929/Isaiah 57-61:Shochen Ad

(14) [ GOD ] says: Build up, build up a highway! Clear a road! Remove all obstacles From the road of My people! (15) For thus said the One who high aloft Forever dwells, whose name is holy: I dwell on high, in holiness; Yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit— Reviving the spirits of the lowly, Reviving the hearts of the contrite.

On Yom Kippur they read “After the death” (Leviticus 16), and they read as the haftara “For thus says the High and Lofty One” (Isaiah 57:14–58:14). And during the afternoon they read forbidden sexual relations (Leviticus 18). And they read as the haftara Jonah. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Wherever you find the might of the Holy One, Blessed be He, you also find His humility. This is written in the Torah, the Prophets, and in the Writings. It is written in the Torah: “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17), and it is written immediately afterward: “He executes the judgment of the fatherless and widow” (Deuteronomy 10:18). It is repeated in the Prophets: “For thus says the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, Whose name is sacred” (Isaiah 57:15), and it is written immediately afterward: “In the high and holy place I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit” (Isaiah 57:15). It is stated a third time in the Writings,: “Extol Him Who rides upon the clouds, Whose name is the Lord” (Psalms 68:5), and it is written immediately afterward: “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of widows” (Psalms 68:6).

(1) Sing forth, O you righteous, to the LORD; it is fit that the upright acclaim Him.

What is the blessing of the song [referenced in the mishna for the hagada]? Rav Yehuda said: They shall praise You, Lord, our God. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The breath of all living.

What blessing does one recite [over rain]? Rav Yehuda said: We thank You for each and every drop that You have made fall for us. And Rav Yoḥanan concludes: If our mouths were as full of song as the sea…we could not sufficiently praise You O Lord our God, until: Shall bow before You. Blessed are You, O Lord, to Whom abundant thanksgivings are offered.

(3) Anyone who turns his eyes away from [giving] charity is described as being "rebellious" like someone who worships false divinities is described as "rebellious, as [Deuteronomy 13:14] states with regard to the worship of false divinities: "Rebellious men went out." And with regard to a person who turns his eyes away from [giving] charity, [ibid. 15:9] states: "Be careful, lest a rebellious thought arise in your heart." Such a person is also called "wicked," as [Proverbs 12:10] states: "The mercies of the wicked are cruel." And he is called a sinner, as [Deuteronomy, loc. cit.,] states: "And he shall cry out against you to God and you will be deemed as sinning." The Holy One, blessed be He, is close to the outcry of the poor, as it is written:6There is no verse that fits the wording the Rambam quotes. Commentaries have notes that Job 34:28 reads: "He hears the cry of the poor" and Psalms 22:25 states: "And when he cries out to Him, He will listen." "You hear the outcry of the poor." Therefore one must be careful with regard to their outcry, for a covenant has been established with them, as [Exodus 22:26] states: "When he will cry out to Me, I will listen, for I am compassionate."