ישעיהו, פרק נ״ח, פסוק ו׳

The fast desired by God goes far beyond physical deprivation. Its true essence lies in the pursuit of social justice, the correction of wrongs, and the active struggle against exploitation. To truly fast is to restore freedom to those who have been crushed under the weight of society.

This begins with a call to undo the deep bonds of wickedness. The primary approach among commentators is that these bonds represent strong, tightly tied ropes, serving as a metaphor for wicked plots and unjust debts. God demands the release of individuals who have been unfairly enslaved by these financial burdens [שד״ל, מצודת דוד]. Acts of cruelty and injustice are like thick knots that require immense, deliberate effort to untangle [רד״ק]. Others view these bonds internally, suggesting they represent wicked thoughts that a person must actively shed [אבן עזרא]. A unique perspective suggests the terminology relates to hiding places, meaning the goal of the fast is to expose and bring to light the corrupt acts that individuals commit in secret [מלבי״ם].

Beyond individual or hidden wrongs, there is a demand to loosen the heavy burdens placed upon others. Most commentators understand this imagery as a wooden yoke placed on an animal's neck, representing the chains that bind the poor and the enslaved. However, some interpret this burden as the perversion of justice and the distortion of the law [רש״י], or as the literal crushing of the poor by the wicked who push them to the point of collapse [רד״ק]. Taking a broader social view, this requirement can also refer to dismantling public alliances formed for malicious purposes. While earlier instructions targeted the hidden sins of the individual, this addresses the public sins of groups acting together to cause harm, demanding that these negative associations be broken apart [מלבי״ם].

Finally, there is an absolute command to liberate the broken and exploited people who have been ruled with a heavy hand [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The commentators agree that this primarily refers to Hebrew slaves whose masters treated them ruthlessly and refused to release them in the seventh year, as required by the Torah. The call is to grant them complete and unconditional freedom [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. The demand for liberation is absolute. It is not enough merely to send the enslaved away; society must completely shatter and remove the yokes from their necks, ensuring they can never be subjected to such bondage again [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].