## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 14

###### Sifrei Devarim 14:1
[Sifrei Devarim 14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/14:1)

**וַתַּעֲנוּ אֹתִי וַתֹּאמְרוּ טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ לַעֲשׂוֹת**. הָיָה לָכֶם לוֹמַר: רַבֵּינוּ מֹשֶׁה, מִמִּי נָאֶה לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה: מִמְּךָ, אוֹ מִתַּלְמִידְךָ, אוֹ מִתַּלְמִיד תַּלְמִידְךָ? לֹא מִמְּךָ, שֶׁנִּצְטַעַרְתָּ עָלֶיהָ? כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות לד כח) ״וַיְהִי שָׁם עִם ה׳ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה״, (דברים ט ט) ״וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם״ וְגוֹ׳! אֶלָּא יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי מַה שֶּׁתַּחַת עִקְבֵי רַגְלֵיכֶם! הֱיִיתֶם אוֹמְרִים: עַכְשָׁיו הוּא מְמַנֶּה עָלֵינוּ דַּיָּנִים, שְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף חָסֵר פְּרוֹטְרוֹט, וְאִם אֵין אֲנִי – בְּנִי, וְאִם אֵין בְּנִי – בֶּן בְּנִי; וְאָנוּ מְבִיאִים לוֹ דּוֹרוֹן – וְהוּא נוֹשֵׂא לָנוּ פָנִים בַּדִּין!׳ לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר **וַתַּעֲנוּ אֹתִי**: כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי מִתְעַצֵּל בַּדְּבָרִים הֱיִיתֶם אוֹמְרִים: יֵעָשֶׂה הַדָּבָר בִּמְהֵרָה!

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 14**¹¹⁷
1. “And you *urged* me on, saying:
“What you propose to do is good” (Dt. 1:14).
You might have said:
O, Master Moses!
From whom is it most proper to learn Torah—
from you, or from your disciple, or from your disciple’s disciple?
Wouldn’t it be preferable to learn from you,
since you *suffered* for it?
This conforms with what is said:
“And he stayed there with HASHEM for forty days and forty nights,
*eating no bread* and *drinking no water*.” (Ex. 34:28).
And, moreover:
“I remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights,
*eating no bread* and *drinking no water*” (Dt. 9:9).
But, I know what you concealed from me!
You actually were thinking:
Now he’ll appoint over us 80,000¹¹⁸ judges, give or take!
And if I am not among them, then my son!
And if not my son, then my grandson!
Let us, then, bring [such an appointee] a gift,
so that he’ll favor us in court!
This is why it is said:
“And you *urged* me on” (Dt. 1:14)—
for when I delayed action on the issue,
you urged: Let the matter be quickly done!

footnotes:
¹¹⁷ H:38; JN1:47-48.
¹¹⁸ The figure of 80,000 judicial appointees is consistent throughout the parallels: B. San.18a, Y. San,1:3,19c, Y.San.10:2, 28d. F:23, n.15, derives the figure from the number of tribal commanders appointed as candidates for positions on Moses’ Sanhedrin (see Dt. 1:15-16).