מלכים ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק ט״ו

The spiritual deterioration of the Israelites reached a profound low, a state where the divine covenant was replaced by superstition, causing the people to lose their unique identity. This process was not merely a passive departure from the right path, but an active choice to embrace emptiness, leading directly to a loss of self. The primary approach among commentators is that this decline began with an active rejection of keeping the Torah, representing the ultimate form of evil. This deliberate disgust for God's laws activated the curses and rebukes written in the Torah, ultimately leading to the punishment of exile [מלבי״ם, רלב״ג].

In addition to abandoning the covenant, the people rejected God's testimonies. Some explain that these testimonies were the repeated warnings delivered by the prophets, which the nation completely ignored [מצודת דוד]. Others broaden this concept to include elements within the Torah itself. This encompasses Commandments that serve as evidence of God's miracles, such as Passover, Sukkot, and the redemption of the firstborn. It also includes the calling of heaven and earth as witnesses against Israel, along with the Torah's historical accounts that clearly illustrate the reward for the righteous and the punishment for sinners [רלב״ג].

Having abandoned the complete and good Torah, the nation pursued an alternative path of absolute emptiness. This pursuit involved idolatry, superstitions, deceptive practices, and even sacrificing to demons [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. The direct result of following this emptiness was that the people themselves became empty. Commentators agree that engaging in idolatry fundamentally changed their human nature, rendering them as foolish and hollow as the idols they worshipped. Following the principle that one sin leads to another, they became so deeply rooted in their transgressions that they turned into nothingness [חומת אנך]. On a deeper internal level, their sins caused holiness to depart from them. In its place, forces of impurity and destructive angels surrounded them [חומת אנך], bringing utter ruin, terror, and destruction upon themselves [אברבנאל].

This downward spiral ultimately culminated in complete cultural assimilation. The Israelites chose to walk in the ways of neighboring nations and copy their abominable practices [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. This behavior was in direct defiance of God's explicit command not to act like the surrounding peoples [מצודת ציון]. By doing so, they trampled on the repeated warnings of Moses, who had demanded they distance themselves from the actions of foreign nations in order to preserve their unique spiritual identity [ביאור שטיינזלץ].