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.’