Shemoth Rabba

The first derasha in Shemoth Rabba on Parashath Vayyera. (I imagine that it is taken somehow from the Tanchuma, but haven't gotten a chance to look it up.)

The Medrosh talks about the verse וּפָנִיתִי אֲנִי לִרְאוֹת חָכְמָה וְהוֹלֵלוֹת וְסִכְלוּת; כִּי מֶה הָאָדָם שֶׁיָּבוֹא אַחֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-כְּבָר עָשׂוּהוּ (Ecclesiastes 2:12).

The Medrosh applies the verse first to King Solomon, then to Moses, and implicitly compares them.

Solomon heard (or rather, read in the Torah): "ולא ירבה לא נשים, ולא יסור לבבו"-- The king should not have too many wives, so that his heart not go astray. Yet he said: "Feh! I don't believe what God said. I shall have as many wives as I like, and my heart will not go astray." So, what happened? He married many wives, and his heart went astray, and he worshipped עבודה זרה, and his kingdom was torn apart.

Moses, too, didn't believe God's word.

God had said to him (Exodus 3:19-20): וַאֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא-יִתֵּן אֶתְכֶם מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַהֲלֹךְ, וְלֹא בְּיָד חֲזָקָה. וְשָׁלַחְתִּי אֶת-יָדִי וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶת-מִצְרַיִם בְּכֹל נִפְלְאֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה בְּקִרְבּוֹ, וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן יְשַׁלַּח אֶתְכֶם. And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even with a strong hand. So I shall send forth My hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I shall do there-- and then he will send you out. Nevertheless, he complained to God after only a single meeting with Pharaoh, before performing any of the wonders, וְהַצֵּל לֹא הִצַּלְתָּ את-עַמֶּךָ, Yet Thou hast not redeemed Thy people!

So, the Middath Haddin, God's "Attribute of Justice", was furious at Moses, and began: וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל-מֹשֶׁה (Elôhim spoke to Moses). The midrashic thought-process often associates the words דַּבֵּר and אֱלֹהִים with the Attribute of stern Justice.

But then, the Middath Harahamim, God's "Attribute of Mercy", kicked in-- וַיּׁאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי יי. The midrashic thought-process often associates the verb אָמַר and the Tetragrammaton with the Attribute of Mercy.

The medrosh asks: What was it that caused the Middath Harahamim to take over, even though Moses had doubted God's prediction? It was that God saw what Moses's cause for complaint was-- namely, the fact that he felt compassion and caring for the poor, suffering Israelites.

Great are compassion and caring-- and altruism-- for they can turn divine Stern Justice into Divine Mercy.

(By implication, the medrosh is criticizing Solomon, who doubted God's prediction because he cared only about himself and his own desires, and therefore was punished.)