Midras Mazmur 136:1: Bereshit Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

It is written: “The Lord tests the righteous, but He hates the wicked and the one who loves injustice” (Psalms 11:5) – Rabbi Yonatan said: A potter does not test flimsy jugs, as he would not be able to knock on them even once without breaking them. What does he test? Sturdy jugs, as even if he knocks on them several times, they do not break. So, too, the Holy One blessed be He does not test the wicked, but only the righteous, as it is stated: “The Lord tests the righteous,” and it is written: “God tested Abraham” (Genesis 22:1). Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥanina said: A linen producer, when he knows that his flax is high quality, the more he crushes it, the better it becomes, the more he beats it the more it improves. But when he knows that the flax is low quality, he would not be able to beat it even once without it breaking. So, too, the Holy One blessed be He does not test the wicked, but only the righteous, as it is stated: “The Lord tests the righteous.”
Rabbi Elazar said: This is analogous to a proprietor [of a farm] who had two cows, one strong and one feeble. Upon which does he place the yoke? Is it not upon the strong one? So, too, the Holy One blessed be He tests the righteous, as it is stated: “The Lord tests the righteous.” “The Lord tests the righteous” – this refers to Noah,¹¹Noah was commanded to enter the ark several days before the rain started (see Genesis 7:4). This was to test whether he would follow God’s commands. as it is stated: “The Lord said to Noah…as I have seen you to be righteous before Me in this generation.”
Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: We find that one speaks some of a person’s praises in his presence, and all of it [his praises] when not in his presence, as it says in Noah’s regard: “Noah was a righteous man, faultless [in his generation]” (Genesis 6:9) – when not in his presence; and it is written: “As I have seen you to be righteous¹²Omitting “faultless.” before Me in this generation” – when in his presence.
Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili said: We have found that one speaks some of the praises of the One who spoke and made the world come into being when in His presence,¹³When speaking to Him directly. as it is stated: “Say to God: How awesome are Your deeds…” (Psalms 66:3). And when not in His presence, it says: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness is forever” (Psalms 136:1).¹⁴Stressing that God’s goodness is forever, which goes beyond what the first verse says.

That is what is written: “Take from them one staff for each [mateh mateh] patrilineal house” (Numbers 17:17) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: My children have stumbled [matu matu]; they stumbled with the calf, they stumbled with the spies. Rabbi Levi said: Two tribes ascended to greatness – the tribe of priesthood and the tribe of kingship. You find that everything that is written regarding this one is written regarding that one: Anointment for this one, anointment for that one; mateh for this one¹³Numbers 17:23. and mateh for that one;¹⁴Psalms 110:2. covenant of salt for this one,¹⁵Numbers 18:19. covenant of salt for that one;¹⁶II Chronicles 13:5. “this time”¹⁷Genesis 29:34. for this one and “this time”¹⁸Genesis 29:35. for that one; crown [nezer] for this one,¹⁹Leviticus 8:9. crown [nezer] for that one;²⁰II Kings 11:12. approach for this one²¹Exodus 28:1. and approach for that one;²²Jeremiah 30:21. pedigree for this one²³Numbers 3:1–-4. and pedigree for that one;²⁴Ruth 4:18–22. frontplate for this one²⁵Leviticus 8:9. and frontplate for that one.²⁶Psalms 132:18.
Rabbi Levi said: “He will not withdraw His eyes [einav] from the righteous” (Job 36:7) – “His eyes” – his likeness [eino]²⁷He has descendants who are in his likeness. See Maharsha Megillah 13b., like the person who says: ‘The sample of [einohi] fruit.’²⁸Somebody who wants to sell fruit shows a sample. The sample shows the quality of the entire stock. “And kings upon the throne” (Job 36:7)²⁹This is the end of the verse quoted above, but it is not part of the flow of this passage. – Leah adopted the wisdom of thanks [hodaya], and masters of thanks [hodaya] were produced from her. Judah – “Judah recognized them, and said: She is more righteous than I”³⁰Hodaya can also mean to acknowledge. (Genesis 38:26); David said: “Give thanks [hodu] to the Lord, for He is good,” (Psalms 136:1); Daniel said: “I thank and praise [mehoda] You, God of my fathers” (Daniel 2:23).
Rachel adopted the wisdom of silence, and masters of silence were produced from her. Benjamin: “chalcedony [yashefe]” (Exodus 28:20),³¹This stone on the breastpiece of the High Priest had the name of Benjamin inscribed on it. there is a mouth [yesh peh]; he knew of the sale of Joseph, but did not tell. Saul: “But the matter of the kingship…he did not tell him” (I Samuel 10:16). Esther: “Esther did not disclose her birthplace or her people” (Esther 2:20).
“Therefore [al ken], she called his name” – everywhere that al ken is stated, it is a large population.
“And she ceased [vataamod] bearing” – who establishes [maamid] the woman’s standing in her house? It is her children.

To Solomon, give Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king. This is what the scripture says, "Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him" (Isaiah 3:10). Rabbi Isaac Luria explains that who is called a righteous person? This is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, "For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds" (Psalms 11:7). Why do we say that if we have merit, He will give us from our own, but if not, He will give us from His own righteousness? Is there a greater righteous person than God? Therefore, we say, "Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him." Another interpretation is that "Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him." Rabbi Ibo said, at the time when God created the world, He looked at what He had made and saw that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Rabbi Yosei bar Chanina said that when God wanted to send Moses to Egypt, Moses asked Him, "What is Your name?" God replied, "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14). You find written three times: "I will be," said the Lord, "mercifully, I created the world, and mercifully I will govern it." When Moses went and asked them, "What should we say to the righteous one of the world, who is good?" They replied, "The righteous one is good, and thus it says (Psalms 136:1), 'Give thanks to the Lord.' Another explanation: 'The fruit of His deeds' refers only to those righteous ones who leave the fruit of their actions to their children. Even David left the fruit of his actions to his son Solomon, as it says (2 Samuel 8:15), 'David administered justice and righteousness.' And even regarding Solomon, it says (Psalms 72:1), 'Give Your judgments to the king,' which means 'Give your judgments.' David said before the Lord, 'Master of the universe, give Your judgments to the king.' Just as You judge without witnesses and without warning, so may Solomon judge without witnesses and without warning.' The Lord replied, 'By your life, that is what I do,' as it says (1 Chronicles 29:23), 'And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord.' Is it possible for a person to sit on the throne of the Lord? Isn't it written (Daniel 7:9), 'Thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days sat.' Rather, [it means] that he judged as His agent, without witnesses and without warning. This is the judgment of prostitutes, as it says (1 Kings 3:16): "Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king." Rav said they were spirits, and Shmuel said they were actual prostitutes. Rabbi Benjamin said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda that they were prostitutes who had come before the king to be judged, as it says (ibid. 22-23): "One woman said, 'Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house,' etc. And the other woman said, 'No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.'" Rabbi Simon said that the judge must weigh their arguments, for since the king heard their case and ordered that the child be cut in two, he began to speak wisdom, saying, "The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that this judgment was to come before Him, therefore He created for man two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two legs, and two hands." He began by saying, "Cut the living child in two," but Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Elai said, "If I had been there, I would have put the executioner's cord around his neck. It was not enough that one died, but he would have sentenced the other to death as well." When they saw the king's scepter, they began to say (Ecclesiastes 10:16): "Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child." But when he said, "Give the living child to her and do not kill him," a heavenly voice came forth and said, "She is his mother." When Israel saw this, they said (1 Kings 10:8), "Happy are your people! How blessed are these servants of yours, who stand before you always, listening to your wisdom!" Rabbi Elazar said, "God appeared in three places: in the court of Shem, as it says (Genesis 38:26), 'She is more righteous than I'; in the court of Samuel, as it says (1 Samuel 12:5), 'And they said, 'I am a witness in this matter.' In the court of Shlomo, as it is said (1 Kings 3:27), 'Do not kill him, he is his mother.' How did Shlomo know this, since it is possible that the women exchanged the babies, and only a bat kol came forth and said, 'She is his mother.'