## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 172

###### Sifrei Devarim 172:1
[Sifrei Devarim 172:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/172:1)

(דברים יח יא) **וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר**, אֶחָד חוֹבֵר מְרֻבֶּה וְאֶחָד חוֹבֵר מוּעָט, וְאֶחָד חוֹבֵר אֶת הַנָּחָשׁ וְאֶת הָעַקְרָב.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 18:11) "*chover chaver*" (one who gathers animals into one spot and divines through them): whether he gathers snakes or scorpions.


###### Sifrei Devarim 172:2
[Sifrei Devarim 172:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/172:2)

(סנהדרין פ״ז מ״ז) **וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב** – זֶה פִּיתוֹם הַמְדַבֵּר מִשֶּׁחְיוֹ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"*shoel av*": a necromancer that projects speech from his armpits.


###### Sifrei Devarim 172:3
[Sifrei Devarim 172:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/172:3)

**יִדְּעוֹנִי** – הַמְּדַבֵּר בְּפִיו.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"a *yidoni*": a soothsayer.


###### Sifrei Devarim 172:4
[Sifrei Devarim 172:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/172:4)

הֵם עַצְמָם בִּסְקִילָה, וְהַנִּשְׁאָל בָּהֶם – בְּאַזְהָרָה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
They themselves are liable to stoning, and those who consult them are in transgression of an exhortation. Whether he raises (a spirit) on his male member or consults a skull. What is the difference between the first and the second? When one raises (a spirit) on his male member, it does not rise naturally, and is not consulted on the Sabbath. When he consults a skull, it ascends naturally and is consulted on the Sabbath.


###### Sifrei Devarim 172:5
[Sifrei Devarim 172:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/172:5)

**וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל הַמֵּתִים**, אֶחָד הַמַּעֲלֶה בִזְכוּרוֹ וְאֶחָד הַנִּשְׁאָל בְּגֻלְגֹּלֶת. מַה בֵּין מַעֲלֶה בִזְכוּרוֹ לְנִשְׁאָל בְּגֻלְגֹּלֶת? מַעֲלֶה בִזְכוּרוֹ אֵין עוֹלֶה כְּדַרְכּוֹ וְאֵין נִשְׁאָל בְּשַׁבָּת, וְהַנִּשְׁאָל בְּגֻלְגֹּלֶת עוֹלֶה כְּדַרְכּוֹ וְנִשְׁאָל בְּשַׁבָּת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
["and one who consults the dead": This is one who starves himself and goes and sleeps in the cemetery so that the spirit of *tumah* (uncleanliness) repose itself upon him. And when R. Akiva came to this verse, he said: "Woe unto us! If the spirit of *tumah* reposes upon one who cleaves to *tumah*, how much more so should the holy spirit repose upon one who cleaves to the Shechinah! What brought this (absence of the holy spirit) about? Your sins sundered you from your G-d!"]