Les Lamentations 3:22 Midrash : Eikhah Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

“It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased, for His mercies have not ended” (Lamentations 3:22).
“It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: After the Holy One blessed be He despairs of the righteous in this world, He then has mercy on them. That is what is written: “It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased.”
“They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23).
“They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” – Rabbi Alexandri said: Because You renew us each and every morning, we know that “great is Your faithfulness” regarding the revival of the dead. Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said: Because You renew us on the mornings of the kingdoms,⁴⁹New kingdoms arise and supplant the old ones, yet the Jewish people remain (Etz Yosef). we know that “great is Your faithfulness” to redeem us.
Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Each and every day, the Holy One blessed be He creates a band of new angels and they recite a new song and go on their way.⁵⁰They cease to exist. Rabbi Berekhya said: I responded to Rabbi Ḥelbo: ‘But is it not written: “Release me, as dawn is breaking”’ (Genesis 32:27)?⁵¹This is the guardian angel of Esau, who is still in existence. Apparently, angels do not cease to exist after only one day. He said to me: ‘Strangler, did you think you could strangle me?⁵²Did you think you could challenge me from an explicit verse? Gavriel and Mikhael are the supernal princes. All of them are replaced, but they are not replaced.’⁵³Some angels, such as Gavriel and Mikhael, and also the guardian angel of Esau, continue to exist.
Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, he said to him: ‘Do you say that each and every day the Holy One blessed be He creates a band of new angels and they recite a new song and go on their way?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘And where do they go?’ He said to him: ‘To where they were created from.’ He said to him: ‘Where are they created from?’ He said to him: ‘From the river of fire.’ He said to him: ‘How does the river of fire function?’ He said: ‘Like the Jordan, which does not stop at night and does not stop during the day.’ He said to him: ‘But the Jordan flows during the day and stops at night.’ He said to him: ‘I was watching at Beit Peor, and that Jordan, just as it flows during the day, so it flows at night.’ He said to him: ‘From where does that river of fire emerge?’ He said to him: ‘From the perspiration of the creatures that bear the Throne.’
“The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:24).
“The Lord is my portion, says my soul” – Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: [This is analogous] to a king who entered a province, and there were generals, captains, and commanders with him. The prominent leaders of the province resided in the middle of the province. One said: ‘I will take the generals to me.’ One said: ‘I will take the captains to me.’ One said: ‘I will take the commanders to me.’⁵⁴Each thought to curry favor with the different groups of attendants There was one clever one there. He said: ‘I will take the king, as all the others are replaced and the king is not replaced.’ Likewise, idolaters, some worship the sun, some worship the moon, some worship wood and stone. But Israel worships only the Holy One blessed be He. That is what is written: “The Lord is my portion, says my soul,” as I proclaim His unity twice daily, and say: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

To conquer with melodies. May God have mercy on us and bless us. As it is written (Lamentations 3:22): "The Lord's mercies are not consumed." We know that the mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He, endures forever, and His mercies are not exhausted. His mercy towards us is such that even when the nations of the world say (Psalms 47:5): "Let us destroy them from being a nation," His mercies do not cease upon us. Therefore, it is said: "The Lord's mercies are not consumed," and even greater than this is that You renew us and establish us anew every morning, as it is written (Lamentations 3:23): "They are new every morning." From this we know that Your faithfulness is great to all the inhabitants of the world. And the matter of faith that You spoke with our forefathers, when we came to Babylon, the renewal that You made for us, made it little and it passed. And when Moses saw the kingdom of Greece that oppressed us, he began to pray that it should fall into the hand of the staff of Levi, and he began to say (Deuteronomy 33:11): "Bless, Lord, his strength." Therefore, we say "Bless" with a blessing that blesses Your children, and what blessing do we bless them with? "The Lord bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24). And also here, "May God have mercy on us and bless us." And if You do so (Psalms 67:16), You will make known Your strength among the nations, as it is said: "That Your way may be known upon earth, Your salvation among all nations." And the Holy One, blessed be He, does not save Israel through their own actions, but to make known His might and to declare His Name. And Asaph said thus (Psalms 76:2): "In Judah is God known; His name is great in Israel." And it is said (Psalms 77:15): "Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph." And He saved them for the sake of His Name, to make known His might, so that the nations may not say, "We have prevailed over them." Rather, they will acknowledge Him, as it is said: "Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee" (Psalms 67:4). And thus it is said (Isaiah 35:1): "For as the earth bringeth forth her shoots." And it is said (Isaiah 43:21): "This people have I formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise."

Another thing, why does it say, "for His mercy endures forever"? The Lord does not show mercy to Israel for a year or two, but forever. And similarly, you can see that Moses gave them the Torah, which is called mercy, as it says (Proverbs 31:26), "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." And it was not taken away from them forever, but given to them as an inheritance, as it says (Deuteronomy 33:4), "Moses commanded us a law, as an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." And similarly, all the mercies that He did with them are forever, as it says (Lamentations 3:22), "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever." Another thing, "for He is good." [An analogy:] It is like a homeowner who used to lend to all the people of his city, and the people of his city would say, "Remember that homeowner for good, for he gives us all our needs during the rainy season." However, during the hot season, he would take three rocks from them. One person came and said, "I will give you everything in one rock." They left the first one and thanked the second one. Then one person came and said, "I will give it to you for free." Therefore, it is appropriate to give thanks to one who gives for free. Thus, the Lord sustains His creatures for free, and it is appropriate to give thanks to Him. Therefore, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good