“The word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi” [1:1]. From here, our sages learn that all the prophets that existed in the world stood on Mount Sinai. There on Mount Sinai, the Holy One gave the soul of each prophet its prophecies that they would prophesy when their time came to be born.1Exodus Rabbah, 28.6. Concerning this, it is written here, “by Malachi.” That is to say, a prophecy that I commanded to Malachi, my prophet, on Mount Sinai, how he should punish Israel. Now, he should prophesy these prophecies to Israel, to punish them.
“I have loved you, says the Lord” [1:2]. God says, I love you, and you will say: with what does He love us? Is not Esau a brother to Jacob, says God? I have loved Jacob and I hate Esau. I will expel Esau from the Holy Land. I will give the Holy Land to you, Jacob. With this it will be recognized that I love you.2Rashi, Malachi, 1:2. A parable. A person has two sons. He gives the older one the best land as an inheritance. In the same way, I will give the land of Israel, the good land, to Israel.
“I will make his hills a desolation and his heritage, etc.” [1:3]. The cities of Esau, that is Mount Seir, will also be desolate. They will never properly occupy their cities. Your land, the land of Israel that is now desolate and in exile, will again be rebuilt in the days of the Messiah. With this, it will be seen that I love you more than Esau.
“If Esau says, we are shattered, etc.” [1:4]. If Esau will say, we were poor before, but now we have become rich from plunder that we robbed from the city of Jerusalem, and with it we will build our city that was devastated. However, the Holy One said, they will build and I will tear down and devastate what they will build. They are called evildoers. I have commanded Israel that they should not harm Edom, as the verse says, “you shall not abhor an Edomite” [Deuteronomy 23:8]. You should not abhor an Edomite. Those Edomites who are just should also have compassion for Israel. However, they have done everything bad to Israel and rejoiced over the destruction of Jerusalem. They are called a nation that angers God forever.3Radak, Malachi, 1:4.
“Your own eyes will see this and you will say” [1:5]. Your eyes will see and you will say that He is showing His greatness and His importance to our land. That is, He shows Israel that we are His beloved people.4Rashi, Malachi, 1:5.
“A son honors his father and a servant his master, etc.” [1:6]. The Holy One says, the custom is that a son honors his father and a servant honors his master. Israel are called children of the Holy One and servants of the Holy One. Now, when I am your Father and your Master, why do you not honor me? Where is my honor? The priests have shamed My honor and My name. I know well that you will say, with what have we have shamed Your name? I will show you with what you have shamed My name. You bring reprehensible sacrifices on my altar.
“You offer defiled food on the altar, etc.” [1:7]. You have offered unclean and unholy sacrifices on my altar. If you will say, how have we polluted the sacrifice? I will tell you, with your saying that this altar is like God’s table. How is it appropriate that we should offer blood and fat, which are disgusting, on the table of the Holy One? However, you priests should have thought about why the Holy One commanded to bring blood and fat on His table.5Radak, Malachi, 1:7.
“When you offer blind animals on the altar, is that not wrong, etc.?” [1:8]. You priests, when a person brings you a blind sheep as a sacrifice, you do not say that it is wrong to bring it as a sacrifice. Similarly, you do not say that it is wrong to offer a lame sheep as a sacrifice. You priests are supposed to tell the people not to bring sheep that are forbidden, as the Torah expressly says, “blind or lame” [Leviticus 22:22]. That is to say, a blind sheep should not be brought as a sacrifice.
“Try presenting that to your governor, will he be pleased with you?” [1:8]. The Holy One said: if you would bring a sheep with a blind eye or a broken leg as a present to your king or your governor and you wanted to ask that same king or governor for a favor for this present? The present would certainly not be accepted and he would be angry with that person. How is it that you would bring a sacrifice to the King of Kings? Similarly, when somebody donates something to charity, he should also give the best item.6Radak, Malachi, 1:8.
“Now implore the favor of God, that He may be gracious to you, etc.” [1:9]. The prophet said to the priests. How should your opinion continue that you would be the representatives to plead for Israel before the Holy One because you priests have done evil and brought impure sacrifices with defects? How should the Holy One have compassion for us? If the Holy One would ignore your transgressions and will accept your reprsentations from the priests and tolerate their prayers.7Rashi, Malachi, 1:9.
“If only you would lock the Temple doors and not kindle fires on my altar for nothing” [1:10]. The prophet said to the priests. Which one of you will be a good man and stand up to lock the doors of the Temple and altar, that you should not allow unworthy sacrifices with defects, to be brought. You should not light a fire on the altar for nothing. I, God, do not desire your sacrifices from Israel and also not from you priests, and also that you should also not bring any sacrifices or meal offerings.8Rashi, Malachi, 1:10.
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, etc.” [1:11]. The Holy One said: from the east where the sun rises until the setting of the sun, that is to say, in the whole world My name is respected among all the nations. Even though they worship idols, the moon, sun and the stars, yet they know that I am God over the whole world, over the moon, sun, and the stars of heaven, but they desire from the moon, sun or stars that through them the Holy One should fulfill their desires. However, all of their intention is to the Holy One who leads them all and all the nations bring sacrifices and meal offerings to Me.9Rashi, Malachi, 1:11.
“You profane it when you say, the table of God, etc.” [1:12]. However, you Israel profane the Holy One when you say that the altar is the table of God and has become impure with fat and blood and with the words of their lips. The altar is embarrassed along with all of his food.10Rashi, Malachi, 1:12.
“You say, what a bother and you degrade it, etc.” [1:13]. You say to me: we are poor people and we have no money to buy good sheep. We must buy blind and lame ones and with this you make Me sad that you bring stolen, lame and sick animals. Shall I want to take them from your hands?11Rashi, Malachi, 1:13.
“Cursed be the one who has a male in his flock and vows it, etc.” [1:14]. Cursed be the person who is despicable. He has a good male sheep in his herd of many sheep that is worthy to be offered as a burnt offering [olah], and he conceals the good sheep. He makes a vow to bring a sacrifice with a defect, to God, even though I am a great King and my name is revered among many nations.
“And now, this commandment is for you, the priests” [2:1]. Now to you, I command you priests that you should not offer such sacrifices, with defects.12Rashi, Malachi, 2:1.
“If you will not listen, and if you will not put it in your heart, etc.” [2:2]. If you priests will not listen to my words to give honor to My holy name, thus says the Holy One. I will send my curse on you and I will curse your blessings. That is to say, in place of blessing your grain, I will curse it. Though I have long cursed your grain, I will increase the curse greatly, because you have brought blind and lame sacrifices and will no longer listen to Me and take these words to heart.
“I will rebuke your seed, etc.” [2:3]. I will spoil your grain that you have sown and will spread your animals’ dung on your faces. That is to say, the sacrifices that you bring so gladly; you shame Me with them. I will spread the dung of the animals that you bring as sacrifices on your faces. Measure for measure. You should receive no blessing from them.
“You shall be carried out to it” [2:3]. The sin will lead you to the shame and you should know that I am sending you a commandment in the expectation that your children, Levi, will be in my covenant. Therefore, I am so strongly commanding you the commandment of sacrifices.13Rashi, Malachi, 2:3.
“My covenant with him was one of life and peace” [2:5]. My covenant was first with Aaron the priest, who was called “holy to God.” Then there was Phinehas, who took revenge on the people who committed illicit sexual acts. Therefore, the Holy One made a covenant with him. I also did a great favor for Phinehas and he lived long, for three hundred years.14Radak, Malachi, 2:5.
“This called for reverence and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name” [2:5]. I gave long life and great peace to Phinehas expecting that he should fear Me and should tremble and worry about My name. That is to say, he feared and trembled.15Rashi, Malachi, 2:5.
“A Torah of truth was in his mouth, etc.” [2:6]. He had a Torah of truth in his mouth and he had no wrong on his lips. He walked with Me, with peace and justice. He turned away the tribe of Levi from the sin of the Golden Calf. No member of the tribe of Levi worshipped the Golden Calf.16Rashi, Malachi, 2:6.
“The lips of a priest will guard, etc.” [2:7]. It was bestowed on them to know understanding and wisdom because Torah is desired from them. That is, the priests were commanded in the Torah that they should show and teach Torah to Israel. He is compared to an angel who served the Holy One. The priest also serves the Holy One in the inner sanctum of the Temple where another person has no authority to go.17Rashi, Malachi, 2:7.
Midrash Shohar Tov writes: A gentile asked Rabbi Eliezer. The prophet said in the haftorah, “they may build and I will tear down” [1:4]. This means, the nations will build cities and I, God, will tear down these buildings. Now, says the gentile, the cities that we have built remain standing for a long time. Rabbi Eliezer responded. The verse means and points to the ideas of the nations that they think up evil ideas against Israel, but the Holy One foils these ideas. This is the meaning of the verse. They will build and I, God, will tear down these same buildings. The gentile responded: it is so. Every year the nations sit down and suggest ideas to destroy Israel. An old man comes and abrogates these ideas. That is, the Holy One sends an angel, in the guise of an old man, to disrupt the evil designs.18Midrash Shohar Tov, ed. S. Buber, Psalm 9.9.
The Talmud says in [tractate] Shabbat about the haftorah, “I will strew dung on your faces, the dung of your sacrifices” [2:3]. Rav Huna said: These are the people who put aside the Torah and make every day a holiday, in order to be able to eat and drink. However, when these people will die and will lie in the grave for three days, their stomach will burst open and excrement will flow from it, covering their face and will say, take what you have brought to me in your body.19B. Shabbat, 151b.