One Step At A Time

וְנָשַׁל֩ י״י֨ אֱלֹקיך אֶת⁠־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֛ל מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ מְעַ֣ט מְעָ֑ט לֹ֤א תוּכַל֙ כַּלֹּתָ֣ם מַהֵ֔ר פֶּן⁠־תִּרְבֶּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יךָ חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶֽה

Rashi asks if Klal Yisrael is doing what Hashem wants the animals will not harm them?  He answers that Hashem knew they were going to sin.  The Ralbag says of course Hashem can stop Klal Yisrael from being harmed but He does not wish to make a miracle unnecessarily and therefore the possus is giving advice how to best conquer the land in a logical form.  The Be'ar Mayim Chayim says that sometimes exposure to too much holiness can be blinding for a person.  It is like a person going from darkness to great light, it is blinding at first.  One needs to become adjusted to kedusha.  To conquer all of Eretz Yisrael in one shot, to be exposed to all that kedusha immediately would be too much and would lead to harm, it needed to be conquered slowly.  This is a general lesson that it is better to go step by step, to focus on one thing at a time than try to set standards which will not be able to be upheld in the long run.  The possuk says  וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה י״י֣ אֱלֹקיך שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם⁠־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת⁠־י״י֨ אֱלֹקיך לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל⁠־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת⁠־י״י֣  אֱלֹקיך בְּכׇל⁠־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל⁠־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ.  The possuk starts off what does G-d want, as if it is a small matter, and then rattles of a whole list?  If one's focus is to go little by little, then indeed it is a small ask.  It is only when trying to leap to the top of the mountain in on bound that it is too much.