"Who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked." Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said, "If one did not walk, where did he stand? And if he did not stand, where did he sit? And if he did not sit, where did he scoff?
Rather, this is to teach you that if he walked, his end will be to stand, and if he stood, his end will be to scoff. And if he scoffed, the verse says about him, 'He who mocks alone shall bear it' (Proverbs 9:12). This is to teach you that one mitzvah (good deed) leads to another, and one transgression leads to another. And if he neither walked, stood, nor sat, one might think that he will neither do good nor bad.
Therefore, the scripture tells us, 'But his delight is in the law of the Lord' (Psalms 1:2). Rabbi Berachiah said, "What is the scripture saying when it tells us, 'Do not be overly wicked' (Ecclesiastes 7:17)? It is telling us not to be wicked, but if you have already become wicked, do not add to it." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, "If a person sat and did not commit a transgression, he is rewarded as if he had done a mitzvah."
Rabbi Zeira said, "This applies only if he was tempted and overcame it, as it says, 'Depart from evil, and do good' (Psalms 34:15). Depart from evil in order to do good." And similarly, it says, "They have not done iniquity; they have walked in His ways" (Psalms 119:3). The school of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha taught: "Twenty 'praises' (ashrei) are written in the book of Psalms, corresponding to the twenty 'woes' (hoy) in the book of Isaiah."
Rabbi Tama asked, "How did Rabbi Yehoshua teach us that there are twenty 'praises' in the Psalms?" And I say, there are twenty-two. And why do they correspond to twenty-two letters? Concerning them, it says, 'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer' (Psalms 19:14).
They should be performed for generations, and inscribed for generations, the words of my mouth, and established for generations. And they should not be read as books, but rather they should be recited and receive reward for them like plagues and tents. 'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.' Rabbi Yirmiyah bar Shalom said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "What does it mean when it says, 'I will abide in Your tent forever' (Psalms 61:4)? Do you think that David was asking for a dwelling place in two worlds? Rather, David said, 'May they remember...'"