מדרש אויף זכריה 10:1

It [a cloud] is called by five names: Av (Judges 5:4), ed (Genesis 2:6), anan (Genesis 9:13), nesiim (Jeremiah 10:13), ḥaziz (Zechariah 10:1). Av – because it darkens [me’abev] the face of the firmament. Ed – because it ruins the celebration [eid] of the price gougers.³²Who profiteer during droughts. Anan – because it makes people tolerant [anavim] of one another. Nesiim – because it makes people regard each other as aristocrats [nesiim].³³People earn money from their crops. Ḥaziz – because it creates [colorful] spectacles [ḥezyonot] in the heavens, and because it causes the divine spirit to rest upon the people,³⁴Rain indicates divine favor (see section 5). as it says: “The vision [ḥazon] of Isaiah son of Amotz” (Isaiah 1:1).
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: Earth is called by four names, corresponding to its four seasons: Eretz (Genesis 1:1), tevel (I Samuel 2:8), adama (Genesis 1:25), arka (Jeremiah 10:11). Eretz – corresponding to the season of Nisan [spring], because it accelerates [meritza] production of its produce. Tevel – corresponding to the season of Tamuz [summer], because it brings flavor [metabelet] to its produce. Adama – corresponding to the season of Tishrei [autumn], as the ground becomes disparate clods of earth [adama]. Arka – corresponding to the season of Tevet [winter], because it causes its produce to wither [moreket].

How many rains must fall for the earth to produce fruits? Rabbi Meir says: At least two. Rabbi Yosei says: At least three. According to the opinion of Rabbi Meir, who said at least two, “the early rain and the late rain” (Deuteronomy 11:14); “the early rain” in Marḥeshvan and “the late rain” in Nisan. According to the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, who said at least three, “the early rain” in Kislev, “the late rain” in Nisan, and a rainfall in between, that is three.
Rabbi Dostai ben Rabbi Yanai said: That is what is written: “For He says to the snow: Be on the earth, and the rain He pours down [vegeshem matar vegeshem] (Job 37:6), these are three;¹⁸Vegeshem matar vegeshem literally means “and rain, downpour, and rain.” “the downpour of the rain [mitrot]” (Job 37:6), two, these are five. The Rabbis say: Seven; these five and “the early rain and the late rain,” – “the early rain” in Marḥeshvan, and “the late rain” in Nisan; these are seven.
Rabbi Abahu said: I was passing before the synagogue of the coppersmiths of Lod, and I heard the voice of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, who was sitting and expounding: The Rabbis said in the name of Ḥizkiya: When Israel performs the will of the Holy One blessed be He, He remembers the earth once¹⁹He remembers the earth by providing rain. and immediately it produces. What is the source? “You remember the earth and fulfill its desire, enriching it [tasherena] with abundance” (Psalms 65:10); that it produces one-tenth for you.²⁰A fuller version of this statement in found in Shir HaShirim Rabba 7:11: “If you merit it, [He] will enrich it [ta’ashirena], if you do not merit it, [He] will tithe [te’asrena] it, it will produce for you only one-tenth.” Tasherana is expounded as taasrena, produce one-tenth.
Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rav Pappi said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Sometimes He does so [brings rain] for the sake of a single person, for the sake of a single blade of grass, or for the sake of a single field, and the three of them are in a single verse, as it is stated: “Ask rain of the Lord at the time of the late rain: the Lord makes lightning and He will give them a rain shower; for a man, there will be grass in the field” (Zechariah 10:1), “for a man,” but not for men, for grass, but not for grasses, for a field, but not for fields.
“Bring all the tithe to the storehouse, [and let it be food in My house. Test Me now with this…if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out] an endless blessing [ad beli dai] [for you]” (Malachi 3:10). What is ad beli dai? Rabbi Yona bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: A matter regarding which it is impossible to say enough [dai]; this is blessing. Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rav: Until your lips will be worn out [yivlu] from saying, it is enough for us [dayenu].
For in this world, rains trouble the world, wayfarers are troubled by them, seafarers are troubled by them, as well as treaders in winepresses and roofers. But in the future, the Holy One blessed be He will transfer them into a blessing. What is the source? “I will render them and the surroundings of My hill a blessing, and I will cause the rain to fall in its season; rains of blessing will they be” (Ezekiel 34:26).

And lest you say: He who built the one did not build the other. (This is not so,) for it is written (Bereshith 10:6) "And the sons of Cham (the son of Noach): Kush, Mitzrayim, Fut and Canaan": Cham, who built the one (Chevron) built the other (Tzoan). Is it conceivable that first he built the ugly and then he built the beautiful! It must be that first he built the beautiful (Chevron), and then (with its "refuse") built the ugly (Tozan)! Because (the soil of) Chevron was choicer than that of Mitzrayim, it was, therefore, built first. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Chevron, the "refuse" of Eretz Yisrael is choicer than the choicest of Egypt, the choicest of all the (other) lands, how choice must Eretz Yisrael be!