The Haftarah portion for Devarim (Isaiah 1:1-27) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman.
Questions for Discussion:
Second only to Tisha Be’av itself, this haftarah represents the near low point in the relationship between God and the people Israel, who have sunk to the level of Sodom and Gomorrah and are near destruction. Although the people seem to be very committed to worship, their very worship disgusts God because of the prevalence of injustice, abuse of or indifference to the vulnerable, greed, and theft in the larger society.

• To what extent has “piety” become divorced from justice in today’s society?
• Given this passage, how do you think Isaiah would respond to being told that clergy should not get involved in social policy and politics?

JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.