Commentaire sur Le Lévitique 18:24

אל תטמאו בכל אלה, even by merely being physically close to such incestuous members of the opposite sex.

אל תטמאו בבל אלה, "Do not defile yourselves with any of these things." Torat Kohanim comments that this refers to both some of them and all of them. This seems very strange as the Torah could have simply stated that we must not defile ourselves by sexual intercourse with even a single one of the categories mentioned in this chapter and we could have avoided any chance of misunderstanding. Another difficulty is the ending of the verse "for the nations whom I drive out on your account have become defiled with all these." In view of these words how can we interpret the first half to mean that defilement through involvement in only one of these forbidden unions is meant? The words בכל אלה are not clear; they appear to mean that every one of the Canaanite nations indulged in all of the abominable practices listed in this chapter.

Do not defile yourselves in all these [ways]. This implies that they should not come to the extreme of evil that the land will be defiled in all these ways. However, afterwards (v. 26) it says they should not do any of the abominations, which implies that even with a few the land will be defiled. It seems that this is why it mentions two types of punishments — being expelled by the land and having their souls cut off. At first it warns that they should not defile themselves by doing all these, for in all these the nations defiled themselves. They reached the extreme that the land was defiled and He judged its iniquities upon it. The land became like a sick person that vomits, and it expelled its inhabitants. Its measure was filled, and the way of a full measure is to spill and expel its contents because it cannot contain more. Therefore, the Torah warns them that the same should not happen to you, for when a catastrophe comes it destroys the good with the bad. And thus they were exiled in “the exile of the craftsmen and the sentries” and that of Yirmiyahu. Afterwards it warns them, “You shall adhere to My statutes … and not do any of these abominations” — you should not do even some of them. All these abominations were done by the people of the land who came before you and they were punished by being expelled. However, if you will do some of them you will not be expelled; you will not be liable the punishment of being expelled, nevertheless, there is another punishment. And that is that “anyone who will do any of these abominations,” even some of them, although judgment does not require that the good and the bad be destroyed as one, nevertheless, at least, “their souls shall be cut off, those that do these things”.