Menachot 29b: Moses in the Study Hall of Rabbi Akiva
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב בשעה שעלה משה למרום מצאו להקב"ה שיושב וקושר כתרים לאותיות אמר לפניו רבש"ע מי מעכב על ידך אמר לו אדם אחד יש שעתיד להיות בסוף כמה דורות ועקיבא בן יוסף שמו שעתיד לדרוש על כל קוץ וקוץ תילין תילין של הלכות
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: When Moses ascended on High, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and tying crowns on the letters of the Torah. Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, who is preventing You from giving the Torah without these additions? God said to him: There is a man who is destined to be born after several generations, and Akiva ben Yosef is his name; he is destined to derive from each and every thorn of these crowns mounds upon mounds of halakhot. It is for his sake that the crowns must be added to the letters of the Torah.
אמר לפניו רבש"ע הראהו לי אמר לו חזור לאחורך הלך וישב בסוף שמונה שורות ולא היה יודע מה הן אומרים תשש כחו כיון שהגיע לדבר אחד אמרו לו תלמידיו רבי מנין לך אמר להן הלכה למשה מסיני נתיישבה דעתו
Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, show him to me. God said to him: Return behind you. Moses went and sat at the end of the eighth row in Rabbi Akiva’s study hall and did not understand what they were saying. Moses’ strength waned, as he thought his Torah knowledge was deficient. When Rabbi Akiva arrived at the discussion of one matter, his students said to him: My teacher, from where do you derive this? Rabbi Akiva said to them: It is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. When Moses heard this, his mind was put at ease, as this too was part of the Torah that he was to receive.
חזר ובא לפני הקב"ה אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם יש לך אדם כזה ואתה נותן תורה ע"י אמר לו שתוק כך עלה במחשבה לפני אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם הראיתני תורתו הראני שכרו אמר לו חזור [לאחורך] חזר לאחוריו ראה ששוקלין בשרו במקולין אמר לפניו רבש"ע זו תורה וזו שכרה א"ל שתוק כך עלה במחשבה לפני
Moses returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him: Master of the Universe, You have a man as great as this and yet You still choose to give the Torah through me. Why? God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me. Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, You have shown me Rabbi Akiva’s Torah, now show me his reward. God said to him: Return to where you were. Moses went back and saw that they were weighing Rabbi Akiva’s flesh in a butcher shop [bemakkulin], as Rabbi Akiva was tortured to death by the Romans. Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, this is Torah and this is its reward? God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me.
My story continues from here...
After visiting Rabbi Akiva's study hall and then seeing Akiva's reward, Moses asked, "Holy One of Blessing, what will become of my Torah and Akiva's Torah?" God said to Moses, "My people, Israel, will be the whole Torah and will be more than it as well. There is a man who is destined to be born after several generations and Yehuda Amichai is his name; he is destined to understand your people, and through him many will understand their reward." Moses said before God, "Ribono Shel Olam, show him to me." God said to Moses, "Walk forward." Moses walked forward and was in the Land of Israel, but he did not know it. In a small apartment he saw Yehuda Amichai expounding on the four children at a Passover Seder. Amichai said, "One who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know how to ask. But it doesn’t tell us about the one who is good or the one who loves. This is the question that has no answer and if there were an answer I would not want to know it. I who passed all the sons in different combinations, I lived my life, the moon shone on me though I had no need for it and the sun went its way and the Passover holidays passed without answer. What has changed, Change is God and death is God’s prophet." ( So too, Amichai said, "God represents change because the people of Israel will always move forward with their God and God's Torah in many different forms. We know this from our morning blessing, 'Baruch atah Adonai, HaMeichin Mitzadei Gaver.'" Someone at the table asked, "But how is God's prophet death?" Amichai answered, "God's prophet speaks truth, and death is the unending truth present for every one of God's creations."
Moses returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be God and said, "Divine Instructor, this man has the understanding of generations of peoplehood and suffering. You have more people like this and you still choose to give the Torah to me here and now?" God said to him: "This is my decision." Moses asked regarding the people at Amichai's seder table, "What is their reward?" God said to him, "Turn to your right." Moses looked and saw many seder tables, so numerous that they appeared to him to be stars in the sky. And in that moment, Moses understood.