תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף לא עמוד ב
אמר רב הונא ראש חדש אב שחל להיות בשבת מפטירין אחדשיכם ומועדיכם שנאה נפשי היו עלי לטרח. מאי היו עלי לטרח? אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: לא דיין להם לישראל שחוטאין לפני, אלא שמטריחין אותי לידע איזו גזירה קשה אביא עליהם. בתשעה באב גופיה מאי מפטרינן? אמר רב: באיכה היתה לזונה
Talmud Bavli, Megillah 4b
When Rosh Chodesh Av falls out on Shabbat, we read as haftara: "Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates: they are a trouble to Me" (Chodsheikhem u-mo'adeikhem") (Yeshayahu 1:14)…. On Tisha Be-Av itself, what do we read? Rav said: "How is the faithful city become a harlot" (Eikha hayeta le-zona") (v. 21).
תוספות מסכת מגילה דף לא עמוד ב
ראש חדש אב שחל להיות בשבת מפטירין חדשיכם ומועדיכם שנאה נפשי וגו' - ואין אנו עושין כן אלא מפטיר בירמיה (ב) שמעו דבר ה' ובשבת שלפני ט"ב חזון ישעיהו והטעם לפי שאנו נוהגין על פי הפסיקתא לומר ג' דפורענותא קודם תשעה באב ואלו הן דברי ירמיה שמעו דבר ה' חזון ישעיהו
Tosfot, Megillah 31b
We do not do this, but rather we read as haftara from Yirmiyahu, "Shim'u devar Ha-Shem," and on the Shabbat before Tisha Be-Av, "Chazon Yeshayahu." And the reason is that we are accustomed on the basis of the Pesikta to read three haftarot of doom before Tisha Be-Av, namely, "Divrei Yirmiyahu," "Shim'u devar Ha-Shem," and "Chazon Yeshayahu."
(א) חֲזוֹן יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ אֲשֶׁר חָזָה עַל יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּהוּ יוֹתָם אָחָז יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה.
(1) The Vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
(י) שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר יְהוָה קְצִינֵי סְדֹם הַאֲזִינוּ תּוֹרַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַם עֲמֹרָה. (יא) לָמָּה לִּי רֹב זִבְחֵיכֶם יֹאמַר יְהוָה שָׂבַעְתִּי עֹלוֹת אֵילִים וְחֵלֶב מְרִיאִים וְדַם פָּרִים וּכְבָשִׂים וְעַתּוּדִים לֹא חָפָצְתִּי. (יב) כִּי תָבֹאוּ לֵרָאוֹת פָּנָי מִי בִקֵּשׁ זֹאת מִיֶּדְכֶם רְמֹס חֲצֵרָי. (יג) לֹא תוֹסִיפוּ הָבִיא מִנְחַת שָׁוְא קְטֹרֶת תּוֹעֵבָה הִיא לִי חֹדֶשׁ וְשַׁבָּת קְרֹא מִקְרָא לֹא אוּכַל אָוֶן וַעֲצָרָה. (יד) חָדְשֵׁיכֶם וּמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם שָׂנְאָה נַפְשִׁי הָיוּ עָלַי לָטֹרַח נִלְאֵיתִי נְשֹׂא. (טו) וּבְפָרִשְׂכֶם כַּפֵּיכֶם אַעְלִים עֵינַי מִכֶּם גַּם כִּי תַרְבּוּ תְפִלָּה אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ יְדֵיכֶם דָּמִים מָלֵאוּ. (טז) רַחֲצוּ הִזַּכּוּ הָסִירוּ רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם מִנֶּגֶד עֵינָי חִדְלוּ הָרֵעַ. (יז) לִמְדוּ הֵיטֵב דִּרְשׁוּ מִשְׁפָּט אַשְּׁרוּ חָמוֹץ שִׁפְטוּ יָתוֹם רִיבוּ אַלְמָנָה.
(10) Hear the word of the LORD, Ye rulers of Sodom; Give ear unto the law of our God, Ye people of Gomorrah. (11) To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? Saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, And the fat of fed beasts; And I delight not in the blood Of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. (12) When ye come to appear before Me, Who hath required this at your hand, To trample My courts? (13) Bring no more vain oblations; It is an offering of abomination unto Me; New moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly. (14) Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; They are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them. (15) And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; Yea, when ye lengthen your prayers, I will not hear; Your hands are full of blood. (16) Wash you, make you clean, Put away the evil of your doings From before Mine eyes, Cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do well; Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
(כב) כִּי אִם תַּעֲלוּ לִי עֹלוֹת וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶם לֹא אֶרְצֶה וְשֶׁלֶם מְרִיאֵיכֶם לֹא אַבִּיט.
(22) Yea, though ye offer me burnt-offerings and your meal-offerings, I will not accept them; Neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
(ו) בַּמָּה אֲקַדֵּם יְהוָה אִכַּף לֵאלֹהֵי מָרוֹם הַאֲקַדְּמֶנּוּ בְעוֹלוֹת בַּעֲגָלִים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה. (ז) הֲיִרְצֶה יְהוָה בְּאַלְפֵי אֵילִים בְּרִבְבוֹת נַחֲלֵי שָׁמֶן הַאֶתֵּן בְּכוֹרִי פִּשְׁעִי פְּרִי בִטְנִי חַטַּאת נַפְשִׁי. (ח) הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה טּוֹב וּמָה יְהוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ.
(6) ’Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, With calves of a year old? (7) Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, With ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’ (8) It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, And what the LORD doth require of thee: Only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.
(ו) בְּצֹאנָם וּבִבְקָרָם יֵלְכוּ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת יְהוָה וְלֹא יִמְצָאוּ חָלַץ מֵהֶם.
(6) With their flocks and with their herds they shall go To seek the LORD, but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them.
רש"י ישעיהו פרק א
לא חפצתי - אחר שאתם עוברים על תורתי זבח רשעים תועבה
Rashi Isaiah 1:11
I do not desire- After you have transgressed my torah, "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination"
Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2:Ch. 33 (Friedlander Translation)
Many precepts in our Law are the result of a similar course adopted by the same Supreme Being. It is, namely, impossible to go suddenly from one extreme to the other: it is therefore according to the nature of man impossible for him suddenly to discontinue everything to which he has been accustomed. Now God sent Moses to make [the Israelites] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. xix. 6) by means of the knowledge of God. Comp." Unto thee it was showed that thou mightest know that the Lord is God (Dent. iv. 35):" Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord is God" (ibid. v. 39). The Israelites were commanded to devote themselves to His service; But the custom which was in those days general among all men, and the general mode of worship in which the Israelites were brought up, consisted in sacrificing animals in those temples which contained certain images, to bow down to those images, and to bum incense before them; religious and ascetic persons were in those days the persons that were devoted to the service in the temples erected to the stars, as has been explained by us. It was in accordance with the wisdom and plan of God, as displayed in the whole Creation, that He did not command us to give up and to discontinue all these manners of service; for to obey such a commandment it would have been contrary to the nature of man, who generally cleaves to that to which he is used; it would in those days have made the same impression as a prophet would make at present if he called us to the service of God and told us in His name, that we should not pray to Him, not fast, not seek His help in time of trouble; that we should serve Him in thought, and not by any action. For this reason God allowed these kinds of service to continue;
Because of this principle which I explained to you, the Prophets in their books are frequently found to rebuke their fellow-men for being over-zealous and exerting themselves too much in bringing sacrifices: the prophets thus distinctly declared that the object of the sacrifices is not very essential, and that God does not require them. Samuel therefore said," Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord" (I Sam. xv. 22) ? Isaiah exclaimed," To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith the Lord" (Isa. i. 11):
Jeremiah declared:" For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offering or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my, voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people" (Jer. vii. 22, 23).
רמב"ן ויקרא פרשת ויקרא פרק א
ויותר ראוי לשמוע הטעם שאומרים בהם, כי בעבור שמעשי בני אדם נגמרים במחשבה ובדבור ובמעשה, צוה השם כי כאשר יחטא יביא קרבן, יסמוך ידיו עליו כנגד המעשה, ויתודה בפיו כנגד הדבור, וישרוף באש הקרב והכליות שהם כלי המחשבה והתאוה, והכרעים כנגד ידיו ורגליו של אדם העושים כל מלאכתו, ויזרוק הדם על המזבח כנגד דמו בנפשו, כדי שיחשוב אדם בעשותו כל אלה כי חטא לאלהיו בגופו ובנפשו, וראוי לו שישפך דמו וישרף גופו לולא חסד הבורא שלקח ממנו תמורה וכפר הקרבן הזה שיהא דמו תחת דמו, נפש תחת נפש, וראשי אברי הקרבן כנגד ראשי אבריו, והמנות להחיות בהן מורי התורה שיתפללו עליו. וקרבן התמיד, בעבור שלא ינצלו הרבים מחטוא תמיד.
Ramban Vayikra 1:9
Since the acts of man are comprised of thought, speech, and action, God Commands that when an individual sins and brings an animal sacrifice, a) s/he should rest his/her hands upon its head—corresponding to the sinful action that precipitated this expiation, b) s/he should confess what s/he did wrong—thereby atoning for the speech that contributed to the transgression, c) s/he should recognize that the innards and kidneys being burnt in the altar’s fire represent the need for atonement on the part of the seat of all human thought and passion, d) the burning of the animal’s limbs corresponds to the need for atonement for the hands and feet of the sinning individual since these limbs carry out all of his/her activity, and e) the casting of the sacrifice’s blood upon the altar should bring the phrase to mind, ‘his blood will be on his soul.’ A person by either doing or watching all of these actions will come to realize that s/he has sinned against God with his/her body and his/her soul, and that s/he deserves his/her own blood to be applied and his/her body to be burned, had it not been for the Compassion of the Creator, Who Has Accepted a substitute. Therefore the sacrifice atones by its blood corresponding to the sinner’s blood, its soul corresponding to the sinner’s soul, its limbs corresponding to the sinner’s limbs, the portions (that are given to the priests) will give life to the teachers of Tora who in turn will pray on his/her behalf. And the daily Eternal offerings to remind people to avoid sinning continuously”…
ספורנו ויקרא פרשת ויקרא פרק א
(ב) אדם כי יקריב מכם. כי יקריב מעצמכם בוידוי דברים והכנעה על דרך ונשלמה פרים שפתינו (הושע יד, ג) וכאמרו זבחי אלהים רוח נשברה (תהלים נא, יט), כי אין חפץ בכסילים המקריבים בלתי הכנעה קודמת, וכבר אמרו ז"ל מכם ולא כלכם, להוציא את המומר (ספרא, ירושלמי שקלים א, ד)
Sforno Vayikra 1:2
“An individual who offers “Mikem” —When you offer a sacrifice, it should be “MeiAtzmechem” (of your very selves), by means of confession and subservience, in the spirit of (Hoshea 14:3) “U’Neshalma Farim Sifateinu” And as it is said, (Tehillim 51:19) “The sacrifice that is desirous to God is a contrite, human broken spirit.” And the Rabbis have already interpreted (Chullin 8a): “Mikem”—from you, but not from all of you, to exclude the apostate.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת חגיגה דף ד עמוד ב
רב הונא, כי מטי להאי קרא יראה יראה בכי, אמר: עבד שרבו מצפה לו לראותו יתרחק ממנו? דכתיב כי תבאו לראות פני מי בקש זאת מידכם רמס חצרי. רב הונא כי מטי להאי קרא בכי: דוזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם, עבד שרבו מצפה לאכול על שלחנו יתרחק ממנו? דכתיב הלמה לי רב זבחיכם יאמר ה'.
Talmud Bavli Chagigah 4b
R. Huna, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there. The slave at whose table his Master longs to eat should become estranged from him! For it is written: To what purpose is the abundance of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף לב עמוד ב
ואמר רבי אלעזר: גדולה תענית יותר מן הצדקה. מאי טעמא - זה בגופו וזה בממונו. ואמר רבי אלעזר: גדולה תפלה יותר מן הקרבנות שנאמר בלמה לי רב זבחיכם, וכתיב, ובפרשכם כפיכם. אמר רבי יוחנן: כל כהן שהרג את הנפש לא ישא את כפיו, שנאמר גידיכם דמים מלאו
Talmud Bavli Brachot 32b
R. Eleazar also said: Fasting is more efficacious than charity. What is the reason? One is performed with a man's money, the other with his body. R. Eleazar also said: prayer is more efficacious than offerings, as it says, To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me, and this is followed by, And when ye spread forth your hands. R. Johanan said: A priest who has committed manslaughter should not lift up his hands [to say the priestly benediction], since it says [in this context], ‘Your hands are full of blood’.
(ד) הֵן לְרִיב וּמַצָּה תָּצוּמוּ וּלְהַכּוֹת בְּאֶגְרֹף רֶשַׁע לֹא תָצוּמוּ כַיּוֹם לְהַשְׁמִיעַ בַּמָּרוֹם קוֹלְכֶם. (ה) הֲכָזֶה יִהְיֶה צוֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ יוֹם עַנּוֹת אָדָם נַפְשׁוֹ הֲלָכֹף כְּאַגְמֹן רֹאשׁוֹ וְשַׂק וָאֵפֶר יַצִּיעַ הֲלָזֶה תִּקְרָא צוֹם וְיוֹם רָצוֹן לַיהוָה. (ו) הֲלוֹא זֶה צוֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ פַּתֵּחַ חַרְצֻבּוֹת רֶשַׁע הַתֵּר אֲגֻדּוֹת מוֹטָה וְשַׁלַּח רְצוּצִים חָפְשִׁים וְכָל מוֹטָה תְּנַתֵּקוּ.
(4) Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, And to smite with the fist of wickedness; Ye fast not this day So as to make your voice to be heard on high. (5) Is such the fast that I have chosen? The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, And to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? (6) Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the fetters of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And that ye break every yoke?