EXOD1031 There is a tension built into morality itself which results from an implicit conflict between two moral principles: justice and mercy. Justice implies fairness based on the principle of desert. The wicked are to be punished, and the good are to be rewarded according to the notion of "measure for measure." The rights of all are to be upheld; the needs of all are to be met. Mercy, however, implies a readiness to forgive, a willingness to give up one's rights in love for another. Mercy implies a benevolence which longs to shower goods upon all, regardless of whether they deserve it or not. We shall see in a later chapter that this is one of the fundamental problems in the relationship between Halakhah and morality. More important for now, however, are the implications of this implicit conflict as they bear upon our concept of God. For both justice and mercy are among God's attributes [this verse]. The 103rd Psalm is a paeon to God's compassion ... Yet in Psalm 78, where we read again that God, "being full of compassion, forgiveth iniquity," we were also told that "many a time doth He turn His anger away, and doth not stir up all His wrath." The element of punishment and retribution is not forgotten.