot, nor with any other types of glory, but the divine presence would rather rest [directly] on top of them."
Rabbi Shimon said, "The forefathers are the chariot themselves, as it is stated: And He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham (Genesis 17:22); And, behold, the Lord was standing over him (Genesis 28:13)."
Why was that? Because they were sanctified for the habitation of the divine presence.
But he arose over the other prophets with glory, each one according to his ability.
When the Holy One blessed be He, revealed Himself to the forefathers to speak with them, He did not arise with thunder, with lightning, with sounds or with a whirlwind, since they knew His power, His strength, His Greatness, and His Loftiness.
But upon the other prophets, the Holy One, blessed be He, would arise upon them with sounds, with thunder, with lightning, and with torchfires according to the need of the people of their generations. Why was that? Because the people of their generations did not know the power and the might of the Holy One, blessed be He. If only with voices and thunder, if only they would humble themselves!
When the Holy One, blessed be He, would arise upon the forefathers to command them, He would not make stipulations with them: If you will follow my statutes; But if you will reject my statutes (Leviticus 26:3, 15). Why was that? Because they knew the power of the giving of reward to the righteous and the punishment of the wicked, so He did not need to make stipulations with them.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, would speak with them, His voice would not shake up the world, but it was rather quiet, since there was no need for the people of their generations to hear.
But when the Holy One, blessed be He, would speak with the other prophets, He would shake up the world, as it is stated: The voice of the Lord breaks cedars (Psalms 29:5).
About what are these words speaking? Until the Tabernacle was erected. But when the Tabernacle was erected, He isolated a place for [His] speech, so the world was not shaken up.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, would command the forefathers to move from one land to another land, He would not promise what He would to them. Why was that? Because they were faithful.
But with the other prophets, how many promises did He promise them? And if only the people of their generations would trust [them]! How many promises did He promise our fathers? In Egypt: to a land flowing milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). And likewise in the desert. But even so, they were in doubt. How much did He promise even us? Rejoice, barren one (Isaiah 54:1); Comfort, comfort, My people (Isaiah 40:1); Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion (Zechariah 9:9); Lo, a day of the Lord is coming (Zechariah 44:1); Behold, I am sending My messenger (Malakhi 3:1). And still they are hesitating!
It was not necessary to express [God's] explicit name to the forefathers, but He expressed the explicit name to the other prophets.
As the people of their generations needed it.
The proof of the thing is from our teacher Moses, as it is stated:And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God the Omnipotent, but I did not make them know My name, Lord
I did not reveal Myself to them like [I did] to You.

(Numb. 13:21:) “So they went up and explored the land.” How?²¹Below, Numb. 4a:3, 10; Numb. R. 16:13; Sot. 35a. When they entered a town, a pestilence afflicted the nobility; and the people of the town were busy with their burial so when they entered, no mortal saw them. For this reason they said (in vs. 32), “The land through which we passed […] is a land that eats up its inhabitants.” It was through the [very] miracles which the Holy One, blessed be He, did for them that they spread slander. (Numb. 13:22:) “And they went up to the Negeb and they came to Hevron, and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai were there,” who were extremely strong, as stated (Deut. 9:2), “whom you have known and about whom you have heard.” R. Berekhyah the Priest Berabbi said (according to vs. 22), “They found the three sons of Anak there, ‘Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai.’²²Cf. Sot. 34b. Why was the name of [the first] called Ahiman? Because he said, ‘My brother (ahi), who (man) will come against me?’ [Why] Sheshai (shyshy)? Because he was as sound as marble (shysh). [Why] Talmai?²³Talmay, which means, “my furrows.” Because he went and made furrows (telamim) in the earth.”²⁴I.e., with his heavy steps. (Ibid., cont.:) “The children of the Anak ('nq).” (He was called that] because he wore (rt.: 'nq) the sun around his neck.²⁵According to Zeev Wolf’s commentary on Numb. R. 16:11, they were so tall that the sun seemed to rest on their heads. When the spies saw them they were afraid. Immediately they went and said (in vs. 31), “for they are stronger than we (which can also be read as, than He).” Resh Laqish said, “They compared them to the Above. Because of this transgression harsh decrees were issued against them.” What does the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Jeremiah? “Go, say to them, ‘You do not know what you have brought out from your mouth, as stated (in Jer. 11:16), “with the sound of a great tumult you have lit fire to it, and you have broken its boughs.” What did you cause to yourselves “with the sound of a great tumult” that you said, “you have lit fire to it.” “You will carry your sins one day for each year”’” (Numbers 14:34). They said (in Numb. 13:33), “And in our own eyes we were like grasshoppers.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I forgave them for that [remark]; but I was exacting [when they said] (ibid., cont.), ‘And so we were in their eyes.’ Who would say that you were not like angels in their eyes? Do you know what I made you in their eyes?” What had they brought upon themselves? (Numb. 14:34:) “According to the number of days that you explored the land […] forty years.” As though this was not enough, they did not even enter the land. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “In this world,²⁶This form usually denotes the end of a parashah, but it does not do so here; nor does it do so in the parallel in Numb R. 16:11. because the representatives (literally, those sent) were of flesh and blood, it has been decreed over them that they should not enter the land; but in the world to come I will suddenly send My angel (mal'akh), and he shall clear a way before Me.” It is so stated (in Mal. 3:1), “Behold, I am sending My messenger (mal'akh) to clear a way before Me, and [the Lord whom you seek] shall suddenly come unto his Temple.”