“For the Lord will not forsake forever. For, if He torments, He will have compassion according to His abundant grace. For He does not afflict willingly and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:31–33).“For the Lord will not forsake forever” – as it were, He has not forsaken and He will not forsake. “For, if He torments, He will have compassion according to His abundant grace” – 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: “For, if He torments, He will have compassion.”“For He does not afflict willingly” – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: In two places Israel acted. In one, they acted with their mouths but not with their hearts, and in one, they acted with their hearts but did not act with their mouths. These are Sinai and Babylon. In Sinai, they acted with their mouths but not with their hearts. That is what is written: “But they beguiled Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue…” (Psalms 78:36). In Babylon, they acted with their hearts and not with their mouths.64When Nebuchadnezzar forced them to bow to his idol, they remained loyal to God in their hearts but not outwardly. That is what is written: “For He does not afflict willingly.” The Holy One blessed be He said: Let the mouth at Sinai come and atone for the mouth in Babylon, and let the heart in Babylon come and atone for the heart at Sinai. Nevertheless, “and torment the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33) – He placed over them “a man who is an adversary and an enemy,” this is Haman” (Esther 7:6); and He and made their wound more painful.