And all its spoil you shall gather into the midst of its open square and burn with fire the city and all its spoil completely for Hashem your God, and it shall be a mound forever; it shall not be rebuilt.
English: “Completely for Hashem your God” — Said R’ Shimon: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If you execute judgment upon a wayward city, I account it to you as if you had offered a burnt-offering completely before Me.
On the daf / in context: The word “completely” (kalil) links the destruction of the city to the olah offering.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Sifrei) — equating the judgment of the wayward city with a burnt-offering.
What Is Learned
Carrying out the judgment of an ir ha-nidachas is regarded by Heaven as equivalent to offering a complete burnt-offering.