דברים, פרק ל׳, פסוק ז׳

Following the promise of the Israelites returning to their land and experiencing a spiritual renewal, the process of redemption enters a final, complementary stage. True global justice requires addressing the nations of the world. The severe suffering and curses that accompanied the Israelites throughout their long and painful exile will ultimately be transferred to the very nations that persecuted them [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This dramatic shift serves as the historical fulfillment of the ancient promise God made to Abraham at the dawn of his journey, ensuring that He will curse anyone who curses his descendants [רש ר הירש].

The primary approach among commentators is that this transfer of suffering will not happen immediately. It unfolds only after the Israelites have been gathered from across the globe, have returned to the Land of Israel, and are living there in peace and security. Israel must first be restored to a place of honor before their oppressors face judgment [העמק דבר, ביאור יש״ר]. Some connect this future judgment to the ultimate conflict of Gog and Magog, a time when God will bring justice upon the nations that gather to wage war against Israel [מלבי״ם]. The severity of this punishment is deeply justified. When God initially grew angry with the Israelites and decreed their exile, the nations were not satisfied with simply fulfilling that divine decree. Instead, they took it upon themselves to inflict excessive cruelty and additional evils far beyond what God had intended [בכור שור].

The hostility directed at the Israelites takes many forms, and the impending justice accounts for all of them. It encompasses everyone who seeks their ruin, whether they actively rise up in violence or simply harbor a deep, secret hatred in their hearts [ספורנו]. There is a clear progression in how this hostility is addressed, moving from those who merely tease and inflict distress through words, to those who engage in physical persecution. The underlying message is one of certainty: if those who only caused verbal pain face divine punishment, then those who committed acts of physical violence will undoubtedly face severe consequences [העמק דבר].

Alternatively, this hostility can be understood not just as general categories of hatred, but as references to specific nations that subjugated the Israelites throughout history. In this view, the different levels of hostility point directly to the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Edom. There is a profound difference between mere hatred and absolute enmity. Hatred can sometimes retain a small measure of mercy, whereas true enmity represents absolute, merciless cruelty. Because the historical subjugation under the descendants of Ishmael is viewed as exceptionally harsh and cruel, they are identified as the absolute enemies, while the descendants of Edom are categorized as the haters [רבנו בחיי].