Midrash sa Mga Kawikaan 1:5: Midrash Mishlei, Bereshit Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

[5] (Proverbs 1:5): 'A wise man will hear, and will increase learning' - Rabbi Jeremiah said: If you see a wise man who becomes wiser in Torah, they will add Torah to his Torah, wisdom to his wisdom. 'And a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels' - If a person understands on his own, he will go and study Torah, acquiring for himself life in this world and life in the world to come....

“Craft for you an ark of cypress wood; you shall craft the ark with compartments, and you shall coat it within and without with pitch” (Genesis 6:14).
“Craft for you an ark of cypress wood” – Rabbi Isi said: In four places, this expression, “craft,” is stated; in three it [the material] is specified, and in one it is not specified. “Craft for you an ark of [cypress [gofer] wood]…” – Rabbi Natan said: An ark of the wood of kardinon.¹⁶Rabbi Natan translates the Hebrew gofer into a more commonly known word, kardinon. “Craft for you flint knives” (Joshua 5:2) – it was specified, knives of flint. “Craft for you silver trumpets” (Numbers 10:2), it was specified. “Craft for you a serpent” (Numbers 21:8) – it [its material] was not specified. Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Aivu: “Let the wise man hear and gain a lesson” (Proverbs 1:5) – this is Moses, as the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Craft for you a serpent” (Numbers 21:8), but did not specify [the material]. He said: ‘If I craft it of gold, this word is not related to that word; if of silver, this word is not related to that word.¹⁷Serpent [naḥash] does not correspond to gold [zahav] or silver [kesef]. But rather, I will craft it of bronze [neḥoshet], as the words are related,’ as it is stated: “Moses crafted a bronze serpent [neḥash] (Numbers 21:9).
From here we learn the Torah was given in the sacred tongue [Hebrew].¹⁸The similarity between the words for “serpent” and “bronze” occurs only in Hebrew. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥizkiya in the name of Rabbi Simon: Just as the Torah was given in the sacred tongue, so, the world was created in the sacred tongue. Have you ever heard anyone saying: Gyne,¹⁹“Woman” in Greek. gynea;²⁰This would be the masculine form of gyne, but it is not the Greek word for “man,” which is anthropos. anthropos,²¹Man in Greek. anthropa;²²This would be the feminine form of anthropos, but it is not the Greek word for “woman,” which is gyne. gavra,²³Man in Aramaic. gavreta?²⁴This would be the feminine form of gavra, but it is not the Aramaic word for “woman,” which is itta. There are completely different, unrelated words for man and woman in Greek and Aramaic. But ish and isha [makes sense]. Why, because one form corresponds to the other.²⁵Hebrew is the only language in which it makes sense to say, “This one shall be called Woman [isha], because this was taken from Man [ish]” (Genesis 2:23), as isha is the feminine form of ish.

"God of vengeance, shine forth!" (Psalm 94:1) Regarding this verse, the prophet Isaiah says, "Thus says the Lord: Egypt toil and Ethiopia and Seba, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; they shall walk after you; they shall come over in chains, and they shall fall down to you. They shall make supplication to you, saying: 'Surely God is with you, and there is none else; there is no other god'" (Isaiah 45:14). What is the meaning of "there is none else"? God says, "Where do you hide? There is strength within you, and your hidden power will be revealed." God of vengeance, shine forth! Rabbi and Rabbi Yonatan offer different interpretations of the phrase "flesh and blood conquers him, but the Holy One, blessed be He, conquers the wall" (Psalm 94:22). Rabbi says that it refers to a physical army that conquers a city's walls, while God conquers the army. This is based on the verse, "The Lord is a jealous God and avenging, the Lord avenges and He is full of wrath" (Nahum 1:2). Rabbi Yonatan says that it refers to envy, which conquers a person, but God conquers envy. This is based on the verse, "God is jealous and avenging" (Nahum 1:2). Rabbi Meir says, "You shall know in your heart that just as I disciplined you, so will I also do good to you and bestow My favor upon you" (Deuteronomy 8:5). God knows what actions you have done with Me and what I have done with you, and the suffering I have brought upon you was not based on your actions. Rather, it was for your benefit. Rabbi Shimon says, "Sufferings are beloved, for it is through them that the three precious gifts were given to Israel: the Torah, the World to Come, and the Land of Israel." The Torah is learned through discipline, as it says, "The wise shall hear and increase in learning, and the understanding shall acquire wise counsel" (Proverbs 1:5). The Land of Israel is given to those who accept discipline, as it says, "You shall know in your heart that just as a man disciplines his son, so does the Lord your God discipline you" (Deuteronomy 8:5). The World to Come is attained through the discipline of Torah and the understanding of Musar (moral instruction), as it says, "For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life" (Proverbs 6:23). Go and see which of these brings a person to the World to Come. It is suffering, for God has mercy on those who suffer, as it says, "For the Lord your God chastises you" (Deuteronomy 8:5). Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says, "Behold, it says (Proverbs 3:12), 'For whom the Lord loves, He reproves, as a father, the son in whom he delights.' Do not read it as 'reproves,' but as 'causes pain.' At the time of causing pain, one should ask, 'Who caused them to desire their Father in Heaven?' Rabbi Nathan says, 'Afflictions are beloved, for just as sacrifices are pleasing, so too afflictions are pleasing.' Concerning sacrifices, it says (Leviticus 1:4), 'And it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.' Concerning afflictions, it says (Lamentations 3:39), 'Why does a living person complain? A man, because of his sins.' Furthermore, afflictions are more beloved than sacrifices, for sacrifices involve monetary loss, while afflictions involve bodily pain, as it says (Job 2:4), 'Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.' Therefore, fortunate is the person whom God chastises, and from whose Torah he learns. He will have peaceful days in this world, until the wicked are destroyed. Rabbi Levi says, 'This is the Day of Judgment and the Day of Death.' The Sages say, 'This is Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, for the Lord will not abandon His people.' Rabbi Yishmael and Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani say, 'When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, He does what He does for their sake and for their inheritance. But when they do not do the will of the Omnipresent, He does what He does for the sake of His great Name.' The Sages say, 'For the people of the diaspora, He does what He does for Himself; for the people of the Land of Israel, He does what He does for their inheritance.' For the Lord will not abandon His people."...