תהלים, פרק ק״ל, פסוק ג׳

A person stands before divine justice with a profound awareness of human weakness. The primary approach among commentators is that if God were to retain a strict record of human failures, refusing to forgive and instead holding onto every wrongdoing to punish the guilty, no individual could survive. The accumulated weight of these wrongdoings would be impossible to bear, leading to the complete destruction of humanity due to the sheer volume of their faults [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Recognizing this total lack of defense, a person is left with no ability to justify their actions in judgment. Therefore, this realization serves as an urgent plea for quick salvation and the complete erasure of past wrongs [אבן עזרא]. The sense of helplessness is so overwhelming that it brings about a deep fear: even if a person were to change their ways and beg for a pardon, God might still withhold His forgiveness [מאירי].

The root cause of this inability to survive strict justice lies in God's infinite nature. Because God is without limits, the obligation to serve Him is equally boundless. Consequently, even the slightest misstep is viewed as a massive, immeasurable rebellion. A human being, limited by nature, simply cannot fulfill such an infinite duty or endure the consequences of failing it [מלבי״ם].

Beyond the personal level, this inability to rise from failure has a broader impact, affecting the state of the Divine Presence in exile. Retaining a record of human wrongs does not merely crush the individual; it seemingly impacts God as well. If these faults are held against the people, it delays the rebuilding of the fallen tabernacle of David. Ultimately, this prevents the Divine Presence itself from rising out of its exile [אלשיך].