ישעיהו, פרק ס״ה, פסוק ה׳

A striking picture of religious hypocrisy and arrogance emerges when individuals deeply submerged in sin view themselves as spiritually superior. Ironically, these people demand that others keep their distance. This moral distortion, where sinners masquerade as saints, provokes intense and lasting divine anger.

The situation is inherently absurd. People who have defiled themselves with wicked deeds and forbidden foods turn to the truly righteous and pure, warning them to stand back and avoid any physical contact [רש"י, רד"ק, אבן עזרא]. The primary approach among commentators is that these sinners declare themselves to be holier and purer than the righteous, demanding that the pure stay away so as not to defile them [רש"י, רד"ק, שד"ל, אבן עזרא]. Offering a different perspective, another view suggests that these hypocrites consider themselves so sacred that they warn others away, claiming that anyone who touches them will automatically become sanctified, much like touching a holy altar [מלבי"ם].

This blind and arrogant behavior, fueled by the wicked actions and words of sinners who fail to recognize their own evil, deeply angers God [מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. Smoke serves as a vivid metaphor for His wrath, while burning fire represents the sheer intensity of His fury [מצודת ציון, שד"ל]. This intense anger burns constantly before God, directed at the sinners and their descendants, ultimately bringing about the severe consequence of a long and continuous exile [רד"ק].