Kapłańska 26:22 Komentarz: Rashi, Or HaChaim, Siftei Chakhamim & Rav Hirsch

והשלחתי is an expression for “inciting”.

חית השדה. "the wild beasts of the field." Inasmuch as the Israelites were guilty of behaving like animals they in turn will be afflicted by animals.

An expression of inciting. Because [the other meaning of והשלחתי] “sending on a mission” only applies to [a human] who has intellect.

ושכלה אתכם [I WILL INCITE THE WILD ANIMALS AGAINST YOU] WHICH WILL ROB YOU OF YOUR CHILDREN — I find here mention only of wild animals robbing them of their children, i. e. of animals whose nature consists in this (to attack human beings); whence do we know that cattle whose nature is not thus will also rob them of their children? Because it states in a similar series of threats (Deuteronomy 32:24) “I will also incite (אשלח) the teeth of cattle (בהמות) against them”. — Thus you have two of the seven calamities mentioned above (the attacks of wild beasts and of cattle). And whence do we know that it (the cattle) will kill by its bite? Because Scripture states immediately afterwards, “with the poison of serpents of the dust". How is it in the case of these (the serpents)? They bite and kill by their bite! So, too, will those (the cattle) bite and thus kill. There were indeed such years in the Land of Israel when both a tame ass bit someone and caused his death and the wild ass bit and caused death (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 5 6).