A Wise Man Scales the City of the Mighty and Moses Ascends to Heaven

"A wise man scales the city of the mighty" (Proverbs 21:22): "the city of the mighty" is the heavens, which are the city of the angels; "a wise man scales" is Moses, who ascended to the heavens; "and brings down the strength in which it trusted" is the Torah. And from where do we know that the ministering angels are called mighty? As it is said, "mighty in strength, who do His word" (Psalms 103:20). And from where do we know that Moses ascended on high? As it is said, "And Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3). And from where do we know that the Torah is called strength? As it is said, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11). Another interpretation of "And Moses went up to God": Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said: Before the Torah was given, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD" (Psalms 115:16) — neither could these go down nor could these go up. A parable of a king who married off his daughter and set decrees, and said, "Let the sons of Rome not go down to Syria, and the sons of Syria not go up to Rome." When he married off his daughter, he lifted the decree of the proclamations. So, before the Torah was given from the heavens, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD"; once the Torah was given, "And Moses went up to God," "And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20). It was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael: "And Jethro the priest of Midian heard" (Exodus 18:1) — what report did he hear that he came? He heard of the war of Amalek and came, for it is written beside it; these are the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Eliezer of Modi'in says: He heard of the giving of the Torah and came, for at the hour when the Torah was given to Israel, all the kings of the earth trembled in their palaces, as it is said, "and in His palace all of it says, Glory" (Psalms 29:9). At that hour all the kings of the nations of the world gathered before Balaam the wicked. They said to him: "Balaam, what is the nature of this, that the whole world is quaking? Perhaps the Holy One, blessed be He, is bringing a flood of water upon the world to destroy it?" He said to them: "Fools of the world! The Holy One, blessed be He, already swore that He would not bring a flood of water upon the world, as it is said, 'For this is like the waters of Noah to Me' (Isaiah 54:9)." They said to him: "Perhaps He is not bringing a flood of water, but He is bringing a flood of fire?" He said to them: "Neither a flood of water nor a flood of fire; He is giving Torah to His people, as it is said, 'The LORD will give strength to His people.'" When they all heard this matter from his mouth, each one of them went to his place.