מדרש אויף ירמיהו 2:23

To the choirmaster. This refers to the verse (Numbers 21:19), "From Mattanah to Nahaliel." Rabbi Yehuda says that from the wilderness they merited to receive the Torah through Moses, as it says (Exodus 31:18), "And He gave to Moses." From Nahaliel they inherited idolatry, and they said to the calf (Exodus 32:4), "This is your God, O Israel." From the deaths in Mattanah they received the angel of death upon them, as it says (Numbers 14:35), "In this wilderness they shall die." From the deaths in the valley that they caused, the righteous one buried in the valley was affected. Jeremiah said to them (Jeremiah 2:23), "See your way in the valley." The Sages say that from Nahaliel they inherited to God as a deity and He inherited them as a nation. From the wilderness they received the Torah. David said, "Since this is the case, I will sing of both to the choirmaster, to the inheritance." Another explanation is that instead of saying "from Nahaliel," one should say "from my inheritance, to God." Because of the well that God gave them, they would sing a song and they had the water [like a river] so that any woman who wanted to go from her father's house to her husband's house would go by boat. And so David said (Psalm 107: 31-32) "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." The Assembly of Israel said: "Because the well was given to me as a gift, I inherited it." And thus it says (Lamentations 3: 24) "My portion is the Lord, says my soul." God said to them, "I am your portion and you are my portion," as it says (Deuteronomy 32: 9) "For the Lord's portion is his people." David said, "Since this is the case, I will sing about my inheritance." Regarding inheritance, we only say "the inheritances" about the inheritance that you gave me and the inheritance that I gave you. And from where did we learn that they were given an inheritance from the well? Before they drank from the well, what did they say? (Exodus 17: 7) "Is the Lord among us or not?" After they drank, they said (Exodus 24: 7) "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." We inherited you in two inheritances, and we inherited the Torah. And so David said (Psalm 119: 111) "Your testimonies are my heritage forever." "And the land of beauty, My inheritance, as it is said (Jeremiah 3:19): 'And I gave you a beautiful land, the inheritance of the glorious hosts of nations.' What are the hosts which everything is hidden in them? It is similar to a king who sat at his table and had many sons, and he loved the youngest and gave him gifts, and they had one field and everything was hidden in it. He said to them, 'This is mine.' Similarly, it says (Deuteronomy 32:8): 'When the Most High gave nations their inheritance.' To whom did He give His portion? To His small child. So too Jacob inherited his portion. And it is written (Amos 7:2): 'Who will rise up for Jacob, for he is small?' Even the Temple is an inheritance, and so it says (Numbers 24:5): 'How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel.' And how beautiful are they, like streams that branch out. Just as a person descends into a stream impure and emerges pure, so too the Temple is entered with sins and exited without them. And so Moses says (Deuteronomy 12:9): 'For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance.' The resting place is the land, and the inheritance is the Temple. David said, 'All that You have given us is good and pleasant,' as it says (Psalm 16:6): 'The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.' And so it says (Micah 7:8), "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for I have fallen but I will rise again. If I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "You have justified yourselves in the judgment, and I will call you (Isaiah 61:3), 'Eliezer, the righteousness of the plantings of the Lord, to glorify.'"

Chapter (67) 68: Prophets [1] "In the second year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai" (Haggai 1:1). Like the scriptures say: "A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level,the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5) [also look: Eikhah Rabbah 1:23]. "A voice calls out [in the wilderness]" [edit: ] . Rabbi Levi said: "Why is it called 'in the wilderness'? Rather, it is in accordance with the practice of the world. Just as someone who lost a valuable object does not search for it in the place where it was lost, but rather in a public place where many people pass through, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Israel to be lost in the wilderness, as it is said, 'In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die' (Numbers 14:35), and there He goes and seeks them. A voice calls out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way.' What should we prepare? He said to them, 'Remove the obstacles from among you.' As Laban said to Eliezer, 'Do not be delayed by me, now that the Lord has granted success to your journey. Let me see you off and send you on your way to my master' (Genesis 24:56). Laban had already uprooted [Rebecca] from here [Haran] for Eliezer's sake, as it is said, 'And I have set my face towards the Lord' (Genesis 24:27). And what about the place for the camels? He said to him, 'Rebecca does not steal in this place. And I have set my face towards the Lord.' And who will steal [the idols]? Rachel, who is destined to stand up [to Laban], will steal them and put them among the camels, as it is said, 'And Rachel took the teraphim * [*תְּרָפִים m.n. pl. a kind of household idols. Of uncertain origin. According to Neubauer and others, related to רֽפָאִים ᴵ (= shades, ghosts ).], and put them in the camel's saddle' (Genesis 31:34). Alternatively, 'And I have set my face towards the Lord' is a reference to the statue of Manasseh. And when was it [that it was hidden]? When Nebuchadnezzar went out to destroy it, as it is compared to a camel, as it is said, 'The burden upon beasts of burden' (Isaiah 21:7). The burden upon beasts of burden is the Messiah, and the burden upon a camel is Nebuchadnezzar. On the day that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, the Messiah was born, as it is said, 'And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one' (Isaiah 10:34), and 'a shoot shall grow out of the stock of Jesse' (Isaiah 11:1). Therefore, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God' (Isaiah 40:3), straighten yourselves like those whom I straightened out in the wilderness who were crooked, 'and let every valley be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low' (Isaiah 40:4), so that you will no longer be afraid of sin, as it is said, 'Look at your way in the valley' (Jeremiah 2:23)." Alternative interpretation: "All valleys will be exalted. I will carry Moshe, who was buried in a valley, as it is written 'And He buried him in the valley' (Deuteronomy 34:6). This can be compared to a wise man who entrusted his son to a scribe to learn Torah laws and teachings. When they came to appoint him as a wise man, he said, 'I swear that my son has not yet been appointed a wise man until his teacher comes and sanctifies him.' Similarly, Hashem entrusted Israel to Moshe and taught them everything, as it is written, 'See, I have taught you statutes and laws' (Deuteronomy 4:5). And the Messiah will come to redeem them, and Hashem says to him, 'I swear that my children will not be redeemed until Moshe Rabbeinu comes,' as it is written, 'I saw his beginning and ending' (Isaiah 41:4). Why do I carry him? 'Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill shall be made low' (Isaiah 40:4). These are the kingdoms, as it is written, 'And I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains' (Zechariah 6:1). And 'The crooked shall be made straight and the rough places smooth' (Isaiah 40:4). This refers to the evil inclination, as it is written, 'The heart is deceitful above all things' (Jeremiah 17:9). And 'The riders shall come down to the plain' (Isaiah 40:4). These are wicked people, as David says, 'You will hide them in the shelter of Your presence from the intrigues of men' (Psalms 31:21). Afterwards, 'And the glory of Hashem shall be revealed' (Isaiah 40:5), because in this world the prophets prophesy indirectly, saying, 'I saw Hashem standing by the altar' (Amos 9:1). Ezekiel says, 'The word of Hashem came to me and I saw visions by the river Kevar' (Ezekiel 1:1). Amos says, 'Behold, Hashem stood upon a wall with a plumb line' (Amos 7:7). "And the prophet Haggai prophesied about the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem" (Ezra 5:1), but in the future, everyone will see it, as it is said, "And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 40:5).

The congregation of Israel is destined to say before the Holy One Blessed be He: L-rd of the universe, (there is no hope for me, for) my witnesses (for the prosecution) remain (and are testifying against me), viz. (Devarim 4:26, 30:19) "I call to bear witness against you this day the heavens and the earth." He will respond: I will remove them, viz. (Isaiah 65:17) "For, behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth." Israel will then say: L-rd of the universe, I see places where I went astray and acted shamefully, viz. (Jeremiah 2:23) "See your way in the valley, know what you have done, etc.", and He will respond: I will remove them, viz. (Isaiah 40:4) "Every valley will be raised, etc." Israel will then say: L-rd of the universe, but my name remains! And He will respond: "I will remove it," viz. (Ibid. 62:2) "And you will be called by a new name." Israel: But L-rd of the universe, Your name is linked with that of the ba'alim. He: I will remove it, viz. (Hoshea 2:19) "And I will remove the names of ba'alim from her mouth." Israel: Still, those of my household use them. He (Ibid.): "They will not be mentioned again by their name." Afterwards Israel is destined to say: But You have already written (Jeremiah 3:1) "If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, can he return to her again?" He: Did I not write "a man"? And have I not already told you (Hoshea 11:9) "for I am G-d, and not a man!" And have I divorced you, house of Israel? Is it not already written (Isaiah 50:1) "Where is your mother's bill of divorce by which I sent her away, or to which of My creditors have I sold you!"