ישעיהו, פרק נ״ט, פסוק ט״ו

Human society sometimes sinks to such a profound moral low that honesty becomes a disadvantage and corruption becomes the standard way of life. This bleak reality marks a complete collapse of values, a world where goodness and justice vanish, ultimately requiring God to step in.

In this broken state, faith, innocence, and basic honesty simply fade away from the world [מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. This is not a temporary slip but a total disappearance of truth, making it seem as though it never existed at all [רד״ק]. Deceit becomes the standard way people interact [ביאור שטיינזלץ], and society completely forgets the concepts of truth and serving God [מלבי״ם]. Some view this as a vision of the future, warning of a time when the Torah itself, the absolute truth, will diminish and be forgotten among the Israelites [אברבנאל].

This twisted environment directly impacts anyone trying to live an honest life. The primary approach among commentators is that choosing to avoid evil is viewed by society as a form of madness or foolishness. In a world driven by fraud, a person who refuses to profit through dishonest means is seen as crazy by their peers [רש״י, מצודת דוד, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective suggests that righteous individuals simply vanish; it is as if those who turn away from evil have been looted, plundered, and entirely removed from the world [רד״ק, אברבנאל, אבן עזרא]. A third unique approach argues that society becomes so deeply corrupted that if someone actually avoids committing a sin, it is only due to a mistake or forgetfulness. Had the person been paying attention, they would have actively chosen to do wrong [מלבי״ם].

God observes this behavior, and what angers Him the most is the complete absence of justice in both people's beliefs and their actions [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. The focus is specifically placed on justice because its absence is the most destructive force of all. While failing to give charity damages a person's religious standing, the lack of basic justice destroys the very order of the world and the foundation of human society. Without justice, people lose their basic humanity and behave like wild animals. It is this specific breakdown of fairness that ultimately brings disaster upon them [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, רש״י].