Klal Yisroel Needs Money to Give to Tzedakah:
The pasuk in the Haftorah (Yeshaya 1:15) states: “And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you, even when you pray at length, I do not hear; your hands are full of blood (‘damim’).”
My father shlita explains that the word “damim” can mean either “blood” or “money”. Thus, the pasuk can be translated to mean that the Navi was bemoaning the fact that people were only davening for money. The Zohar Hakadosh also criticizes those who “cry like a dog and say: ‘Give. Give’” – meaning those who daven only for money and do not pray for the main thing, which is for Hashem’s glory to be revealed to the entire world.
Thus, the Navi is saying that although people spread out their hands and daven to Hashem at length, their hands are full of ‘damim’, as they only ask for money. Therefore, their tefillos are not accepted by Hashem.
However, the fact remains that when Jews daven to Hashem for money, and he gives it to them, they don’t only use it for themselves. Rather, they give a large portion of it to tzedakah. They use their money for chesed and for the chinuch of their children. Therefore, even if there is a complaint that we daven for money, we have a defense that the money will be used for holy things.
Accordingly, the pasuk says that Tzion will be redeemed with judgment, meaning that there will be a judgment against the Torah and tefillah of Klal Yisroel as they are not fully l’sheim shomayim but we will be able to overpower their complaint because of “those who return with tzedakah”. Our answer to the complaints is that we only want the money in order to give tzedakah and do chesed.
