## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 203

###### Sifrei Devarim 203:1
[Sifrei Devarim 203:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:1)

(דברים כ יט) **כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר**, בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הָרְשׁוּת הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 20:19) "If you besiege a city many days": Scripture here speaks of an optional war.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:2
[Sifrei Devarim 203:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:2)

**אֶל עִיר** – וְלֹא לִכְרָךְ;

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"a city": and not a metropolis;


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:3
[Sifrei Devarim 203:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:3)

**אֶל עִיר** – וְלֹא לִכְפָר.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"a city": and not a village.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:4
[Sifrei Devarim 203:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:4)

**יָמִים רַבִּים**, **יָמִים** – שְׁנַיִם, **רַבִּים** – שְׁלֹשָׁה. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: אֵין צָרִים עַל עִיר שֶׁל גּוֹיִם פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים קֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"many days": "days" — two; "many" — three. We are hereby taught that peace is offered for two days, and a third day for the battle. And even though there is no proof for this, there is an intimation of it in (I Samuel 30:1) "And David and his men came to Tziklag on the third day." Variantly: From here it is derived that gentile cities are not besieged fewer than three days before the Sabbath, (so that the siege not extend into the Sabbath); but if the siege began, it is not interrupted. And a sea voyage is not begun fewer than three days before the Sabbath. When is this so? For a long voyage, but for a short one, it is permissible.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:5
[Sifrei Devarim 203:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:5)

**לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ** – וְלֹא לִשְׁבּוֹתָהּ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"to war upon it, *to capture it*": and not to destroy it.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:6
[Sifrei Devarim 203:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:6)

**לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא גַּרְזֶן. מִנַּיִן אַף לִמְשֹׁךְ הֵימֶנָּה אַמַּת הַמַּיִם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ**, בְּכָל דָּבָר.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"You shall not cut down its tree by wielding an axe against it": This tells me only of iron (i.e., an axe blade). Whence do I derive (the same for destroying it by) diverting a water course from it? From "You shall not destroy its tree" — in any manner.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:7
[Sifrei Devarim 203:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:7)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: **כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר**, מַגִּיד שֶׁתּוֹבֵעַ שָׁלוֹם שְׁנַיִם שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִלְחָם בָּהּ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (שמואל ב א א): ״וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בְּצִקְלַג יָמִים שְׁנַיִם״. וְאֵין צָרִים עַל עִיר בַּתְּחִלָּה בְּשַׁבָּת, אֶלָּא קוֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים. וְאִם הִקִּיפוּהָ וְאֵרְעָה שַׁבָּת לִהְיוֹת – אֵין הַשַּׁבָּת מַפְסֶקֶת מִלְחַמְתָּהּ. זֶה אֶחָד מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים שֶׁדָּרַשׁ שַׁמַּי הַזָּקֵן: אֵין מַפְלִיגִים אֶת הַסְּפִינָה לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל אֶלָּא קוֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים? בְּדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה, אֲבָל בְּדֶרֶךְ קְרוֹבָה מַפְלִיגִים אוֹתָהּ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(We are hereby taught that peace is offered for two days, and a third day before the battle. And so it states: (I Samuel 30:1) "And David Remained in Tziklag for two days." And gentile cities are not besieged fewer than three days before the Sabbath, (so that the siege not extend into the Sabbath); but if the siege began, it is not interrupted. This is one of three lessons taught by Shammai the Elder: A sea voyage is not begun fewer than three days before the Sabbath. When is this so? For a long voyage, but for a short one, it is permissible.)


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:8
[Sifrei Devarim 203:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:8)

**כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל** – מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה; **וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת** – מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"For from it you shall eat": a positive commandment;


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:9
[Sifrei Devarim 203:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:9)

**כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה**, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחַיָּיו שֶׁל אָדָם אֵינָם אֶלָּא מִן הָאִילָן. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר: מִכָּן חָס הַמָּקוֹם עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן קַל וָחוֹמֶר מֵאִילָן, וּמָה אִילָן שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה פֵּרוֹת – הִזְהִירְךָ הַכָּתוּב עָלָיו, פֵּרוֹת עַצְמָם – עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה!

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"but it you shall not cut down": a negative commandment.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:10
[Sifrei Devarim 203:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:10)

**לָבוֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר**, הָא אִם מְעַכֶּבְךָ לָבוֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר – קָצְצֵהוּ!

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Variantly: "for from it shall you eat": a tree providing life for a man. R. Yishmael reasoned hence: If the L-rd is so solicitous of the *fruits* of a tree, how much more so of the tree itself! And if Scripture exhorts against (cutting down) a tree, which only *produces* fruit, how much more so (does it exhort against destroying) fruit itself!