## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 261

###### Sifrei Devarim 261:1
[Sifrei Devarim 261:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:1)

(דברים כג יט) **לֹא תָבִיא אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה, אֶתְנַן כָּל הָעֲרָיוֹת מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **אֶתְנַן** מִכָּל מָקוֹם. אֵיזֶה הוּא אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה? הָאוֹמֵר לְזוֹנָה: הֵילָךְ טָלֶה זֶה בִּשְׂכָרֵךְ, אֲפִלּוּ מֵאָה, כֻּלָּם אֲסוּרִים. הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ: הֵילָךְ טָלֶה זֶה וְתָלִין שִׁפְחָתְךָ אֵצֶל עַבְדִּי, רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: אֵינוֹ אֶתְנָן, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: אֶתְנָן.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 23:19) "You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute and the exchange of a dog into the house of the L-rd your G-d for every vow": "You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute": This tells me of the hire of a prostitute. Whence do we derive (the same for) the hire of all of the *arayoth* (illicit relations)? From "for the *abomination*" — in any event. And which is "the hire of a prostitute"? Saying to a prostitute "Take this (lamb) for your hire" — even (if he sent her) one hundred, they are all forbidden. If one says to his neighbor: Take this lamb and let your (Canaanite) maidservant lie with my (unmarried Hebrew) manservant — Rebbi says: This is not hire; the sages say: It *is* hire.


###### Sifrei Devarim 261:2
[Sifrei Devarim 261:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:2)

**וּמְחִיר כֶּלֶב**, אֵיזֶהוּ מְחִיר כֶּלֶב? הָאוֹמֵר לַחֲבֵרוֹ הֵילָךְ טָלֶה זֶה תַּחַת כֶּלֶב זֶה. יָכוֹל אֲפִילּוּ הֶעֱבִירוֹ בְּרַגְלוֹ בָּעֲזָרָה יְהֵא חַיָּב? נֶאֱמַר כָּאן תּוֹעֵבָה וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן תּוֹעֵבָה, מַה תּוֹעֵבָה הָאֲמוּרָה לְהַלָּן לְשֵׁם זֶבַח, אַף תּוֹעֵבָה הָאֲמוּרָה כָּאן לְשֵׁם זֶבַח.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and the exchange of a dog": What is "the exchange of a dog"? Saying to one's neighbor: Take this lamb for this dog, (in which instance the lamb may not be dedicated to the Temple). I might think that if he walked it (i.e., the beast given as a harlot's hire) into the *azarah* (the Temple court), he is liable, it is, therefore written "for the abomination of the L-rd." It is written here "abomination," and elsewhere (relative to the interdict against sacrificing blemished animals) (*Ibid*. 17:1) "abomination." Just as there, *sacrifice* (is interdicted), so, here, sacrifice (and not merely entry is interdicted).


###### Sifrei Devarim 261:3
[Sifrei Devarim 261:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:3)

**נֶדֶר**, פְּרָט לְדָבָר הַנָּדוּר. כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר **לְכָל נֶדֶר** לְרַבּוֹת בָּמָה.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"for every *vow*": to exclude what has already been vowed. "for *every* vow": to include (the harlot's hire as interdicted even for) a *bamah* (a temporary altar).


###### Sifrei Devarim 261:4
[Sifrei Devarim 261:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:4)

**בֵּית ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ**, פְּרָט לְפָרַת חַטָּאת שֶׁאֵינָהּ בָּאָה לַבַּיִת, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: לְהָבִיא אֶת הָרִקּוּעִים.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"into the house of the L-rd your G-d" to exclude (from the interdict) the bullock of the sin-offering, (i.e., the red heifer, which is not brought into the Temple, but is slaughtered outside the encampment [viz. Bamidbar 19:3]). These are the words of R. Eliezer. The sages say: to include (as interdicted) gold-foil (for the Temple).


###### Sifrei Devarim 261:5
[Sifrei Devarim 261:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:5)

**לְכָל נֶדֶר**, לְהָבִיא אֶת הָעוֹף. שֶׁהָיָה בְדִין, וּמַה מֻּקְדָּשִׁים שֶׁהַמּוּם פּוֹסֵל בָּהֶם אֵין אֶתְנָן וּמְחִיר חָל עֲלֵיהֶם, עוֹף שֶׁאֵין הַמּוּם פּוֹסֵל בּוֹ אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אֶתְנָן וּמְחִיר חָל עֲלֵיהֶם, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לְכָל נֶדֶר** לְהָבִיא אֶת הָעוֹף. יָכוֹל אֲפִלּוּ שְׂכַר פִּקְעָתָהּ יְהֵא אָסוּר, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה׳ גַּם שְׁנֵיהֶם**, שְׁנַיִם וְלֹא אַרְבָּעָה;

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"for *every* vow": to include (as interdicted) (even) a bird. For I would think: If sacrificial offerings, which are invalidated by blemishes, are not subject to "hire" and "exchange," then birds, which are not invalidated by blemishes — how much more so should they not be subject to "hire" and "exchange." It is, therefore, written "for *every* vow," to include birds. I might think that (also interdicted is) the hire (that he gives the harlot) for abstention (from remunerative labor for the time period required for the act); it is, therefore, written "for the *abomination* of the L-rd" (i.e., the hire forbidden is that for the act itself).


###### Sifrei Devarim 261:6
[Sifrei Devarim 261:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/261:6)

הֵם, וְלֹא וְלָדוֹתֵיהֶם וְלֹא חֲלִיפֵיהֶם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"the very *two* (the hire of a prostitute and the exchange of a dog)": *two* and not *four* (i.e., the hire of a dog and the exchange of a prostitute *are* permitted) "the very two of *them*" — *they* (are interdicted) and not their offspring.