The Haftara read each year on Parshas Devarim, which is the week before Tisha B’Av, is the first chapter of Sefer Yeshayahu.
It begins with the words, “Chazon Yeshayahu, - the Vision of Isaiah,” hence this week is called Shabbos Chazon.
In it, he recounts Hashem’s disappointment in us, how we’ve strayed from him. Using an interesting parable, Yeshaya says that even animals recognize their masters, but we did not think about it.
He adjures us to stop the thievery and mistreatment of our fellow man which had been going on. No amount of sacrifices or religious behavior can atone for this. On the contrary, Hashem finds this repulsive. It’s like serving fine wine in a dirty glass.
The reason people cheat and steal is because they don’t recognize that their sustenance comes solely from Hashem, and even a donkey understands who feeds it.
The Navi asks us to open our eyes and see, as he does, that Hashem is the source of everything we enjoy.
When we do that, we will be able to turn away from the pettiness and come back to Hashem, once again welcome in His Bais HaMikdash.
Hashem gives us the choice of seeing His beneficence and enjoying the world, or ignoring it and suffering.
