שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד שָׂ֭מַחְתִּי בְּאֹמְרִ֣ים לִ֑י בֵּ֖ית יְהוָ֣ה נֵלֵֽךְ׃
Isang Awit ng mga Pag-akyat, ni David. Nagalak ako nang sabihin nila sa akin: “Pumunta tayo sa bahay ng Walang-Hanggan.”
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
R. Joshua b. Levi said: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ps. 122, 2) Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Who caused that our feet shall conquer the enemy and stand within the gates of Jerusalem? Only the gates of Jerusalem in which the Torah was studied." R. Joshua b. Levi said further: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ib. ib. 1) I rejoiced when they said unto me: 'Let us go unto the house of the Lord.' David said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, I have heard people say, when will this man die, so that Solomon, his son, shall build the Holy Temple and we will rejoice?' The Holy One, praised be He! answered: (Ib. 84, 11) For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand; i.e., 'I like one day in which thou art occupied with the study of the Law more than the thousand burnt-offerings which Solomon, thy son, will sacrifice before Me in the future'."
Devarim Rabbah
This is what the verse said: “Acting with righteousness and justice is preferable to the Lord, more than an offering” (Proverbs 21:3). “Like an offering” is not written, but “more than an offering.” How is this so? Offerings are sacrificed and practiced only when the Temple is standing, but righteousness and justice are practiced when the Temple is standing and when the Temple is not standing. Another matter, offerings atone only for unwitting sinners, but righteousness and justice atone for both unwitting and intentional sinners. Another matter, offerings are practiced only in the lower worlds; righteousness and justice are practiced both in the upper worlds4In Heaven. and in the lower worlds. Another matter, offerings are practiced only in this world, but righteousness and justice are practiced both in this world and in the World to Come.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: When the Holy One blessed be He said to Natan: “Go and say to David My servant: So says the Lord: It will not be you who will build for Me a house in which to dwell, for I have not dwelled in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, I have been [going] from one tent or another, and from a Tabernacle” (I Chronicles 17:4–5). Anyone who sought to curse David, what would he say? ‘It would be good if the Temple would be built.’5That could happen only if David were to die. You may know this is so, for what did David say? ‘“I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the House of the Lord” (Psalms 122:1)6Despite their attempts to provoke me, I rejoiced when I thought about going to the House of the Lord. – they seek to taunt me, saying: You will not build it.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘By your life [I swear], I will not deduct even one moment from your life.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “When your days are completed and you lie with your fathers, I will establish after you your offspring, who will emerge from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom” (II Samuel 7:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The righteousness and justice that you practice are more beloved to Me than the Temple.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “David performed justice and righteousness [for his entire people]” (II Samuel 8:15). What is meant by “justice and righteousness for his entire people”?7Righteousness (tzedaka) connotes acting with kindness, which would seem to be the opposite of strict justice. Rabbi Yehuda and Rav Naḥman, one said: He would adjudicate a judgment, acquit the innocent party and condemn the guilty party, and if the guilty party did not have the means to pay [what the court had ordered], David would pay from his own money. That is “justice and righteousness.” Rav Naḥman said to him: If so, you would be encouraging Israel to engage in deception.8A poor man could conspire with another person to bring a suit to court, just to get money from David. What, then, is meant by “justice and righteousness”? He would adjudicate a judgment, acquit the innocent party and condemn the guilty party – that itself is “justice and righteousness,” as [in doing so] he removes the stolen money from his [the guilty one’s] possession.9In this manner, David was actually doing a favor for the guilty party by ordering him to pay. The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, since justice is so beloved before Me, be careful with it.’
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: When the Holy One blessed be He said to Natan: “Go and say to David My servant: So says the Lord: It will not be you who will build for Me a house in which to dwell, for I have not dwelled in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, I have been [going] from one tent or another, and from a Tabernacle” (I Chronicles 17:4–5). Anyone who sought to curse David, what would he say? ‘It would be good if the Temple would be built.’5That could happen only if David were to die. You may know this is so, for what did David say? ‘“I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the House of the Lord” (Psalms 122:1)6Despite their attempts to provoke me, I rejoiced when I thought about going to the House of the Lord. – they seek to taunt me, saying: You will not build it.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘By your life [I swear], I will not deduct even one moment from your life.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “When your days are completed and you lie with your fathers, I will establish after you your offspring, who will emerge from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom” (II Samuel 7:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The righteousness and justice that you practice are more beloved to Me than the Temple.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “David performed justice and righteousness [for his entire people]” (II Samuel 8:15). What is meant by “justice and righteousness for his entire people”?7Righteousness (tzedaka) connotes acting with kindness, which would seem to be the opposite of strict justice. Rabbi Yehuda and Rav Naḥman, one said: He would adjudicate a judgment, acquit the innocent party and condemn the guilty party, and if the guilty party did not have the means to pay [what the court had ordered], David would pay from his own money. That is “justice and righteousness.” Rav Naḥman said to him: If so, you would be encouraging Israel to engage in deception.8A poor man could conspire with another person to bring a suit to court, just to get money from David. What, then, is meant by “justice and righteousness”? He would adjudicate a judgment, acquit the innocent party and condemn the guilty party – that itself is “justice and righteousness,” as [in doing so] he removes the stolen money from his [the guilty one’s] possession.9In this manner, David was actually doing a favor for the guilty party by ordering him to pay. The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, since justice is so beloved before Me, be careful with it.’
Vayikra Rabbah
“Outside the curtain of the testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, ]Aaron[ shall arrange [yaarokh] it” – Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua said: Due to the merit of [what Aaron] “shall arrange [yaarokh],” you will be delivered from: “For [an inferno] is arranged [arukh] from yesterday” (Isaiah 30:33).28This is a reference to Gehenna. Rabbi Ḥanin said: Due to the merit of “to kindle a lamp continually” (Leviticus 24:2), you will merit to greet the lamp of the messianic king. What is the source? “There I will cause the horn of David to grow; I have prepared [arakhti] a lamp for My anointed one” (Psalms 132:17). And it says: “I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the House of the Lord” (Psalms 122:1).