Now What?

(30)beware of being lured into their ways after they have been wiped out before you! Do not inquire about their gods, saying, “How did those nations worship their gods? I too will follow those practices.”

(13) Take care not to sacrifice your burnt offerings in any place you like, (14) but only in the place that ה׳ will choose in one of your tribal territories. There you shall sacrifice your burnt offerings and there you shall observe all that I enjoin upon you.

(2) אחרי השמדם מפניך [TAKE HEED THAT THOU BE NOT SNARED] (according to Rashi, THAT THOU DO NOT RUN AFTER THEM) AFTER THAT THEY BE EXTERMINATED BEFORE THEE — The meaning is: after you see that I exterminate them from before you, you ought to pay attention to why these were exterminated — because of the depraved doings which they practiced. Consequently you should not act likewise lest others come and exterminate you (cf. Sifrei Devarim 81:3).

(2) Lest you are drawn after them, or lest you emulate them, or lest you do as they do, and they become a stumbling block to you.
(3) "after their being destroyed before you": Why do I destroy them before you? Because of their deeds. That you not do as they do and they come after you and destroy you.
(4) "and lest you inquire after their gods, saying, etc.": that you not say: Since they go out in a toga, I will go out in a toga, too; since they go out in purple, I will go out in purple too; since they go out in fancy headdress, so will I.

EVEN SO WILL I DO LIKEWISE. In the service of the Lord, and you will think that you are doing good. You shall not act in this manner, for God despises all their ways. For even their sons…do they burn in the fire to their gods is proof of the latter. That which I commanded you, that shall you observe to do.

After they have been wiped: And when you see the judgment that has been pronounced upon them, you will know without a doubt that their gods are false and their faith is false, and therefore they were destroyed. Therefore, I do not warn you now not to worship their gods, for I have warned about this elsewhere, but perhaps you will think that their way of worship is correct, and as I will explain,

When the Lord, your God, shall cut off the nations, etc." to, "If a prophet arises among you, etc." (Deuteronomy 12:29–13:2): ... And also the rabbi of the Guide (Guide for the Perplexed 3:45) interpreted thus. And according to this true opinion, the explanation of the verses would be according to what I say: "When He shall cut off, etc." - when God, may He be blessed, cuts off those nations from before you and the name of idolatry will be forgotten from the earth, do not think in your heart that God, may He be blessed, cut off the worshippers of other gods not on account of their worship being evil but rather since they were giving honor and proper worship to the work of human hands, wood, and stone. For it is not fitting to give glory to another, and give His praise to idols, just as sacrificing, raising incense, pouring a libation, or bowing is forbidden besides only to God. And hence perhaps you would inquire about their gods. Meaning you would inquire and investigate, to know these divine services; not to worship them, but to do it for the glorious and awesome God, like these nations were doing for their gods, that it be good before Him. [Hence] "You shall not act thus toward the Lord, your God," since those types of worship that were practiced were abominable in themselves before God, may He be blessed. So how could they be chosen? And that is what it states, "because whatever is abominable to God, what He hates, they have done for their gods." And the proof for this is "that even their sons and their daughters do they burn in fire to their gods." And that is truly an abomination before God, may He be blessed, to spill innocent blood, as well as for man to be cruel to the fruit of his innards to not have mercy upon him. And it sealed its words, "Everything that I am commanding you, be careful to fulfill it; do not add to it and do not take away from it (Deuteronomy 13:1)." Meaning to say, it is enough for you with what the Torah commanded you, that you should take care to do all of the commandments that I commanded you; and you should not add to them. For 'anyone who adds is taking away.'

(14) If, after you have entered the land that your God ה׳ has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me,” (15) you shall be free to set a king over yourself, one chosen by your God ה׳. Be sure to set as king over yourself one of your own people; you must not set a foreigner over you, one who is not your kin.

(1) These are the laws and rules that you must carefully observe in the land that ה׳, God of your ancestors, is giving you to possess, as long as you live on the Land. (2) You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree. (3) Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site. (4) Do not worship your God ה׳ in like manner, (5) but look only to the site that your Godה׳will choose amidst all your tribes as God’s habitation, to establish the divine name there. There you are to go,

(12) When you have set aside in full the tenth part of your yield—in the third year, the year of the tithe —and have given it to the [family of the] Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat their fill in your settlements,

Whether in the land or abroad. According to what I said above in the land which the Lord gave you to possess, I could think that he would not practice except in the land, therefore we learn: all the days that you live.