## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 204

###### Sifrei Devarim 204:1
[Sifrei Devarim 204:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:1)

(דברים כ כ) **רַק עֵץ אֲשֶׁר תֵּדַע** – זֶה אִילַן מַאֲכָל.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 20:20) "Only a tree that you know": This is a fruitful tree. (*Ibid*. 19) "to come before you into the siege": Cut it down.


###### Sifrei Devarim 204:2
[Sifrei Devarim 204:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:2)

**כִּי לֹא עֵץ מַאֲכָל הוּא** – זֶה אִילַן סְרָק. אִם סוֹפֵנוּ לְרַבּוֹת אֶת אִילַן מַאֲכָל, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **עֵץ מַאֲכָל**? מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאִילַן סְרָק קוֹדֵם לְאִילַן מַאֲכָל. יָכוֹל אֲפִלּוּ מְעֻלֶּה בְּדָמִים, וּכְדִבְרֵי רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **אֹתוֹ תַשְׁחִית וְכָרָתָּה**,

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(*Ibid*. 20) "that it is not a fruitful tree": This is a barren tree. If in the end we include (to be cut down for the siege even) a fruitful tree, what is the intent of "that it is not a fruitful tree"? We are hereby taught that a barren tree takes precedence (to being cut down) to a fruitful tree (if only one is needed for the siege). I might think that this holds true even if the barren tree is worth more, as per the words of R. Elazar b. R. Shimon; it is, therefore, written "Only" (to exclude such an instance).


###### Sifrei Devarim 204:3
[Sifrei Devarim 204:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:3)

עוֹשֶׂה אַתָּה מִמֶּנּוּ תְּיָקִים וּנְדַבְיָאוֹת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and you shall cut": Make of it barriers and siegeworks.


###### Sifrei Devarim 204:4
[Sifrei Devarim 204:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:4)

**וּבָנִיתָ מָצוֹר עַל הָעִיר** – עוֹשֶׂה אַתָּה לָהּ מִינֵי מַטְרְנִיָּאוֹת,

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and build the siege": Make siege engines for it.


###### Sifrei Devarim 204:5
[Sifrei Devarim 204:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:5)

מֵבִיא אַתָּה לָהּ מִינֵי בַּלִּסְטְרָאוֹת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"against the city": Bring up catapults against it.


###### Sifrei Devarim 204:6
[Sifrei Devarim 204:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/204:6)

**עַד רִדְתָּהּ** – וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּשַׁבָּת.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"until it is subdued": even on the Sabbath. This is one of the things expounded by Shammai the elder.