פּירוש אויף ישעיהו 57:17

“For their sinful greed I was angry” [57:17]. This means, because of sin, that is stealing and robbing, therefore the Holy One is angry. All transgressions come from money, that one steals from another. The first is encroaching on a boundary, ²The Hebrew term is “masig gevul,” and refers to improperly or unlawfully encroaching on a boundary, and can refer to anything that belongs to another person. the second jealousy, that somebody is jealous of his friend when he sees that he acquires something. Hatred is when he hates his friend. This also comes because of money. False oaths also come because of money. Desecration of God’s name is also because of money. This is when he wants to do something unjust to a gentile and the gentile learns of it. He has committed a great sin and no repentance helps. The gentile says about this that not only are their business dealings unjust, but their religion is also unjust, heaven forbid. Desecration of the Sabbath also comes from money, because many forbidden things are done on the Sabbath that should not be done. Many people, because of stinginess, eat nonkosher food. There are many very rich people who can well afford to hire a Jewish cook, poor Jewish maidens, and they would rather hire gentile maids who cook everything non-kosher, particularly in wealthy houses. The mistress of the house considers herself rich and important, and sleeps until late in the day, the maid makes everything non-kosher, since the mistress does not come into the kitchen. She is afraid to dirty her beautiful clothes. That is why the verse says here in the haftorah, “For their sinful greed I was angry” [57:17]. This means, because of the sin that their meal was cooked in a non-kosher way. Therefore, the Holy One is angry and He says, “sinful greed.” This means, the blessings over the meal are called, his greed. The same meal is not kosher. Because of the sin, I will not accept it and will remove My Shekhinah from you. The Shekhinah is not at the table where the meal is not kosher. The table compared to the altar and atones for the person. In the exile, when there is no Temple, the table is compared to the altar. Or, heaven forbid, when there is non-kosher food on the table, then the Shekhinah removes itself. Therefore, He says, “I struck and turned away” [57:17]. This means, I will remove My Shekhinah. The sin comes from stinginess, because he is not careful to have a Jewish cook.

For the iniquity of his thievery Heb. בִּצְעוֹ, his thievery.

ואכהו And smote him, namely, my people (ver. 14), or him that is of a contrite and humble spirit (ver. 15). It is the imperfect, for which the Hebrew language has no special form.²⁸Comp. I. E. on 1:21, and Note 43.

I became wroth at the beginning and I smote him, always hiding My face from his distress and I was wroth for he went rebelliously in the way of his heart. Transpose the verse and explain it thus: For the iniquity of his thievery and the fact that he went rebelliously in the way of his heart, I became wroth and smote him.