ישעיהו, פרק נ״ח, פסוק ה׳

Fasting is often misunderstood as a physical endurance test, a way to win divine favor through visible suffering. Yet, true spiritual practice demands much more than empty rituals of mourning and submission. The prophetic message presents a sharp critique of this flawed mindset, entirely rejecting the notion that pleasing God relies on outward displays of hardship.

The primary approach among commentators is that physical acts of fasting are never the ultimate goal. At best, they are tools designed to awaken the heart. Without genuine inner focus, these rituals are nothing but an empty shell, compared even to lifeless carcasses [מלבי״ם]. God looks upon the people's behavior with deep astonishment and criticism [רש״י], making it clear that He has no desire for pointless suffering or fake demonstrations of grief [שטיינזלץ]. The very nature of a fast is meant to be a day when a person deeply humbles their soul, yet the people have reduced it to a mere physical routine [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].

There is a distinct mockery of the artificial postures people adopt to appear pious. The practice of bowing one's head low [מצודת ציון] is compared to something naturally bent. Most commentators understand this image as a soft marsh plant that droops and sways in the wind under the weight of its own grain [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, it is likened to a curved hook used to catch fish [רש״י]. The critique extends to the dramatic customs of taking thick, rough sackcloth and ashes and spreading them out as a makeshift bed to sit or lie upon [מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא, שטיינזלץ].

Ultimately, a fast marked only by a drooping head and garments of mourning is entirely unwanted by God. To be acceptable, it must be paired with a broken heart, positive actions, and a sincere turn away from destructive habits [רד״ק]. The sharpest rebuke is reserved for those who believe that completing the outward motions of a fast grants them permission to return to their normal lives of fighting, oppressing, and striking one another. They fail to realize that such cruel behavior completely invalidates the fast, rendering their physical deprivation meaningless [שד״ל].