Midras 1 Raja-raja 18:1: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Esther Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

(Fol. 3) We are taught in a Baraitha: The sages did not make it incumbent upon man to make mention of dew and wind in the prayer; but if one desires to do so, he may. What is the reason? "Because," said R. Chanina, "dew and wind are never withheld." Whence do we know that dew is never withheld? It is written (I Kings 17, 1) Then said Elijah, the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, unto Achab, 'As the Lord the God of Israel liveth, before whom I have stood, there shall not be in these years dew or rain, etc.; and further, it is written (Ib. 18, 1) Go show thyself unto Achab; and I will give rain upon the face of the earth. But in the latter passage dew is not mentioned because it (Ib. b) was never withheld. If so, then why did Elijah swear that it [dew] would not fall? He said thus unto them: "Fructifying dew shall also not fall." Then, why did he [Elijah] not cause the return of fructifying dew? Because there is no distinction [between fructifying and non-fructifying, hence its return was not felt]. And whence do we know that the wind is not withheld? Said R. Joshua h. Levi: "Because it is said (Zech. 2, 10) For just as the four winds of heaven have I spread you abroad. What does the Holy One, praised be He! mean to say thereby? Shall I say that this is meaning: 'I scattered you over the four corners of the globe.' If so, then why does it say, as the four? It should say, over the four. Should we assume that He meant to say, that He will assemble you from the four corners of the globe? If so, then He ought to say from the four corners. We must, therefore, say that this is meaning: Just as the world cannot exist without wind, so also cannot the world exist without Israel."

“Many days” – days of suffering, and similarly: “It was during those many days…the children of Israel sighed due to the work, and they cried out, and their plea rose to God from the work” (Exodus 2:23). Were they, in fact, many days? Rather, because they were days of suffering, Scripture related to them as though they were many days.
Similarly: “Many days passed, and the word of the Lord was with Elijah in the third year...”²The third year of a drought decreed by Elijah. (I Kings 18:1). Were they, in fact, many days? Rather, because they were days of suffering, Scripture calls them many days. How many were they? Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Ḥelbo in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: One month in the first year, one month in the last year, and twelve months in the middle, for a total of fourteen months.
And similarly: “[And a woman, if her bloody discharge shall flow] many days” (Leviticus 15:25). Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: Days – two, many – three. Are they, in fact, many? Rather, because they are days of suffering, Scripture calls them many days.

(Lev. 15:25:) “And when a woman has had a discharge of blood for many days.” But are there not seven days in a menstrual period? So why did it call them “many days?” Simply because she is separated from her husband and they are days of suffering, they are called “many days.” Similarly (in Exod. 2:23), “And it came to pass in the course of those many days [that the king of Egypt died].” It calls them “many days,” because they were days of suffering.³³Cf. Lev. R. 19:5. [Likewise] (I Kings 18:1) “And it came to pass in those many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year.” And is it not that there were not [even] three years, but rather a month from the first, the whole second year and a month from the third? Simply because they were years of famine, they are called “many days.” Similarly (in Esther 1:4), “In his displaying the glory of his kingdom and the preciousness of the splendor of his greatness many days, one hundred and eighty days.” Simply because they were days of suffering, it calls them, “many days.” Similarly (in Joshua 11:18), “Joshua made war many days.” Similarly (in II Chronicles 16:3), “Israel has gone many days without the true God, without a priest to give instruction.” And [yet] it is written (Joshua 24:31), “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all of the days of the elders who had length of days.” It is simply that since they [also] worshipped idolatry, they are called, “many days.” Here too, because she is separated from her husband and they are days of suffering, they are called “many days.”