במדבר, פרק ל״ג, פסוק נ״ה

As the Israelites conclude their desert journeys, they receive a final, severe warning about a gradual and destructive process of spiritual and physical decline. Allowing foreign cultures to remain within the land is not an act of tolerance that will lead to coexistence, but rather an existential danger that will ultimately result in the loss of the land itself. Even if the Israelites willingly allow the local inhabitants to stay, believing this choice will bring mutual benefit and peace, the reality will violently turn against them. Those left behind will transform into a source of suffering and disaster [אור החיים, שפתי חכמים, מזרחי, גור אריה, משכיל לדוד].

This decline unfolds in three distinct stages. The first phase strikes at their vision, acting like pegs that gouge the eyes [רש״י, שד״ל] or sharp thorns [רשב״ם, אבן עזרא, חזקוני, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conceptually, this represents a profound spiritual and intellectual blindness. The continuous presence of a foreign culture will act as a screen over the eyes of the Israelites, blinding their judgment and tempting them to adopt corrupt practices and idol worship [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, העמק דבר].

Once this spiritual clarity is lost, the second stage begins, bringing physical confinement and pain. The remaining inhabitants will become like a dense hedge of thorns that traps a person from all sides [רש״י, רמב״ן], or like armed raiders surrounding the Israelites with weapons and shields [רשב״ם, קיצור בעל הטורים, נתינה לגר]. During this phase, the enemies will inflict intense physical suffering, engaging in robbery and violence against the spiritually weakened nation [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].

The third and final stage escalates into open warfare. The hostile neighbors will not settle for mere harassment; they will actively oppress the Israelites, restrict their movements, and place them under siege [רש״י, דברי דוד, רמב״ן]. The core of this struggle will be the ownership of the land. The enemies will not only fight for territories the Israelites have yet to conquer, but they will also demand the evacuation of areas already settled [אור החיים]. They will actively claim that the Israelites are nothing more than military occupiers and that the land does not truly belong to them [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. Any hope for a peaceful coexistence will be proven completely impossible [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The overarching message is that harmful elements must be entirely uprooted. Misplaced compassion toward hostile forces inevitably leads to ruinous consequences. Historically, this pattern played out when King Saul showed mercy to the Amalekite king, an act that eventually allowed the wicked Haman to descend from him [תורה תמימה, שפתי כהן]. Ultimately, the consequences will operate on a strict principle of measure for measure. If the Israelites fail to drive out the inhabitants as God commanded, God will inflict upon the Israelites the exact fate He had planned for those nations, resulting in their complete exile from the land [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך].