## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 148

###### Sifrei Devarim 148:1
[Sifrei Devarim 148:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:1)

(דברים יז ב) **כִּי יִמָּצֵא** – בְּעֵדִים. מִכְּלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (דברים יט טו) ״עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים אוֹ עַל פִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים יָקוּם דָּבָר״ זֶה בִּנְיַן אָב, שֶׁכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״יִמָּצֵא״ – בִּשְׁנֵי עֵדִים וּבִשְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 148**²⁷
1. “When there *is found* among you” (Dt. 17:2)—
with [the confirmation of] witnesses.
Inferring from what is said elsewhere:
“By the testimony of two witnesses,
or by the testimony of three witnesses
shall the matter be established” (Dt. 19:15),²⁸ 188.
this verse (Dt. 17:2) creates an interpretive family²⁹ literally, “a construction from a father.” That is, “an interpretive context governed by a dominant term.”.—
namely, wherever [the passive verb], *is found*, appears
[in the context of a capital offense],
we interpret this to require two or three witnesses
[in order to convene a trial].³⁰ 148, n.1.

footnotes:
²⁷ H:186-187; JN2:10-12
²⁸ Cf. Dt. 17:6, which requires “two or three witnesses” to refute conspiratorial testimony. By contrast, Dt. 19:15 cites the same rule of testimony in cases of blasphemy. See Sifre, Pisqa’
²⁹ Heb: binyan ‘av:
³⁰ On the difficulties of this passage, see H:450, Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:2
[Sifrei Devarim 148:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:2)

**בְּקִרְבְּךָ בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ**, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז ה) ״וְהוֹצֵאתָ אֶת הָאִישׁ הַהוּא אוֹ אֶת הָאִשָּׁה הַהִיא אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר הָרָע הַזֶּה אֶל שְׁעָרֶיךָ״, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ – וְשַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ! תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ לִגְזֵרָה שָׁוָה, מַה ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ הָאָמוּר לְהַלָּן – שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ וְלֹא שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ, אַף ״שְׁעָרֶיךָ״ הָאָמוּר כָּאן – שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בוֹ וְלֹא שַׁעַר שֶׁנִּדּוֹנוּ בוֹ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “In your midst, in *one* of *your* gates” (Dt. 17:2).
What does the Teaching mean?
Since it is said:
**“And you shall bring out to *your gates* that man or this woman,**
**who has committed this wicked deed” (Dt. 17:5),**
**shall I infer that they are brought out to**
**the place at which they were discovered sinning**
**or to the place at which they are to be judged?**
**The Teaching states:**
**“*Your* gates” (Dt. 17:2) and “*your* gates” (Dt. 17:5).**
**It thus permits the following exegetical inference:**³¹ literally: “a similarity of meaning,” or, more expansively, “the meaning of the term in the present context is established from its meaning in a different context.”
**just as *your* gates, elsewhere (Dt. 17:5)**
**refers to the place at which they were found,**
**and *not* to the place at which they are to be judged,**
**so, too, *your* gates, here (Dt. 17:2)**
**refers to the place at which they were found,**
**and *not* to the place at which they are to be judged**.³² 149.4

footnotes:
³¹ Heb: gezeirah shawa;
³² Cf. Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:3
[Sifrei Devarim 148:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:3)

לְפִי שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁהַנִּדָּחִים בְּסַיִף, יָכוֹל אַף הַמַּדִּיחִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים יז ה): ״אֶת הָאִישׁ אוֹ אֶת הָאִשָּׁה וּסְקַלְתָּם בָּאֲבָנִים וָמֵתוּ״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
3. Since we find that
those led astray to serve in a foreign cult are [executed] by the sword,
is it possible to say that the same applies to
those who led them astray?
The Teaching states:
“And you shall bring out *that* man or *this* woman . . .
and pelt them with *stones* till they die” (Dt. 17:5).


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:4
[Sifrei Devarim 148:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:4)

לְפִי שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁאֵין עוֹשִׂים עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת לֹא עַל פִּי אֶחָד וְלֹא עַל פִּי אִשָּׁה, יָכוֹל יְהוּ פְּטוּרִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Since we find that
they do not declare a city led astray
on the testimony of one [male] witness,
or on the testimony of a woman,
is it possible to say that
[individuals who do so] are exempt?
The Teaching states:
“A man *or* a woman” (Dt. 17:2)—
[individuals who lead a city astray are culpable].


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:5
[Sifrei Devarim 148:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:5)

**אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַעֲבֹר בְּרִיתוֹ**, קָרוּי חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת: חֵרֶם, תּוֹעֵבָה, שָׂנאוּי, מְשֻׁקָּץ וְעָוֶל, וְהַמָּקוֹם קָרָא לוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת: רַע, וּמֵפֵר בְּרִית, מְנָאֵץ, מַכְעִיס, וּמַמְרֶה, וְגוֹרֵם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים: מְטַמֵּא אֶת הָאָרֶץ, וּמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשֵּׁם, וּמְסַלֵּק אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, וּמַפִּיל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּחֶרֶב, וּמַגְלֶה אוֹתָם מֵאַרְצָם.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
4. **“Who shall commit this evil before the eyes of HASHEM your God,**
**to *transgress* His Covenant” (Dt. 17:2)—**
**[such a person]**
**is known to others by five epithets:**
**Condemned; Abominable; Hateful; Disgusting; and Perverse.**³³, per.4:1.Cf. *Pisqa’* 226.3
**And the All-Present knows him by five epithets:**
**Wicked; Covenant-breaker; Blasphemer; Enrager; and Rebel.**
**And he causes five catastrophes:**
**He pollutes the Land; he profanes the Name; he repels the Presence;**
**he causes Israel to fall by the sword, and he drives them off their Land.**³⁴, per.4:1

footnotes:
³³ // Sifra, qedoshim
³⁴ // Sifra, qedoshim


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:6
[Sifrei Devarim 148:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:6)

אֵין לִי אֶלָּא זֶה בִּלְבַד, עוֹבֵד מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים יז ג): ״וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיַּעֲבֹד אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים״, מִנַּיִן אַף הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לָהֶם וְלַשֶּׁמֶשׁ אוֹ לַיָּרֵחַ אוֹ לְכָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
5. I might infer only that
[the leader astray] alone causes these catstrophes.
On what basis do I know that
they are also caused by
one who actually *serves* a foreign cult?
The Teaching states:
“And he goes and *serves* other gods” (Dt. 17:3).
On what basis do I know that
they are also caused by
one who only prostrates himself?
The Teaching states:
“And he *prostrates himself* to them.
and to the sun, or to the moon,
or to any of the Heavenly retinue,
about which I have not commanded you” (Dt. 17:3)


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:7
[Sifrei Devarim 148:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:7)

(דברים כח יד) **לְעָבְדָם** – לְהָבִיא אֶת הַמְשַׁתֵּף.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“To *serve* them” (Dt. 28:14)—
this clause includes [within the prohibition],
one who associates
[the God of Israel with the name of a foreign god].


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:8
[Sifrei Devarim 148:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:8)

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: מִכְּלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד יט) ״אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אוֹתָם לְכָל הָעַמִּים״ יָכוֹל שֶׁחֲלָקָם לָאֻמּוֹת? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (דברים כט כה): ״אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדָעוּם וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
6. R. Yose the Galilean says:
Inferring from what is stated:
“Those whom HASHEM your God has *apportioned* to all the peoples” (Dt. 4:19)—
is it possible to say that
He apportioned them to the nations [for worship]? The Teaching states:
“Gods which *they* had *never* known,
and in which they had no share” (Dt. 29:25)—
[*they*— the nations—were not given their own gods to adore].


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:9
[Sifrei Devarim 148:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:9)

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: אֶלְעָזָר בְּנִי אוֹמֵר בּוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים (ירמיה יט ה): ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״ – בַּתּוֹרָה, ״וְלֹא דִבַּרְתִּי״ – בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, ״וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל לִבִּי״ – שֶׁיַּקְרִיב אָדָם אֶת בְּנוֹ עַל גַּב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
7. R. Yose says:
My son, Elazar, teaches three words about
[the Supernal One’s tolerance of the foreign cult]:
“They built altars to Baal . . .which *I did not command*” (Jer. 19:5)—
that is, in the Torah;
“Of which *I did not utter*” (Jer. 19:5)—
that is, in the Ten Utterances;
“And which *never entered my mind*” (Jer. 19:5)—
that a person might offer his child upon an altar!


###### Sifrei Devarim 148:10
[Sifrei Devarim 148:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/148:10)

אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי״ – עַל יִפְתָּח, ״וְלֹא דִבַּרְתִּי״ – עַל מֵישַׁע מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב, ״וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל לִבִּי״ – שֶׁיַּקְרִיב אַבְרָהָם בְּנוֹ עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Others teach:
“Which *I did not command*” (Jer. 19:5)—
referring to the sacrifice of Jephthah.³⁵
“Of which *I did not utter*” (Jer. 19:5)—
referring to Mesha, King of Moab.³⁶
“And which *never entered my mind*” (Jer. 19:5)—
that Abraham might offer his child upon an altar!

footnotes:
³⁵ Who misunderstood the laws of vows to required him to sacrifice his daughter in satisfaction of his vow (see Jud. 29:11-40).
³⁶ Who sacrificed his own son (2Ki. 3:27).