"Say another thing and give me the shield of your salvation." Speaking of Abraham, who was sitting while the Shechinah (divine presence) was standing. Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of Rabbi Levi, "Abraham wanted to stand up, but the Holy One, blessed be He, told him to remain seated, for it is a good sign for your children that they will sit while I stand, as it is written (Psalms 82:1), 'God stands in the congregation of the mighty.'"
Rabbi Samuel bar Chiya and Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Chanina that whenever the children of Israel praise the Holy One, blessed be He, He places His Shechinah upon them. Why is this so? As it is said (Psalms 22:4), "Yet You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel." Rabbi Simon said that when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Abraham, He regretted His words.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the angels, "Go to him, and the Shechinah will accompany you and delay him until you have gone," as it is said (Genesis 18:22), "And the men turned from there." Rabbi Simon said that this is the correction of the scribes: that the Shechinah stands and waits for him. "Your answer will increase me." Rabbi Chiya said, "When a disciple goes before his teacher at night, who lights his lamp?
Not the disciple, but the Holy One, blessed be He, lights the lamp for Israel, as it is said (Exodus 13:21), 'And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud.'" "Your answer will increase me." Rabbi Lulianus said in the name of Rabbi Yishmael that in the custom of the world, the teacher speaks and the student answers. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so, as it is said (Exodus 19:19), "Moses will speak, and God will answer him with a voice."
"Your answer will increase me." Ben Azai said, "A mortal king, when he mentions his name, first mentions his titles and only then his name. But the Holy One, blessed be He, first mentions His name and only then His titles, as it says, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth' (Genesis 1:1). Woe to you who does not understand this!"
Rabbi Abba said, "Have you seen the difference between the conduct of the teacher and the student in the world? When the teacher is engrossed in Torah study and says to the student, 'You have wearied me with your questions,' the student goes and waits for him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, taught the Torah to Israel for forty days, and at the end said, 'You have wearied Me with your questions,' as it says, 'The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying...' (Deuteronomy 1:6).
Rabbi Shimon said, 'In the practice of the world, the teacher and student stand together, and the teacher says to the student, 'Go and wait for me in such-and-such a place,' and the student goes and waits for him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Ezekiel, 'Arise, go to the valley, and there I will speak with you' (Ezekiel 3:22). And it is written, 'So I arose and went to the valley' (Ezekiel 3:23).
Woe to you who does not understand this!" Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Hama, "In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will seat the Messiah King at His right hand, as it says, 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand"' (Psalm 110:1). And Abraham will be at His left, and his face will be confused, and he will say, 'The son of my son is sitting at Your right, and I am at Your left?'
And the Holy One, blessed be He, will appease him and say, 'The son of your son is at My right, and you are at My right as well,' as it says, 'The Lord is at your right hand' (Psalm 110:5). Woe to you who does not understand this!"