Halakha Ulangan 12:2: Ben Ish Hai, Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs, Mishneh Torah, Negative Mitzvot & Mishneh Torah, Positive Mitzvot

"And you shall not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and God is with us; do not fear them" (Numbers 14:9), it seems to me, with God's help, that it is known that the nations of the world have their strength from the sparks of holiness that are mixed in their "shell", for the sparks of holiness are their life and power. And therefore God commanded to kill off the Canaanites, as it is written "You shall surely destroy them etc." (Deuteronomy 12:2) and "You shall not let any soul live" (Deuteronomy 20:16), because there were many and mighty sparks of holiness in their shell, and if Israel had treated them well and kept them in the world, they would not have been able to separate those sparks of holiness, and on the contrary, the "shell" would have been strengthened more, but by Israel destroying them below and killing them off to fulfill the commandment of the Lord, they were able to crush and destroy also the "shell" and take out what was "swallowed from its mouth".

It is a mandatory commandment to destroy idolatry, and everything used in its service, and everything that is made for its sake, even as it is said: "Ye shall surely destroy all the places" (Deut. 12.2), and it is, moreover, said: "But thus shall ye deal with them" (Ibid. 7.5). Within the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael it is mandatory to pursue it, until we destroy it from the whole of our land; but outside of Eretz Yisrael we are not commanded to pursue it, save that any place which we may conquer we should destroy idolatry therefrom, even as it is said: "And ye shall destroy their name out of that place" (Ibid. 12.3)—in Eretz Yisrael thou art commanded to pursue them, but thou art not commanded to pursue them without Eretz Yisrael.¹Sanhedrin, 89a; Makkot, 22b. G.

Wherein is the difference between an idol that belongs to an idolator and an idol that belongs to an Israelite? The idol of an idolater is forbidden property to enjoy aught thereof the moment it becomes an idol; it is said: "The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire" (Ibid. 7.25), the moment they became graven images it became a god to the idolater; but that of the Israelite does not become forbidden property until it is worshiped, as it is said: "And setteth up in secret" (Ibid. 27.15), until matters of secrecy will be done to it, which are its form of worship. But everything used in the service of idolatry, whether it belong to an idolator or to an Israelite, does not become forbidden property until they will be used during services to idolatry.⁴Ibid. 51–52a. C.