מדרש אויף תהילים 114:4

Another matter: “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai” – that is what the verse said: “You, the generation, see the word of the Lord: Have I been a wilderness for Israel or a land of deep darkness?…” (Jeremiah 2:31). The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Because you said to Moses: “Why did you take us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness?” (Numbers 21:5). Was I like a wilderness for Israel; did I act with them like in the wilderness? The way of the world is that a king of flesh and blood who goes out to the wilderness, does he find tranquility there as he would find it in the palace, or eating or drinking? You were slaves in Egypt and I took you out of there; I lay you down on fine beds,’ as it is stated: “God led the people roundabout [vayasev] via the wilderness” (Exodus 13:18). What is vayasev?¹ This root can also mean to recline on a bed. The midrash interprets vayasev as a verb meaning that he caused them to recline. It is that he lay them down in the manner of kings, recumbent upon their beds. Did I not place three caretakers for them: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam? Due to the merit of Moses you would eat the manna that the holy fathers did not see, as it is stated: “He fed you the manna that you did not know, and your fathers did not know” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Due to the merit of Aaron, I surrounded you with the clouds of glory, as it is stated: “He spread a cloud like a curtain” (Psalms 105:39).
How many clouds of glory surrounded Israel in the wilderness? Rabbi Hoshaya and Rabbi Yoshiya: Rabbi Yoshiya said: Five; four in the four directions, and one going before them. Rabbi Hoshaya said: Seven; four in the four directions of the heavens, one above them, one below them, and one going before them at a distance of three days, and it would strike the snakes, the scorpions, the serpents, and the boulders before them. If there was a low place, it would elevate it; if it was an elevated place, it would lower it and render it a plain, as it is stated: “Every valley will be elevated, and every mountain and hill will be lowered” (Isaiah 40:4). The well was due to the merit of Miriam, who recited song at the sea, as it is stated: “Miriam called to them: Sing to the Lord” (Exodus 15:21), and regarding the water of the well: Then Israel sang this song” (Numbers 21:17).
Rabbi Berekhya HaKohen said in the name of Rabbi Levi: A king of flesh and blood who has a province and he dispatched prominent people into it to conduct their affairs and administer their justice, who must be responsible for their sustenance? Is it not the residents of that province who must be responsible for them? But the Holy One blessed be He did not do so. Rather, he dispatched Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, as it is stated: “I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.” (Micah 6:4), and yet, it was due to their merit that [the people] were sustained. The manna was due to the merit of Moses. Know that it is due to the merit of Moses; when Moses departed, “The manna ceased on the following day” (Joshua 5:12). The clouds of glory were due to the merit of Aaron. From where do we derive it? When Aaron departed, what is written: “The spirit of the people became restive on the way” (Numbers 21:4), as the sun was beating down on them. The well was due to the merit of Miriam. What is written? “Miriam died there and was buried there” (Numbers 20:1). What is written thereafter? “There was no water for the congregation” (Numbers 20:2). Of what was the well constituted? It was a boulder. It was like a beehive, and it would roll and come with them on their journeys. When the banners would encamp and the Tabernacle would stand, that boulder would come and settle in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. The princes would stand over it and say: “Rise, well” (Numbers 21:17). Then I brought you the quails. “Have I been a wilderness for Israel” (Jeremiah 2:31) – did I conduct myself with you like a wilderness? Or was I “a land of deep darkness” (Jeremiah 2:31) – was it not I, by My own hand that I illuminated for you, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day…[to illuminate for them]” (Exodus 13:21).
Another matter: “Or a land of mapelya” (Jeremiah 2:31) – what is mapelya? Did I, perhaps, say to you that I am bringing good for you and I delayed it? Mapelya is nothing other than delay, as it is states: “But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, as they ripen late [afilot]” (Exodus 9:32).²The "p" in mapelya and the "f" in afilot represent the same Hebrew letter. No matter that the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel was lacking, as Joshua said: “Nothing of all the good things that the Lord spoke to the house of Israel was lacking; everything came about” (Joshua 21:43).
“Why did My people say: We separated from You [radnu]; [we will not come to You any longer]?” (Jeremiah 2:31) – what is radnu? It is the language of the Mishna: One who removes [harodeh] hot bread.³Terumot 10:3. Israel said: When the bread is baked in the oven and removed from it, can it be affixed in the oven again? We were in His hand like in an oven, as it is stated: “An oven for Him in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 31:9), and He exiled us to Babylon. What more can He ask from us?⁴After the exile there were those who said that just as the baked bread cannot be returned to the oven, so too the exiled Israelites cannot be reconnected to God (Maharzu).
Another matter: “Why did My people say: We separated from You [radnu]; we will not come to You any longer?” (Jeremiah 2:31) – what is radnu? It is just as it says: “For he ruled [rodeh] the entire region beyond the river” (I Kings 5:4). They said to Him: ‘You smashed the Temple, removed Your Divine Presence from us. What do you want from us? “We will not come to You any longer.”’ He said to them: ‘If only I were in the wilderness now. Where are all the miracles that I performed on your behalf?’ Likewise He says: “Would that I would be in the wilderness, in a wayfarers’ lodge, and I would leave my people…” (Jeremiah 9:11), where I would be lauded, as it is stated: “Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; rock dwellers will sing” (Isaiah 42:11). This is analogous to a prince who entered a province, and the residents of the province saw him and fled. He entered the second, and they fled from before him. He entered a city in ruins, and they greeted him and were lauding him. The prince said: This city is better than all the provinces. Here I will build a fine throne; here I will reside. So, when the Holy One blessed be He came to the sea, it fled from before Him, as it is stated: “The sea saw and fled” (Psalms 114:3), and likewise, “the mountains danced like rams” (Psalms 114:4). He came to the desolate wilderness; it greeted Him and lauded Him, as it is stated: “Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voice, with courtyards inhabited by Kedar; rock dwellers will sing.” He said: This city is better for Me than all the provinces. In it, I will build an inn and reside within it. They began rejoicing that the Holy One blessed be He resides in it, as it is stated: “Wilderness and wasteland will be glad, [and the desert shall rejoice]” (Isaiah 35:1).

(Numb. 1:1:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert.” This text is related (to Jer. 2:31), “0 generation, understand the word of the Lord, ‘Have I been a desert for Israel or a land of thick darkness?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Because you said to Moses (in Numb. 21:5), ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in the desert?’³Numb. R. 1:2. (Jer. 2:31:) ‘Have I been a desert for Israel?’ Did I act like a desert to you? Is it customary for a king of flesh and blood, when he leaves for the desert, [to find] easy living [there] just like that which he had found in his palace, either [palace] food or [palace] drink? However, when you were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and when I brought you out from there, I had you lie down on couches, as it states (Exod 13:18), ‘And the Lord made the people circumvent (Vayasev) through the desert.’” What is [the meaning of] ”circumvent?” It teaches that He made them recline in the way that kings dine (mesavin), reclining upon their beds. “And I did not even bring three fleas to trouble you. And I even raised up three redeemers for you to serve you, as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Through their merit, Israel was able to travel. Through the merit of Moses there was manna, as stated (Deut. 8:3), “And He subjected you to hunger [and then gave you manna to eat].” Through the merit of Aaron I surrounded you in clouds of glory, as stated (Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went in front of them during the day [in a pillar of cloud. And it is written (in Ps. 105:39), “He spread a cloud for a cover.” There were seven clouds: one from above, one from below, one from each of the four directions, and one going before them. [That last one] smote snakes and scorpions, leveled the mountains and valleys for them, and burned the thornbushes so that they sent up smoke. When all the kings of the East and West saw this, the peoples of the world said (in Cant. 3:6), “Who is this that comes up from the desert [like columns of smoke]?” It is also written (in Deut. 29:4), “your clothes did not wear out from upon you.” In the case of a baby, all the time that it was growing, its garments and clothes were growing along with it. Now the well [came] through the merit of Miriam, who uttered a song by the waters [of the Reed sea].⁴See above, Lev. 7:7. R. Berekhyah the Priest said in the name of R. Levi, “[The matter is comparable to] a king of flesh and blood who has a province. So he sends high ranking people into its midst to conduct their affairs and administer their justice. Who has to be responsible for their maintenance? Do not the people of the province have to be responsible for their maintenance? But the Holy One, blessed be He, did not act like that. Instead he sent out Moses, Aaron, [and Miriam], as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Thus through their merit, Israel was sustained. The manna was through the merit of Moses. You yourself know that it is so. When Moses passed away, what is written (in Josh. 5:12)? “The manna ceased on the next day (i.e., the day after Moses died).”⁵Heb.: MMHRT. The midrash understands MMHRT (“on the next day”) as two words, MHR and MT, which can be translated: “On the day after he died.” In adopting this interpretation the midrash goes against the weight of Rabbinic and other traditions that Moses died sometime during the month of Adar, usually on the seventh of that month (as in Qid. 38a; etc.), since (according Josh. 5:12) the manna did not cease until the sixteenth of Nisan. The interpretation here and in Numb. R. 1:2 may result from the simple assertion commonly found in Rabbinic sources (e.g., in TSot. 11:8 [10]; Ta‘an 9a.) that, when Moses died, the manna ceased. The clouds of glory [came] through the merit of Aaron. You yourself know that it is so. When Aaron passed away, what is written (in Numb. 21:4)? “But the temper of the people grew short on the way,” because the sun was shining down upon them (without a cloud cover). And the well [came] through the merit of Miriam,⁶See above, Lev. 7:7. since it is stated (in Numb. 20:1-2), “and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now the congregation had no water.” And how was [the well] constructed? Like a kind of boulder or a type of hive or a type of ball. It rolled along and came with them on the journeys.⁷See above, Lev. 7:7; below, Numb 6:35, 47-50. When the standards [for each tribe] came to rest and the tabernacle arose, the rock would come and settle down in the court of the tent of meeting. Then the princes would stand beside it and say (in the words of Numb. 21:17), “Rise up, O well”; and the well would rise up. After that, I brought them quails (cf. Numb. 11:31). (Jer. 2:31:) “Have I been a desert for Israel?” Have I treated you like a desert? (Ibid., cont.) “Or a land of utter darkness?” Did not I become a light for you, a light by My own glory? It is so stated (in Exod. 13:21:) “And the Lord went….” Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31): What is the meaning of “utter darkness? Have I [ever] said to you that I am bringing a benefit and delayed it? Utter darkness (rt.:'pl) can only be a term of delay, as it is used (in Exod. 9:32), “But the wheat and the spelt were not hurt, because they ripen late (i.e., are delayed: rt.:'pl).”⁸Below, Numb. 10:7; I Corinthians 10:4. Joshua said (in Josh. 21:45), “Not a thing has failed (npl) of any good thing which the Lord (your God) promised unto (you); it all came to you.” [And how are we to understand the rest of the verse] (in Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘we have let loose (radnu - rt.: rwd)’?” What is the meaning of “radnu?” The word is mishnaic (as in ter. 10:3), “one who removes (rwdh) a hot loaf” (adhering to an oven).⁹Bread is usually baked adhering to the roof or wall of the oven with the fire beneath. They (i.e., Israel) said, “When the bread is baked in the oven and is taken out of it, can it stick¹⁰Rt.: QB‘ (which normally means “fix in” or “fix on”). On the translation of this root, see Midrash Tanhuma (Jerusalem: Eshkol, 1971/72), vol. II, p. 647, n. 2, which regards it here as the equivalent of the root DBQ (which means (“stick to”). In a similar vein, see Wolf Einhorn’s commentary, Perush Maharzaw, on Numb. R. 1:2. Since the root QB‘ can also mean “rob” or “defraud,” the meaning for Israel would be that, as bread removed from an oven cannot stick to it again, neither can Israel once removed from Jerusalem ever defraud again. to the oven again? Now we in Jerusalem were as in an oven, as stated (in Is. 31:9), ‘says the Lord, who has a fire in Zion and has an oven in Jerusalem.’ Now You exiled us to Babylon. ‘What do you still want from us?’” [That is the meaning of] (Jer. 2:31:), “why did my people say, ‘radnu’” (i.e., he has already removed us from the oven of Jerusalem). Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘radnu?” What [is the meaning of] “radnu (rt.: rwd)?” Compare what is said (in I Kings 5:4), “For he subjugated (rwdh) everything beyond the river (i.e., West of the Euphrates), from Tipsah to Gaza.” They said to [the Holy One, blessed be He,], “You have destroyed for us the sanctuary, and You have taken away your Divine Presence from us. ‘Now what do You still want from us?’” (Jer. 2:31) [Why did my people say, “He has dominion over us (radnu)]”; He said to them, “Would that I were now in the desert, where I did those miracles for you.” And so does it state (in Jer. 9:1), “Would that I were in the desert, at an inn for wayfarers….” Where? Where I was praised,¹¹Rt.: QLS, a word related to the Gk.: kalos (“beautifully”). as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” [The matter] is comparable to a prince who entered a metropolis. When the inhabitants of the metropolis saw him, they fled. He entered a second one, and [again] they fled from him. He entered into another city that was ruined (harevah); and when the inhabitants saw him, they praised him. That prince said, “This city is better than all the metropolises. Here I will build myself a lodging place¹²Gk.: xenia (“guestchamber”).; here I will dwell.” Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to the sea, it fled from Him, as stated (in Ps. 114:3), “The sea saw [Him] and fled.” He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, [it also] fled, as stated (in Ps. 114:4), “The mountains danced like rams.” When he came to the desert wasteland (harevah), it received Him and praised Him, as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” He said, “This city is better than all of the cities. Here I will build a lodging place.” When He came down into its midst, they began rejoicing, because the Holy One, blessed be He, was dwelling in their midst, as stated (in Is. 35:1), “The desert and the arid land shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom like a crocus.”

"Hallelujah, sing to the Lord a new song," says Isaiah (Isaiah 43:18-19), "Do not remember the former things." (Isaiah 43:18-19) "The wild beasts will honor Me" (Isaiah 43:20). "This people have I formed for Myself" (Isaiah 43:21). The Almighty says: Just as I have made all things new, so shall you sing a new song to Me, as it is said: "Sing unto the Lord a new song." (Psalm 149:1) And who are these pious ones? They are the people of Israel. As it is written, "He raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David...to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father." (Psalms 148:14) Whenever Israel sees the Almighty, they become pious. They became pious when they saw Him at the Red Sea and sang a song, as it is said, "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord." (Exodus 15:1) They became righteous when they saw Him at Sinai, as it is said, "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright." (Proverbs 2:7) And what does it say there? "He kissed me," etc. They became righteous when they saw Him at the Tent of Meeting, as it is said, "And Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." (Leviticus 9:23-24) As it is said, "Rejoice, O ye righteous," etc. When they see Him in the world to come, they become pious, as it is said, "Let the praises of God be in the congregation of the pious." (Psalm 149:1) And they rejoice and are exceedingly glad in His presence, in the fire, hail, snow, and smoke, as it is said, "Praise the Lord from the earth," etc. (Psalm 148:7-14) From here we learn that there is nothing evil in heaven, neither fire, hail, snow, nor smoke, but they are from the earth, as it is said, "Praise the Lord from the earth." (Psalm 148:7) And so it is said, "No evil shall befall you." (Psalm 91:10) There is no evil in His presence. All evil is on earth. But if so, why does it say, "And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven?" (Genesis 19:24) The Almighty said, a decree shall come from the heavens and below it shall be done with fire. A stormy wind does his bidding, and even the hills and all the high places tremble. David said, the mountains will be weighed down by him who knows their weight." As it says (Isaiah 40:12), "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens with a span." And so it says (Psalm 147:4), "He counts the number of the stars, He calls them all by their names." Therefore it is said, "The heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), to teach that God created everything. David said, "Everything praises God." If a person does not want to give thanks and praise to his Creator, even a crawling creature or a bird with wings thanks Him, and it is not fitting for him. And so it says (Isaiah 43:20), "The beasts of the field shall honor Me." Therefore it is said, "The wild beasts and all cattle" (Psalm 148:10). The kings of the earth and all nations, princes, and all judges of the earth should have said, "The dragons and all deeps" (Psalm 148:7) first, and afterward, "Kings of the earth and all people" (Psalm 148:11), up to "Young men and maidens" (Psalm 148:12). What are "young men"? They are the same as "young" and "youth." But the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "The elders who are youthful." As it says (Psalm 103:5), "Your youth is renewed like the eagle's," and (Isaiah 40:31), "But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Therefore it says, "The elders with the young" (Psalm 148:12). "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted" (Psalm 148:13). But haven't we already said, "Let them praise the name of the Lord"? In the custom of the world, when a mortal king sits enthroned, he has chamberlains who accompany him in the procession of his reign, and when they sing, they also honor him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this; He has no chamberlains or ministers. As it says (Deuteronomy 3:24), "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" None other than He performs His work; He alone suspends the earth. As it says (Isaiah 44:24), "I, the Lord, am He that makes all things, that stretches forth the heavens alone, that spreads abroad the earth by Myself." Therefore He praises Himself alone, as it says, "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted." As it is written, "He has raised up a horn for his people... Sing to the Lord a new song." And it says in the giving of the Torah (Psalm 138:4), "All the kings of the earth will praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed." Did they really hear and want to accept your Torah? No. Until Michah the Morashtite came and explained, as it says (Michah 5:14), "And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations that have not hearkened." This teaches that they heard but did not accept. Then David came and gave thanks, as it says (Psalm 136:15), "You are the God who performs wonders..." David said, "I give thanks to you for the wonders you have done in the world, by making your Torah known to all the nations in the world, even though they did not want to accept it." This verse does not refer to strength, but to the Torah, as it says (Exodus 15:2), "The Lord is my strength and my song." Rabbi Abbahu said that it was revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He, that the nations of the world would not accept the Torah. So why did He offer it to them? This is God's way: He offers His creations what they cannot accept, and only then removes it from them. For the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come into conflict with His creations. Therefore it is said, "For high is His name alone is exalted."