You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” - Matthew 15:7-9
The Pharisees are criticized as orthodox Jews without love because Jesus criticized them for a lack of love for God and each other, but they were faithful to the Law of Moses.
If they were related to the return of Ezra in Nehemiah, they are first and foremost concerned with staying in the Holy Land and never being exiled again. They protected the Law and created layers of law to protect the original Torah. They were also very intent about bringing the Torah into the daily life of everyday Jews. They had a positive impact on Judaism but also created an oppressively absolute Torah-obeying Judaism. There were Pharisees who were interested in Jesus. They had dinner with Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee.
(Hillsdale College - Ancient Christianity)
Clashes with Jesus
The disciples break the tradition of their elders when they do not wash their hands when they eat
Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem asked Jesus, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered , “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Jesus told the people, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." The disciples told Jesus He offended the Pharisees. He told them, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” When Peter asked Him to explain the parable, He said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”