Мишлей 10:6 Мидраш: Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tehillim & Bereshit Rabbah

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).

Day by day, it shall be revealed, as it is written in the words of our teacher Moses (Exodus 34:28): "And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights." Is it not also written (Habakkuk 3:4), "And His brightness was as the light"? (Daniel 2:22) "And He gives wisdom unto the wise." (Psalm 139:12) "Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee." But how did Moses know when it was day and when it was night, so that he could say "forty days and forty nights"? When God was teaching him the Torah, he knew it was day, and when He was teaching him the Mishnah, he knew it was night. Another explanation is that whenever the angels praised God in holiness, he knew it was day, and when he saw them praising Him with "Blessed be," he knew it was night. Another explanation is that when he saw the angels playing with the manna, and they came down to Israel, he knew it was day, and when it came down to them, he knew it was night. Another explanation is that when he saw the sun going down and bowing, he knew it was night, and when he saw the stars, the moon, and the constellations coming out and bowing down before God, he knew it was day, as it is said (Nehemiah 9:6) "And the host of heaven worshippeth Thee." Another explanation is that when he heard the Shema being recited before the prayers, he knew it was day, and when the prayers were recited before the Shema, he knew it was night. Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Abba that the angel in charge of prayer waits until the last synagogue in Israel has prayed, and then he makes a crown and puts it on the head of God, as it is said (Proverbs 10:6), "Blessings are upon the head of the righteous." The righteous one of the world.