Not to derive benefit from it

Ethical Boundaries in Material Use

• Rambam (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 4:6) rules that all property of an ir hanidachat (condemned city) must be destroyed and never used. In modern life, this principle speaks to the importance of refusing material benefit from sources tied to corruption or immorality — whether finances obtained through unethical industries, or objects produced in exploitation.

Guarding Against Spiritual Contamination

• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 466) explains that benefitting from idolatrous property desensitizes one to its corruption. Today, this resonates in the need to avoid normalization of media, culture, or wealth systems that glorify atheism, violence, or idolatry. Even passive consumption may erode moral awareness.

Contemporary Idolatry and Commerce

• Ramban (Deut. 13:18) highlights that Israel is commanded not to take even a “shred” of benefit from idolatry. In today’s terms, this calls for Jewish communities to reflect critically on partnerships, sponsorships, or endorsements that link Torah institutions to anti-religious or morally bankrupt entities.

Cultural Caution and Memory

• Talmud (Sanhedrin 111b) emphasizes that the destruction of such a city was meant as a perpetual warning. In our age, avoiding benefit from past oppressive or idolatrous structures — such as rejecting symbols or institutions once central to destructive ideologies — continues this mitzvah’s legacy of moral clarity.

Ethical Boundaries in Material Use

• Rambam (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 4:6) rules that all property of an ir hanidachat (condemned city) must be destroyed and never used. In modern life, this principle speaks to the importance of refusing material benefit from sources tied to corruption or immorality — whether finances obtained through unethical industries, or objects produced in exploitation.

Guarding Against Spiritual Contamination

• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 466) explains that benefitting from idolatrous property desensitizes one to its corruption. Today, this resonates in the need to avoid normalization of media, culture, or wealth systems that glorify atheism, violence, or idolatry. Even passive consumption may erode moral awareness.

Contemporary Idolatry and Commerce

• Ramban (Deut. 13:18) highlights that Israel is commanded not to take even a “shred” of benefit from idolatry. In today’s terms, this calls for Jewish communities to reflect critically on partnerships, sponsorships, or endorsements that link Torah institutions to anti-religious or morally bankrupt entities.

Cultural Caution and Memory

• Talmud (Sanhedrin 111b) emphasizes that the destruction of such a city was meant as a perpetual warning. In our age, avoiding benefit from past oppressive or idolatrous structures — such as rejecting symbols or institutions once central to destructive ideologies — continues this mitzvah’s legacy of moral clarity.

Digital Platforms and Influence

• Just as Torah forbids deriving any benefit from idolatrous remnants, so too today one must be mindful of “digital benefit.” Platforms that thrive on spreading immorality, falsehood, or values opposed to Torah present a modern danger of normalization. Using such platforms without boundaries risks internalizing foreign ideologies. The mitzvah thus inspires careful navigation of technology, filtering, and mindful engagement in the digital sphere.