## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 160

###### Sifrei Devarim 160:1
[Sifrei Devarim 160:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:1)

(דברים יז יח) **וְהָיָה כְשִׁבְתּוֹ עַל כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ** – אִם עוֹשֶׂה הוּא כָּל הָאָמוּר בָּעִנְיָן, כְּדַי הוּא שֶׁיֵּשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 17:18) "And it shall be when he shall sit on the throne of his kingdom": If he does all that is written in this regard, he is worthy of sitting on the throne of his kingdom.


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:2
[Sifrei Devarim 160:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:2)

**וְכָתַב לוֹ** – לִשְׁמוֹ; שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נֵאוֹת בְּשֶׁל אֲבוֹתָיו.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"that he shall write *for himself* the *mishneh* of this Torah": *expressly* for himself; he is not to "bedizen" himself with those of his ancestors. "


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:3
[Sifrei Devarim 160:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:3)

**מִשְׁנֵה**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, שְׁאָר דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים יז יט): ״לִשְׁמֹר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹתָם״. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר **מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה**? – שֶׁעֲתִידָה לְהִשְׁתַּנּוֹת!

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
*mishneh*": This tells me only of *mishneh* Torah ("the *repetition* of the Torah," i.e., the book of Devarim). Whence do I derive (that the mitzvah applies also) to the rest of the Torah? From (*Ibid*. 19) "to heed *all* the words of this Torah." If so, why is it written "the *mishneh* of this Torah"? Because it (i.e., the script) is destined to change (viz. *Ezra* 4:7 and Daniel 5:8).


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:4
[Sifrei Devarim 160:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:4)

אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: אֵין קוֹרְאִים בְּיוֹם הַקְהֵל אֶלָּא מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה בִּלְבַד.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Others say: On the day of *Hakhel* (viz. *Ibid*. 21:12) only *mishneh* Torah (Devarim) is to be read (and it is to this *Hakhel* reading that our verse is alluding.)


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:5
[Sifrei Devarim 160:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:5)

**עַל סֵפֶר** – וְלֹא עַל הַלּוּחַ, **עַל סֵפֶר** – וְלֹא עַל הַנְּיָר, אֶלָּא עַל הַמְּגִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **עַל סֵפֶר**.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"on a scroll": and not on a tablet and not on paper, but only on a *megillah* (a scroll).


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:6
[Sifrei Devarim 160:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:6)

**מִלִּפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם**, שֶׁתְּהֵא מֻגַּהַת מִלִּפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"before the Cohanim, the Levites": from the scroll in the *azarah* (the Temple court).


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:7
[Sifrei Devarim 160:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:7)

**עַל סֵפֶר**, עַל גַּבֵּי עוֹר בְּהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה, וּמַגִּיהִים לוֹ מִסֵּפֶר עֲזָרָה עַל פִּי בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
**“On a document” (Dt.17:18)—**
**on the skin of a clean animal.**
**And they correct it against Ezra’s scroll,**
**supervised by the Court of Seventy One**
**[which met in the Chamber of Carved Stone].**¹⁰⁷

footnotes:
¹⁰⁷ Cf. T. San.4:7.


###### Sifrei Devarim 160:8
[Sifrei Devarim 160:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/160:8)

**מִלִּפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם**, מִכָּן דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲרָךְ שֶׁסּוֹף תּוֹרָה עֲתִידָה לְהִשְׁתַּכֵּחַ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
**“Before the levitical Priests” (Dt.17:18)—**
**on this basis, R. Elazar b. Arakh expounded:**
**[But for their intervention,] the Torah would have been forgotten!**¹⁰⁸ 157.4.

footnotes:
¹⁰⁸ Cf. T. Edu.1:1 and Pisqa’