Rabbi Azarya says in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: This is analogous to a king who had an orchard planted with rows of fig trees, of grapevines, of pomegranates, and of apples. He entrusted it to a sharecropper and went. Some time later, the king came and looked at the orchard to ascertain what it had produced. He found it filled with thorns and thistles.
He brought hewers to chop it down and he looked at the thorns and saw among them a single rose. He took it and smelled it and he was placated. The king said: ‘Due to this rose, the entire orchard will be spared.’ So too, the entire world was created only for the sake of the Torah.
After twenty-six generations, the Holy One blessed be He looked at His world to ascertain what it had accomplished and He found it filled with water upon water; the generation of Enosh, water upon water; the generation of the Flood, water upon water; the generation of the Dispersion, water upon water,6In Shir HaShirim Rabba (2:2) the text reads: The generation of Enosh was obliterated with water; the generation of the Flood was obliterated with water; the generation of the Dispersion, with water. and He brought hewers to chop it down, as it is stated: “The Lord sat at the Flood” (Psalms 29:10).
He saw one rose – this is Israel. He took it and smelled it, at the moment that He gave them the Ten Commandments, and He was placated. At the moment that they said: “We will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Due to this rose, the entire orchard will be spared, due to the merit of Torah and Israel, the world will be spared.’