Midrash sa Mga Awit 55:23: Midrash Tehillim & Bereshit Rabbah

Another interpretation in the clouds. It says in the scripture (Deuteronomy 4:7), "For what great nation is there that has God close to it, as the Lord our God is whenever we call upon Him?" Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Yitzhak, "He has a patron in the flesh." They said to him, "Your son has been caught." He said to them, "I am responsible for him." They said to him, "But he is sentenced to death. Where is he, and where is his patron?" However, the Holy One, blessed be He, saved Moses from Pharaoh's sword, as it says (Exodus 18:4), "For the God of my father was my help." Rabbi Yannai said, "It is written (Exodus 2:15), 'And Moses fled from Pharaoh.' Can a person escape from a monarchy? But at the moment when Pharaoh's men caught him and were about to decapitate him with a sword, the hilt of the sword broke above the neck of Moses, as it says (Song of Songs 7:6), 'Your neck is like the tower of David.' This refers to the neck of Moses." Rabbi Avitar said, "Not only that, but the sword fell on the neck of the executioner, and Moses killed him, as it says (Exodus 18:4), 'And He saved me from Pharaoh's sword.' He saved me, but not the executioner." Rabbi Berachya called upon it (Proverbs 21:18), "The wicked are a ransom for the righteous." Rabbi Avin called upon it (ibid. 11:8), "The righteous one is saved from distress." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, "At the moment when Moses fled, all the inhabitants of Pharaoh's palace became dumb, deaf, and blind. To the dumb, he said, 'Where did Moses flee?' but they did not speak. To the deaf, he said, 'What is happening?' but they did not hear. To the blind, he said, 'What does Moses look like?' but they did not see. This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said (Exodus 4:11), 'Who gives a person speech?' There, you have the answer, but here I have none." Therefore, it is written (Deuteronomy 4:7), "For the Lord our God is close to us whenever we call upon Him." Rabbi Yudan said another interpretation: "He has a patron in the flesh." They said to him, "Your son has been caught." He said to them, "I am responsible for him." They said to him, "But he is sentenced to death." "And the Holy One, blessed be He, did not save Jonah from the belly of the fish, as it is said (Jonah 2:11), 'And the Lord spoke to the fish.' Rabbi Yudan said in his name, 'Flesh and blood have an advocate. When a time of trouble comes upon him suddenly, he does not immediately enter before him (God), but he comes and stands at the door of his advocate and calls to his servant and says, "So-and-so is at the door." But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. When a time of trouble comes upon Israel, he should not call upon Gabriel or Michael, but call upon him (God), and he will answer him. This is what is written (Joel 2:32), "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." Rabbi Alexandri related a story about a certain judge who used to deride others. He said to him, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'Alexander,' and he (the judge) turned away in contempt. The judge then asked him, 'What is the name of your advocate?' He replied, 'Alexander,' and the judge immediately rose to his feet and kissed him on his forehead, saying, 'My master, my master.' If one who is called by the name of flesh and blood can be saved from danger, how much more so one who is called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be He?' Rabbi Pinchas said two things in the name of Rabbi Zeira and one in the name of Rabbi Tanhum. Flesh and blood have an advocate. If one has burdened him excessively, he (the advocate) says, 'I have forgotten so-and-so who has burdened me too much.' But the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts whatever burdens Israel places upon Him, as it is said (Psalms 55:23), "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Flesh and blood have an advocate. If one's enemies seize him at the door of his home and he cries out to him (the advocate), the sword may fall upon his neck and kill him before he is rescued. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. He saved Jehoshaphat from the sword of Aram, as it is said (Chronicles II 18:31), "And Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him." This teaches that he only lacked humility. Rabbi Shimon said, flesh and blood have a relative; if he is rich, he acknowledges him, but if he is poor, he does not acknowledge him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. When Israel is in distress, he calls them "brothers" and "friends," as it is said (Psalms 122:8), "For my brethren and companions' sakes," and it is written (Exodus 33:11), "And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Rabbi Zeira said, a person has a son who is seen once in seventy years, and yet he kisses him on the forehead; but the Holy One, blessed be He, waits for the repentance of the wicked every day, as it is said (Ezekiel 33:11), "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Above the firmament are the Chayot (heavenly beings). Rabbi Chelbo said that even the Chayot move in a cycle of 490 years. The legs of the Chayot correspond to all the animals, and the Throne of Glory corresponds to everything above. When a person enters the synagogue and stands behind the pillar to whisper their prayer, the Lord listens. This is what is written, "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God whenever we call upon Him?" (Deuteronomy 4:7) Rabbi Chanina asked Rabbi Samuel, "What does it mean when it says in Lamentations 3:44, 'You covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through?'" He replied that the gates of prayer are sometimes open and sometimes closed, but the gates of tears are never closed. Why is this? Because the Lord our God is close to us. Rabbi Hoshea asked, "Which nation delays God like this one?" How is it that when elders sit and recall the past year, the Lord agrees with them? Concerning them, David said, "I will call upon the Most High God, who completes for me" (Psalm 57:3). Blessed be the name of the Lord our God who completes and finishes with Israel what they do. A mortal king decrees a decree, and even if people seek to annul it, they cannot do so, whether willingly or unwillingly, because they must fulfill his decree. However, if the king himself seeks to annul it, he can do so. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like that; rather, He upholds whatever the Sanhedrin decrees. When is this? On Rosh Hashanah, when the Sanhedrin sits and says, "Let Rosh Hashanah be on the second day of Shabbat or on the third day of Shabbat," immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, seats a Sanhedrin of angels and says to them, "Go and see if the lower court decreed and finalized it." They reply, "Master of the Universe, so they decreed." He then sits on that same day to judge His world, as it is stated (Psalms 47:6), "God has ascended amid shouts, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets." The thrones are brought out, the books are opened, and the Sanhedrin of angels sits before Him, as it is stated (Daniel 7:9), "I looked until thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took His seat." Some teach merit, while others teach obligation. Why? As it is stated (Psalms 81:5), "For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob." Israel decreed that day as Rosh Hashanah, and it is also an ordinance of the God of Jacob, for He upholds His decrees and agrees with them. As it is stated (Psalms 50:15), "Call upon Me on the day of distress; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me." He agrees with Israel's opinion. Know that this is so because it is written (Numbers 29:1), "There shall be a day of blowing the horn for you," and it is only said "for you" and not for Me. Similarly, it is stated (Leviticus 23:2), "These are My appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred assemblies." You shall proclaim them, whether in their proper time or not, for I have no appointed festivals except for these. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:7), "For what great nation is there that has God so near to them as the Lord our God is whenever we call upon Him?" And we call upon Him only for the sanctification of the festivals, as it is stated (Leviticus 23:4), "These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate at their appointed time." Rabbi Avin said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: If a mortal king has a relative who is taken captive, he is ashamed to say that And the Lord brought out the captive and insane Israelites and called them His close people, as it is said (Psalms 148:14), "He has raised up a horn for His people, the praise of all His faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to His heart." King David said, "Master of the Universe, even if a wicked person from among the Israelites comes and calls out to You, You answer them immediately, so that the nations of the world will not say that all faces are equal and that You answer me too." The Lord said to him, "I smile until you call Me, then I will answer you," as it is said (Psalms 50:15), "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." And it is said (Psalms 91:15), "When he calls on Me, I will answer him." And it is said (Isaiah 65:24), "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer." Nevertheless, his call must be sincere, as it is said (Psalms 145:18), "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." Anyone who calls upon Him in truth can say, "God is good to Israel," (Psalms 73:1), "But as for me, God's nearness is my good," (Psalms 73:28), "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him," (Lamentations 3:25), "Good is the Lord to the one who seeks refuge in Him," (Psalms 34:9), and "The Lord is good to the upright in heart."

“He purchased the tract of the field where he had pitched his tent from the possession of the children of Hamor, father of Shekhem, for one hundred kesita” (Genesis 33:19).
“He purchased the tract of the field where he had pitched his tent…for one hundred kesita”¹⁸Kesita is the name of a coin. – Rabbi Yudan bar Simon said: This is one of three places that the nations of the world cannot deride Israel and say: ‘They are stolen [property] in your hands,’ and these are: The Cave of Makhpela, the Temple, and Joseph’s tomb. The Cave of Makhpela, as it is written: “Abraham heeded Efron, and Abraham weighed for Efron [the money…]” (Genesis 23:16). The Temple, as it is written: “David gave to Ornan for the place [six hundred shekels worth of gold]” (I Chronicles 21:25). Joseph’s tomb – “he purchased the tract of the field” (Genesis 33:19); Jacob purchased Shekhem.
Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba, Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi, and Rabbi Shimon bar Ḥalafta forgot words from the Targum, and they came to a certain Arabian merchant to learn it from there.¹⁹To learn the meaning of words in the Targum from the language spoken by the Arabian. He heard his voice that he said to another: ‘Lift this yahava upon me.’ We understand from him that yahava is a burden, as it is stated: “Cast your burden [yehavekha] upon the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalms 55:23). In addition, he heard the voice of an Arabian who said to another: ‘Why are you mekhaseh me,’ but he wished to say: ‘Why are you me’aseh me,’ as it is written: “You will crush [ve’asotem] the wicked, for they will be ashes” (Malachi 3:21). In addition, they heard that a woman said to another: ‘Come to the bathhouse.’ She answered: “I am bereaved and lonely [vegalmuda]” (Isaiah 49:21). Galmuda – I am a menstruant. In addition, he heard another woman saying to another: ‘Lend me your broom,’ and she said: ‘Lend me metatekh,’ as it is stated: “I will sweep it with the broom [metateh] of destruction, the utterance of the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 14:23). [They heard women say to another woman:] ‘We came to arouse lelivyatakh’²⁰We came to wail with you. – “Who prepare for rousing their wailing [livyatan]” (Job 3:8). [And they heard:] ‘Lend me your diamond [kesitatekh].’ [And they heard:] ‘Take this lamb [kesita] out to the pasture.’²¹The price of one hundred kesita that Jacob paid could have been one hundred jewels or one hundred lambs.
“For one hundred kesita.” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: One hundred precious stones, one hundred sheep, one hundred sela. Rabbi Simon said: Kof – kamilia [jewel], samekh²²The letter samekh and the letter sin are interchangeable.– sela’im, tet – terayon [valuable coins]. Yod heh, what are they doing here? Rabbi Yehuda of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: These are gold pendants and emeralds that are typically placed in nose rings. Who writes the writ of sale? Rabbi Berekhya said: The Lord [Ya] writes the writ of sale. Who attests to the writ of sale? The Lord [Ya] attests to the writ of sale. That is the yod heh of kesita. That is what is written: “There the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord [Ya], a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord” (Psalms 122:4) – Ya attests on their behalf that they are the sons of their fathers. Here, too, He testified.

"I will pour out my words before Him" etc. This is how the righteous reveal their troubles before God. And so it is written, "A prayer for the poor, when he wraps himself up and so on." And Hannah also said, "For out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto." Therefore it is said, "I will pour out my words before Him." And the Lord said to David, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee" (Psalms 55:23).