Helping the Needy: Isaiah 58:6-7
Are there Rabbinic traditions related to Isaiah 58:6-7, turning it into a list of Mitzvot?
Here is the passage:
“Is this not rather the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)
It is set in the middle of verses where God is saying, through the prophet, that fasting with lack of love is not what He wants, and it gives a list of ways to help one’s neighbor. The direction I am trying to pursue is whether this passage has ever been identified for Mitzvah/Mitzvot like the Catholic tradition has done for Matthew 25:34-44, which is very similar, talking about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, etc. I have been researching the Catholic list for Corporal Works of Mercy and want to find out if the above passage has a similar theological tradition of being identified and then turned into a cultural tradition and recommended to those who wish to please God? For example, Catholic children learn the Corporal Works of Mercy (and the parallel Spiritual Works of Mercy) in grade school, and often have to do service projects related to such lesson materials.
Answers
There is no need for the verses that you cite to be the source for feeding the poor and taking care of the needy since there are verses in the Torah that command us to do that.
The commentaries explain that the verses in Isaiah refer to a special fast that was called to help the community overcome the sins that they had accumulated both collectively and individually. But God declares that fasting alone is not enough. Rather, everyone must help the needy, whether it be with food or other charitable acts, and by not hiding from the obligations each person has towards their own family.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team