## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 97

###### Sifrei Devarim 97:1
[Sifrei Devarim 97:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:1)

(דברים יד ב) **כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ**, קַדֵּשׁ אֶת עַצְמְךָ. **כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ** – קְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא עָלֶיךָ, הִיא גָּרְמָה לָךְ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 14:2) "For a holy people are you to the L-rd your G-d": The holiness that is upon you has caused you to become a chosen people to Him.


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:2
[Sifrei Devarim 97:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:2)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: לֹא תִגְרֹם לְעַם אַחֵר לִהְיוֹת קָדוֹשׁ כַּיּוֹצֵא בְּךָ.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(*Ibid*. 18:5) "For in him (the Cohein) did the L-rd your G-d choose from all of your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the L-rd, he and his sons all of the days."


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:3
[Sifrei Devarim 97:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:3)

**וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה׳**, (תהלים קלה ד) ״כִּי יַעֲקֹב בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ״. **לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה** – (תהלים קלה ד) ״יִשְׂרָאֵל לִסְגֻלָּתוֹ״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Similarly (Psalms 135:4) "For Yaakov has the L-rd chosen for Himself, Israel, as His chosen one."


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:4
[Sifrei Devarim 97:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:4)

**וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים**, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד חָבִיב לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִכָּל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
Variantly: "For a holy people are you": (even) more than your forefathers.


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:5
[Sifrei Devarim 97:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:5)

יָכוֹל אַף מֵאָבוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה**, אֱמֹר מֵעַתָּה: מִשֶּׁלְּפָנָיו וּמִשֶּׁלְּאַחֲרָיו, וְלֹא מֵאָבוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים!

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"and in *you* has the L-rd chosen": your *own* holiness. "to be unto Him a chosen people from all of the peoples": We are hereby taught that each one of the just is beloved by the Holy One Blessed be He as all of the gentiles (together). I might think, even more than the early fathers (Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov). It is, therefore, written "from all the peoples that are *on the face of the earth*," i.e., from one end of the earth to the other, and not (that they are more beloved) than the first fathers. Variantly: "from all the peoples": and do not cause another people to become holy.