“[The Lord] says: build up, build up a highway, clear a road, remove all obstacles” [57:14]. This means, clean out the road and remove the obstacles. This is the Evil Inclination that makes the person stumble and fall, so that one cannot follow the proper path. The evildoer is full of evil thoughts. The person should not think, how does the Holy One have His thoughts on me, humble, weak person? He does not observe my transgressions, since He is very high in heaven. Similarly, how should the Holy One hear my repentance, because the Holy One is very important and lives in the high heaven? Therefore, the prophet said: “I dwell on high, in holiness, etc.” [57:15]. This means, the Holy One said: I am high, among holy angels in the high heaven, yet at the same time I am also among the people on the earth who consider themselves humble and have a broken heart. Even though they are in the exile and have troubles, they should not think that I do not think of them, but I will not war with them and torment them forever.
“I who make spirits flag” [57:16]. This means, the soul is a spirit for me. I have given the same spirit into the person’s body, which can make the body good. The body commits transgressions because it is from the earth.1Radak, Isaiah, 57:14
“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.
“I note how they fare and will heal them” [57:18]. He said: when the person will hold himself humble and will repent, I will give him a good reward, because he has suffered exile and travails for Me. Whoever accepts the exile and travails and becomes humble through them, I will give him a good reward.3Rashi, Isaiah, 57:18.
“Heartening, comforting words” [57:19]. The Holy One said: I do not desire sacrifices or much mortification of the body, but the words of the mouth and recognition of the transgression that he did before Me. This is the meaning of “heartening, comforting words” [57:19]. I have created speech of the mouth, therefore speak to Me. The transgressions that are between a person and his friend, when he is angry with his friend, Yom Kippur does not help with this. He must make peace with him. Therefore it says here, “peace, peace to the distant and the near” [57:19]. That is to say, you should make peace with and ask forgiveness of strangers and those close to you.
Our sages learn from the verse that the penitents have a better place in the Garden of Eden than the righteous. Therefore, the verse first says, “to the distant.” This means, the evildoer who was far from the Holy One because of his evil deeds and has repented, the Holy One forgives him first.4Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah, Remez, 488.
What happens with the evildoer who sins and has arrogance in his heart? He forgets the Holy One, as the verse says, “your heart grow haughty and you forget” [Deuteronomy, 8:14]. This means, the haughty heart causes you to forget God. Therefore, it says here, “but the wicked are like the troubled sea” [57:20]. That is to say, the waves of the sea; one is greater than the other one. One wave sees the other wave crash against the barrier and it disappears. Immediately, other waves come and make themselves high, even though they too will disappear. The evildoers are also like this. They say that they will do all evil, even though they will go to Gehenna.5Rashi, Isaiah, 57:20.
“There is no peace for the wicked” [57:21]. That is to say, the Holy One said: I will give the evildoers no peace and I will let them be warned by the prophets, in order to punish them, so that they should not say, we did not know what is a your sin. Therefore, the verse says here, “cry with full throat, without restraint; raise your voice, like a ram’s horn” [58:1]. This means, cry with your throat, shout very loud, like a ram’s horn, and tell Israel all of their sins. These same evildoers present themselves as very pious, just like they would love Me, God. They bow down at Modim [we thank you] often. Therefore the verse says, “they seek me daily” [58:2]. They come into the synagogue to seek Me, just like they wanted to know My path. Therefore he says, “eager to learn My ways” [58:2]. They always seek Me and do not desire to observe this. They fast and they do not receive what they desire. He says, why should we fast? Should we torment our bodies because He heeds our fasts? Concerning this, the verse says, “why, when we fasted, did You pay no heed?” [58:3]. That is to say, we fast and God does not look upon our fasts and we torment our bodies and you do not want to know. The Holy One responds, “because on your fast day you see to your business” [58:3]. That is, how should I accept your fasts when you fast? You follow all of you desires. You play cards and discuss the news. You spend the day and sometimes engage in slander about people in the course of your conversation.6Radak, Isaiah, 58:3.
“You fast in strife and contention” [58:4]. Your fasts are full of contention.
“And oppress all your laborers” [58:3]. That is to say, you fast only occasionally. He cannot digest his food. He eats after the fast with great desire. This is the meaning of “And oppress all your laborers” [58:3]. You want to chase away your mourning and sickness with the fast. He makes a doctor out of the fast.
“Your fasting today is not such as to make your voice heard on high” [58:4]. That is to say, you do not fast when it properly breaks your heart, for then the Holy One would accept your voice.7Rashi, Isaiah, 58:4.
“Is such the fast, etc.” [58:5]. That is to say, is this called fasting, to torment your body, bow Modim deeply, and wear a sack, and ashes on his head? You think that you have fasted properly? God does not desire this. Rather, “to unlock fetters of wickedness and unite the cords of the yoke” [58:6]. That is to say, open the buttons of your heart and the things you have against your friend and make peace with him. Help the poor and lend him money before he falls very low. It is a very meritorious thing to lend the pauper, more than to give him charity. When you have a servant of the children of Israel, do not torment them with heavy labor.8Radak, Isaiah, 58:5.
“Share your bread with the hungry” [58:7]. Honor guests who are poor. There are many people who, when they see a rich guest, pull on his sleeve and tear at his sleeve and his garment until he must go and eat with them. However, he does not look at the poor person. Therefore, it says, “share your bread.” Give your bread to eat, to the poor person who is hungry. Do not think about honoring those who are sated. Therefore, it says in two ways, “Share your bread with the hungry” [58:7]. This means, you should put aside a portion to send to those who are hungry, to their homes. Afterwards it says, “take the wretched poor into your house” [58:7]. This means that you should take the poor into your house to feed them. “When you see the naked to clothe them” [58:7]. This means that when you see poor people with torn clothes; make them clothes. “Not to ignore your own kin” [58:7]. You should not ignore your relatives. You want to disown them because they are poor.
“Then shall your light burst through like the dawn” [58:8]. This means that his fortune will shine like the morning star.9Rashi, Isaiah, 58:8.
“And your vindicator will go before you” [58:8]. This means that your charity will go before you in the world to come and will speak on your behalf.
“The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard” [58:8]. You will be incorporated with honor among the righteous in the world to come.
“Then when you shall call, the Lord will answer” [58:9]. This means that the Holy One will reward your desires that you desire.
“And you offer your compassion to the hungry” [58:10]. You should honor the poor person with a good heart. Then the Holy One will illumine the darkness for you. That is to say, when you will have troubles, the Holy One will rescue you.
“The Lord will guide you always” [58:11]. The Holy One’s thoughts will be positive for you. From the haftorah we can learn that fasting alone does not help, but giving charity does. This is because all the sins come through money. Therefore, it is correct that he should give charity from his money. Through this, he will remove himself from the evil deeds that come from money. Since this is a day on which we cannot enjoy delights, like all the other holidays. Therefore, our sages learned from the haftorah, “the Lord’s holy day honored” [58:13]. This means, sanctify the day by wearing beautiful clothes. Therefore, each person should also take to heart if he committed a sin by thinking about a woman. Many people commit sins with their thoughts. The Evil Inclination is particularly strong with regard to women. Therefore, we read the Torah portion concerning illicit sex in the synagogue, that one should not sleep with strange women and have no thoughts about them.
We will write about customs of Yom Kippur. Every person should know how to behave when he recites the Ashamnu prayer. He should stand and when he has recited it by himself, she should recite it again together with the cantor. If a person had committed a sin in a previous year and had prayed about it and had previously repented on a previous Yom Kippur, yet he should remember it every Yom Kippur and should pray about it, even if he did not commit this sin in this year.
One immerses in the mikvah on the eve of Yom Kippur because of seminal emissions. He does not have to immerse himself more than one time, without a blessing. If someone had a relative die between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, he is still allowed to immerse himself on the eve of Yom Kippur. Even though one is not supposed wash oneself in the first thirty days of mourning, he is allowed to immerse himself to fulfill a commandment on the eve of Yom Kippur.
On the eve of Yom Kippur he should eat a light meal that he can easily digest and should not overeat. He should not eat spicy foods, so that he should not allow himself to be overheated and have a seminal emission, heaven forbid, on Yom Kippur. He should not eat dairy on Yom Kippur, which contains semen, but on the morning of the eve of Yom Kippur it is the custom to eat dairy foods.
If someone has extinguished a light, he should not ask a gentile to light it, but he should light it after the end of Yom Kippur and allow it to burn to the end.
A woman who has recently given birth is allowed to wear shoes in the first four weeks, since it is a danger to go barefoot. If it rains, one is allowed to wear shoes to the synagogue. A woman who has given birth within the last three days, then she is certainly allowed to eat on Yom Kippur. If she had a child on the seventh day of Tishrei, in the evening, then she is allowed to eat on Yom Kippur, just like a sick person who is told by a physician that it is a danger if they do not eat. Then, it is permitted to feed him. If the sick person says that he does not need to eat and the physician says that he needs to eat, then he is fed. If the person says that he needs to eat and even if a hundred physicians say that he does not need to be fed, then we follow the sick person. If a physician says that the person needs to be fed and if someone says that he does not need to be fed then follow the person who says that he should be fed. One should be warned that if one feeds the mother or the sick person, one should not give them too much to eat at one time.
We will again write about repentance to people. Has the Holy One given us only one day to forgive the sins? Therefore, he should reflect on it before he dies. The Sefer Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer writes. Rabbi Simeon the son of Lakish, with two friends, stole much and did many evil deeds. Rabbi Simeon did a great act of repentance through fasting, prayer and Torah study, for the evil things that he had done. He and his two friends died on the same day. Rabbi Simeon came to the Garden of Eden and his friends came to Gehenna. His two friends said: Lord of the Universe, is there injustice in heaven Rabbi Simeon came to the Garden of Eden and we to Gehenna? The Holy One responded: Rabbi Simeon repented and you did not repent. They said: we would have also repented. The Holy One said: one does not repent after death.10Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 43. A parable. A person travels on the sea, but if he does not buy bread on the dry land, then he will not have what to eat on the sea. Similarly, whoever does not repent during his lifetime, he cannot do it later. The person who dies without repenting, that he did not reflect on his sins before his death, he would be punished severely in the next world.11Sefer ha-Musar, ch. 2, p. 37. The passage from Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer immediately preceding this also immediately precedes the parable in the Sefer ha-Musar.
It is written in the Sefer Ha-Musar. The person dies without repenting is like a king who has many ministers he loves and considers to be honest. These ministers made an agreement to steal the best silver and gold vessels and precious stones from the king’s treasury. They broke into the treasury at night and stole the best things. One day, the king came into the treasury and saw that all the best vessels have been stolen. The king inquired and investigated. The king was told that his most beloved ministers did this. The king was very despondent, but out of great love he was not concerned with the precious vessels. The king said that the ministers are honest and they would not do this. The king said that it is a lie. The ministers are honest and they would not do this. The people said to the king. You will find the stolen items with the ministers. The king reflected; what should I do? If they have the stolen items, they will be put to death. I will not be able to save them. The king had to order that they be brought to trial, and see if they had the stolen items. On the way, before one reached the king, there was a body of water. The king secretly sent a message to the ministers who had the stolen items. He informed them that they should throw the stolen items into the water. He would pardon them for the theft and they would remain alive. Do not despair about the gold and precious stones. The ministers threw the vessels and the gold into the water, but one of them kept the stolen goods. They came before the king and they did not find anything. They searched the one and found the precious stones on him. The king became angry and said: why did you not throw the stolen goods into the water like the other ministers? He could not answer. The king said: you must die. Your second sin is worse than your first sin. The first sin, that you stole the goods, came from your Evil Inclination. However, I told you that you should throw it away in the hope that you would be protected from death. In particular, you saw your colleagues throw it into the water and you did not follow them. Since you trivialized my command and did not reflect on it, therefore you must suffer the bitter death. The king commanded that he be put to death with a bitter death. The king sent for his friends, the other ministers; honored them and was very happy with them. So too is the king, the Holy One, who commands that we repent in the hope we will not die, as the verse says, “turn back from your evil ways that you may not die” [Ezekiel, 33:11]. This means, repent from your evil ways. Therefore, penance, charity and prayer because you will die. Repentance means that one should fast, prayer through praying, charity through giving money to the poor. This is best, since charity atones for sins and makes the person rich.12Sefer ha-Musar, ch. 2, p. 49.
We find a story about two brothers in [Midrash] Rabbati, parshat Behukotai. One was very charitable and the other one gave no charity at all. One sold his house and everything that he had and gave it to the poor as charity. One time, on Hoshanah Rabbah, his wife gave him ten gulden to buy something for his children. He encountered a communal official collecting money to have a dress made for a bride who was an orphan. The official said: give me your portion for the orphan. He took the ten gulden that his wife had given him and gave it to the official. He was ashamed to go home, so he went to the synagogue. Youths had thrown the etrogs into the synagogue. The custom was that the youths played with the etrogs on Hoshanah Rabbah. The one who had given the charity took the etrogs and filled a sack with them and traveled overseas. He came to a city where the king of the land had a stomach ailment. He had a dream about what would cure him. He must eat etrogs that the Jews had blessed on Sukkot in the synagogue. The king authorized a search, but nobody could find them. They searched in all the cities and all the ships at sea. They asked him: do you have something to sell? He answered: I am a poor man. They inspected his sack and found the etrogs. They asked him: what is this? He said: they are etrogs that the Jews blessed on Sukkot. They took the sack with the etrogs and brought them before the king. He ate them and the king became healthy from them. The king had the sack filled with gold gulden and said to the Jew. What do you desire? He said: I should be given back my house and everything that I sold and I want to give the money again and the whole city should welcome me. The king said that it would be done. As soon as he came to his city, it was announced that he should be welcomed. They went to welcome him and his brother, wife and children also went to welcome him. There was a body of water on the way and his brother along with his whole household drowned and the one who had given charity inherited all the goods and money belonging to his brother. Concerning this, the verse says, “for He pays a man according to his actions” [Job 34:11]. This means, as the person earns, so does God pay him. Therefore, see what charity is.13Leviticus Rabbah, 37.2.