Midrash sa Isaias 46:3: Devarim Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Bamidbar Rabbah

“May the Lord, God of your fathers, add to you one thousand times as you are, and He will bless you, as He spoke to you” (Deuteronomy 1:11).
“The Lord, God of your fathers” – halakha: Is it permitted for a man of Israel who was appointed as Sage or judge over the congregation to sit in judgment by himself? So taught our Rabbis: Do not judge alone, as there is only One who judges alone, as it is stated: “He is One, who can respond to Him?” (Job 23:13). What is “He is One”? Reish Lakish said: It is that the Holy One blessed be He judges and issues the ruling by Himself.
Rabbi Reuven said: What is the seal of the Holy One blessed be He? It is truth. Why is it truth [emet]? Emet has three letters: Alef – the first of the letters; mem – the middle one; tav – the last of them, saying: “I am first and I am last and besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
“Provide for yourselves men who are wise, understanding, and known to your tribes, and I will place them at your head” (Deuteronomy 1:13).
The Rabbis said: Come and see, when Moses was appointed over them, he said to them: ‘I am unable to bear your burden by myself; instead, appoint judges for yourselves, so that they will judge you,’ as it is stated: “Provide for yourselves men…”
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: Judges must have seven attributes, and they are: “Wise, understanding, and known to your tribes,” and four [additional attributes], as it is written elsewhere: “You shall identify from all the people [accomplished men, fearers of God, men of truth, haters of ill-gotten gain]” (Exodus 18:21). Why were the seven not written at once? It is [to indicate] that if [individuals] with the seven [attributes] are not found, one brings [individuals] who have four. If [individuals] with four are not found, one brings [individuals] who have three. If [individuals] with three are not found, one brings [individuals] with one, as so it is written: “An accomplished woman who can find?” (Proverbs 31:10).¹⁷This indicates that it is difficult to find even one individual who is accomplished, and being acccomplished is but one of the seven attributes that one should look for in a judge; if one finds one with this characteristic, one should appoint him (see Etz Yosef; Anaf Yosef).
“And I will place them [vaasimem] at your head” – vaasimem is written without a yod.¹⁸Thus, it can be read vaashamam, their guilt. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Moses said to them: ‘If you do not heed them, the guilt will be on your heads.’ To what is the matter comparable? To a serpent whose tail said to the head: ‘Until when will you go first? Let me go first.’ [The head] said to it: ‘Go.’ It went and encountered a water hole and cast [the head] into it. It went and encountered fire, and cast [the head] into the fire. It encountered thorns, and cast [the head] into them. What caused this? It is because the head followed the tail. So, when the lowly heed the great, [the great individuals] decree before the Omnipresent and He performs [their will].¹⁹They can pray and abolish any negative decrees that may have been decreed upon the people (Maharzu). But when the great follow the lowly, they fall [due to] those they are following.
Another matter, Rabbi Hoshaya said: To what is the matter comparable? To a bride who was standing under her wedding canopy and her hands became sooty. If she wipes them on the wall, the wall will become sooty and her hands will not be cleaned; if [she wipes them] on the floor mosaic, the floor mosaic will become sooty and her hands will not be cleaned. But if she wipes them on her hair, her hair will be beautified and her hands will be cleaned. So, when Israel heed their great ones, and their great ones do not attend to their needs,²⁰If they do not provide proper leadership. the guilt is on the head of the great ones, but if not, [the guilt] will be on their own heads. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: When Israel heed their great ones and their great ones do not attend to their needs, at that moment: “The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and its princes” (Isaiah 3:14).
Why to that extent?²¹This question refers back to what was stated at the beginning of this passage (Devarim Rabba 1:10), that one should not judge alone (Maharzu). Because the burden of the congregation is very difficult, and no one person is capable of bearing the burden of the congregation by himself. Know that this is so, as Moses, master of all the prophets, was unable to bear the burden of the congregation by himself. From where is it derived? “I spoke to you at that time [saying: I am unable to bear you alone]” (Deuteronomy 1:9). At what time? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At the time of Yitro’s [visit]. From where is this derived? As it is written: “As the matter is too arduous for you; you cannot do it by yourself” (Exodus 18:18). Rabbi Ḥiyya said: At the time of the complainers, as it is stated: “I cannot bear this entire people alone, because it is too heavy for me” (Numbers 11:14).
“Did I conceive [this entire people; did I give birth to it?]” (Numbers 11:12) – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: [Moses] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, you said: “Who have been borne [by Me] from birth, [who are carried from the womb]” (Isaiah 46:3) – it is appropriate for You to bear them.’
Moses said to Israel: ‘As you live, I am capable of bearing ten like you. Why, then, am I not capable of bearing you? It is because the Lord your God has multiplied you beyond the capability of your judges.’²²Moses was capable of judging a nation ten times as large as Israel, but God bestowed upon them such blessing that they became haughty and could not bear to see another benefit at their expense, and therefore they would be quick to run to the judges to press their claims (Etz Yosef). From where is it derived? It is from what we read regarding the matter: “The Lord your God has multiplied you” (Deuteronomy 1:10).

(Deut. 32:1:) “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” This text is related (to Prov. 16:26), “The soul of a laborer labors for him, because his mouth (i.e., hunger) urges him on.” Why did Moses call to the heavens and the earth at the time of his passing away? [It was] simply to teach you that he called them to charge them concerning himself. He said to them, “Behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, has decreed over me that I am to die. Set your mind on how you will receive me in glory, so that you look at me as if I were alive and speaking words of Torah for the world.” (Deut. 32:1:) “Give ear, O heavens,” as I have already told you (in Deut. 4:26), “I have called heaven and earth to witness against you today.” See to it that you do not accuse¹Rt.: QTRG, from the Greek verb kategorein. Israel after my death,²See III Enoch 26:12 = Sefer Enoch: Seder Ruhot, in A. Jellinek, Beth ha-Midrasch (Leipzig: C. W. Vollfath, 1853–57), vol. 5, pp. 179–180. but be mindful, as if I were alive, standing up to ask mercy for [Israel]. Isaiah said (in Is. 1:2), “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth.” What was the reason for Isaiah saying, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth?” [It was] simply to teach you that all the words of the prophets are equivalent. Moses said, “Give ear, O heavens,” and Isaiah said, “Hear, O heavens.” R. Aqiva said, “[This] teaches that when Moses uttered the Torah, he was in the heavens, and that he was speaking with the heavens like one who is speaking with his friend, since he said, ‘Give ear, O heavens.’ But when he saw that the earth was far from him, he said, ‘Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.’ In the case of Isaiah, however, because he was on earth, he said, ‘Hear, O heavens,’ [since they were] far from him. After that he said, ‘And give ear, O earth, because it was near to him. (Is. 1:2, cont.:) “For the Lord has spoken.” They said to him, “Isaiah our teacher, if the Holy One, blessed be He, had spoken, would not the earth have quaked? Has it not already been stated (in Ps. 68:9), ‘The earth quaked, and the heavens [poured], because of the God of Sinai, [because of God, the God of Israel].’ The waters also trembled, as stated (in Ps. 93:4), ‘Than the roarings of many waters....’ When? [When] (in Exod. 20:1) ‘God spoke all these words, saying.’ If he had spoken with you, would you have lived?” It is comparable to a governor who entered a city. A prefect³Gk.: strategos. of that city came. When the governor came to speak with them, they became bewildered. In a few days, a certain bumpkin came. He said to them, “This is my friend, and I am accustomed to speak with him.” They said to him, “We cannot speak with him, but if he is your friend, speak with him on our behalf, and then [speak] with us [and let us know what he says].” [Similarly,] Israel said to Isaiah, “In our case he has called us his children, as stated (in Exod. 4:22), ‘Israel is My first-born son.’ It is also written (in Is. 46:3), ‘[Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob …,] the ones who have been borne by Me from birth, [carried from the womb].’ When He spoke with us at Sinai, our soul departed with His word. Should He speak with us [again], we shall die. But you are our master; draw near and listen, just as Moses our master did.” And what was this crown (status) that Isaiah had? What is stated (in Is. 49:5), “And now the Lord has spoken, the One who formed me in the womb to be His servant […].” Therefore is it stated (in Is. 32:1:) “Hear, O heavens….”

(Is. 1:2, cont.:) FOR THE LORD HAS SPOKEN. They said to Isaiah: If the Lord had spoken, would not the earth have quaked? Moreover, there is the text (of Ps. 68:9 [8]): THE EARTH QUAKED, AND THE HEAVENS POURED, <BECAUSE OF THE GOD OF SINAI, BECAUSE OF GOD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL>. The waters also trembled, as stated (in Ps. 93:4): THAN THE ROARINGS OF MANY WATERS. When? <When> (in Exod. 20:1) GOD SPOKE ALL THESE WORDS, SAYING. If he had spoken with you, would you⁴So the parallel text in Tanh., Deut. 10:1. The Biber text reads “I.” have lived? It is comparable to a governor who entered a city. A prefect⁵Gk.: strategos. of that city came. When the governor came to speak with them, they became bewildered. A certain bumpkin came. The governor said to them: This is my friend, and am accustomed to speak with him. They said to him: We cannot speak with him, but if he is your friend, speak with him on our behalf. Similarly, Israel said to Isaiah: In our case he has called us his children, as stated (in Exod. 4:22): ISRAEL IS MY FIRST-BORN SON. It is also written (in Is. 46:3) <HEARKEN UNTO ME, O HOUSE OF JACOB …,> THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN BORNE BY ME FROM BIRTH, <CARRIED FROM THE WOMB>. When he spoke with us at Horeb, our soul departed at his word. Should he speak with us <again>, we shall die. But you are our master. You draw near and listen, just as Moses our Master did. And what was this protection that Isaiah had? What is stated (in Is. 49:5): AND NOW THE LORD HAS SPOKEN, THE ONE WHO FORMED ME IN THE WOMB TO BE HIS SERVANT…. He therefore said (in Is. 32:1:) HEAR, O HEAVENS….