## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 148

###### Sifrei Devarim 148:1
[Sifrei Devarim 148:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:1)

(דברים יז ב) **כִּי יִמָּצֵא** – בְּעֵדִים. מִכְּלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (דברים יט טו) ״עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים אוֹ עַל פִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים יָקוּם דָּבָר״ זֶה בִּנְיַן אָב, שֶׁכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״יִמָּצֵא״ – בִּשְׁנֵי עֵדִים וּבִשְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 17:2) "If there be found in your midst, in one of your cities (lit., "gates") which the L-rd your G-d gives you, a man or a woman who would do what is evil in the eyes of the L-rd your G-d, to break His covenant": "If there be found": by witnesses, it being written (*Ibid*. 19:15) "By word of two witnesses, or by word of three witnesses, shall a thing be established." This is a prototype for the rule that wherever "there be found" is mentioned, Scripture speaks of ("finding") by two or three witnesses.


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:2
[Sifrei Devarim 148:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:2)

**בְּקִרְבְּךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ**, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז ה) ״וְהוֹצֵאתָ אֶת הָאִישׁ הַהוּא אוֹ אֶת הָאִשָּׁה הַהִיא אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר הָרָע הַזֶּה אֶל שְׁעָרֶיךָ״, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ – וְשַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ! תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ לִגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה, מַה ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ הָאָמוּר לְהַלָּן – שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ וְלֹא שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ, אַף ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ הָאָמוּר כָּאן – שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ וְלֹא שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"in one of your cities": What is the intent of this? Because it is written (*Ibid*. 5) "Then you shall take out that man or that woman who did this evil thing, to your cities (lit., "gates"), I might think, the reference is to the gate (i.e., the *beth-din*) in which he was judged; it is, therefore, written "gates" (verse 2), "gates" (verse 5). Just as "gates" (2) refers to the city in which they were found and not to the gate (*beth-din*) in which they were judged, so, "gates" (5) refers to the city in which they were found and not to the gate (*beth-din*) in which they were judged.


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:3
[Sifrei Devarim 148:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:3)

לְפִי שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁהַנִּדָּחִים בְּסַיִף, יָכוֹל אַף הַמַּדִּיחִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים יז ה): ״אֶת הָאִישׁ אוֹ אֶת הָאִשָּׁה וּסְקַלְתָּם בָּאֲבָנִים וָמֵתוּ״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"a man or a woman": What is the intent of this? Because we find with a condemned city (viz. *Ibid*. 13:16) that (only) *many* who served (idolatry) are (put to death) by the sword, I might think that the same obtains with *individuals* (who did so); it is, therefore, written


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:4
[Sifrei Devarim 148:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:4)

לְפִי שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁאֵין עוֹשִׂים עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת לֹא עַל פִּי אֶחָד וְלֹא עַל פִּי אִשָּׁה, יָכוֹל יְהוּ פְּטוּרִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה**.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(*Ibid*. 17:5) "Then you shall take out *that* man or *that* woman." Because we find that those who were incited are killed by the sword, I might think that the same applies to the inciters; it is, therefore, written (*Ibid*.) "the man or the woman and you shall stone them with stones and they shall die." Because we find that a "condemned city" is not declared through (the incitement of) an individual or of women, I might think that they are not liable (to the death penalty); it is, therefore, written (*Ibid*. 2) "a man or a woman who would do what is evil in the eyes of the L-rd your G-d, to break His covenant."


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:5
[Sifrei Devarim 148:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:5)

**אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַעֲבֹר בְּרִיתוֹ**, קָרוּי חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת: חֵרֶם, תּוֹעֵבָה, שָׂנאוּי, מְשֻׁקָּץ וְעָוֶל, וְהַמָּקוֹם קָרָא לוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת: רַע, וּמֵפֵר בְּרִית, מְנָאֵץ, מַכְעִיס, וּמַמְרֶה, וְגוֹרֵם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים: מְטַמֵּא אֶת הָאָרֶץ, וּמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשֵּׁם, וּמְסַלֵּק אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, וּמַפִּיל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּחֶרֶב, וּמַגְלֶה אוֹתָם מֵאַרְצָם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
He is called by five names: "banned," "abominated," "hated," "abhorred," "perverse." And the L-rd ascribes five names to him: "evil," "breaker of the covenant," "blasphemer," "angerer," "rebel." And he leads to five things: the defiling of the Temple, the desecration of the Name, the departure of the Shechinah, the defeat of Israel by the sword, and the exile of Israel from their land.


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:6
[Sifrei Devarim 148:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:6)

אֵין לִי אֶלָּא זֶה בִּלְבַד, עוֹבֵד מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים יז ג): ״וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעֲבֹד אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים״, מִנַּיִן אַף הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לָהֶם וְלַשֶּׁמֶשׁ אוֹ לַיָּרֵחַ אוֹ לְכָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
This tells me only of one who serves (idolatry). Whence do I derive (the same for) one who bows down to it? From (*Ibid*. 3) "and he bow down to them, or to the sun, or to the moon, or to the whole host of heaven."


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:7
[Sifrei Devarim 148:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:7)

(דברים כח יד) **לְעָבְדָם** – לְהָבִיא אֶת הַמְשַׁתֵּף.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"which I did not command" includes (in one interdict) "combining" (any of the above with the L-rd as co-deities).


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:8
[Sifrei Devarim 148:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:8)

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: מִכְּלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד יט) ״אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אוֹתָם לְכָל הָעַמִּים״ יָכוֹל שֶׁחֲלָקָם לָאֻמּוֹת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים כט כה): ״אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדָעוּם וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
R. Yossi Haglili says: Because it is written (*Ibid*. 4:19) ("the sun and the moon, etc.) which the L-rd your G-d bequeathed to all the peoples," I might think that He bequeathed them to the nations (to serve them), it is, therefore written (*Ibid*. 29:25) "gods which they did not know and which He did not bequeath to them (to serve them)."


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:9
[Sifrei Devarim 148:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:9)

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: אֶלְעָזָר בְּנִי אוֹמֵר בּוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים (ירמיה יט ה): ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״ – בַּתּוֹרָה, ״וְלֹא דִבַּרְתִּי״ – בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, ״וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל לִבִּי״ – שֶׁיַּקְרִיב אָדָם אֶת בְּנוֹ עַל גַּב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
R. Yossi says: Elazar, my son, says three things: (Jeremiah 19:5) "which I did not command" — in the Torah; "and which I did not speak" — to the prophets; "and which never entered My heart" — that a man should sacrifice his son on the altar.


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:10
[Sifrei Devarim 148:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:10)

אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״ – עַל יִפְתָּח, ״וְלֹא דִבַּרְתִּי״ – עַל מֵישַׁע מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב, ״וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל לִבִּי״ – שֶׁיַּקְרִיב אַבְרָהָם בְּנוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Others say: "which I did not command": This refers to the son of Meisha the king of Moav (viz. II Kings 3:27); "and which I did not speak": This refers to the daughter of Yiftach (viz. (Judges 11:31-40); "and which never entered My heart": This refers to Isaac, the son of Abraham (viz. Bereshith 22).