Rabbi Abahu said: The Holy One blessed be He [Himself] took the cup of blessing,53The cup of wine over which the wedding benedictions are recited. [as it were,] and gave a blessing to them. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Mikhael and Gavriel were the groomsmen of Adam the first man. Rabbi Samlai said: We have found that the Holy One blessed be He blesses grooms, adorns brides, visits the ill, and buries the dead.
He blesses grooms – from where is it derived? “God blessed them.” He adorns brides – from where is it derived? “The Lord God built the side” (Genesis 2:22).54See Bereshit Rabba 18:1.
He visits the ill – from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “The Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1).55God appeared to Abraham shortly after his circumcision. He buries the dead – from where is it derived? “He buried him56Moses. in the valley” (Deuteronomy 34:6).
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: He also consoles the mourner. That is what is written: “God appeared to Jacob again…[and He blessed him]” (Genesis 35:9). What blessing did He bless him? It was the blessing of mourners.57This took place immediately after Jacob’s mother died (see Rashi on that verse).