## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 350

###### Sifrei Devarim 350:1
[Sifrei Devarim 350:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/350:1)

(דברים לג ט) **הָאוֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ לֹא רְאִיתִיו**, עָלַת עַל לֵב שֶׁלֵּוִי עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה? וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (שמות לב כו): ״וַיַּעֲמֹד מֹשֶׁה בְּשַׁעַר הַמַּחֲנֶה״! אֶלָּא זֶה אֲבִי אִמּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. **וְאֶת אֶחָיו לֹא הִכִּיר**, זֶה אֲחִי אִמּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. **וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֹא יָדָע**, זֶה בֶּן בִּתּוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim, 33:9) (Levi) "who said of his father and of his mother (in the incident of the golden calf) 'I have not seen them.'": Now would it enter your mind that Levi served idolatry? Is it not already written (Shemoth 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!' And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi"? "his father," then (is to be understood as) his mother's Israelite (i.e., non-Levite) father, (whom he killed as commanded). "and his brothers he did not recognize": his maternal brothers by an Israelite. "and his sons he did not know": The son of his daughter by an Israelite.


###### Sifrei Devarim 350:2
[Sifrei Devarim 350:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/350:2)

**כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ**, בְּמִצְרַיִם. **וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ**, בַּמִּדְבָּר.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"For they kept your commandment": against idolatry. "and they observed Your covenant": of circumcision.


###### Sifrei Devarim 350:3
[Sifrei Devarim 350:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/350:3)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: **כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ** – בְּמִצְרַיִם, **וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ** – בַּמְרַגְּלִים.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Variantly: "For they kept Your commandment": in Egypt. "and they observed Your covenant": in the desert, (the Levites, unlike the other tribes, having circumcised their sons in the desert).