## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 157

###### Sifrei Devarim 157:1
[Sifrei Devarim 157:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:1)

(דברים יז טו) **שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים**, מֵת – מַנֵּה אַחֵר תַּחְתָּיו.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 157**⁸²
1. “You should indeed *place* over yourself *a king*” (Dt. 17:15)—
and if he dies, appoint another in his *place*.

footnotes:
⁸² H:192; JN2:25-26


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:2
[Sifrei Devarim 157:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:2)

**מֶלֶךְ** – וְלֹא מַלְכָּה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“A king” (Dt. 17:15)—
but not a queen.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:3
[Sifrei Devarim 157:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:3)

**אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בּוֹ** – עַל פִּי נָבִיא.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“Whom HASHEM your God shall choose” (Dt. 17:15)—
according to the guidance of a prophet.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:4
[Sifrei Devarim 157:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:4)

**מִקֶּרֶב** – וְלֹא מֵחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“*From among* your brothers” (Dt. 17:15)—
but not an Israelite from beyond the Land.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:5
[Sifrei Devarim 157:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:5)

**אַחֶיךָ** – וְלֹא מֵאֲחֵרִים.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“From among *your brothers*” (Dt. 17:15)—
but not from [gentile] outsiders.⁸³. But, see *Pisqa’ 4*3.18- 30, for word-plays which exploit the assonance of *‘akheirim* with *‘elohim ‘akheirim*, yielding “gods of the others” as well as “other gods.”

footnotes:
⁸³ A literal rendering of the Hebrew: ‘akheirim


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:6
[Sifrei Devarim 157:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:6)

**תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ**, וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר **שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ**, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ**? שֶׁתְּהֵא אֵימָתוֹ עָלֶיךָ! מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: מֶלֶךְ אֵין רוֹכְבִים עַל סוּסוֹ וְאֵין יוֹשְׁבִים עַל כִּסְאוֹ וְאֵין מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים בְּשַׁרְבִיטוֹ וְאֵין רוֹאִים אוֹתוֹ עָרוֹם וְלֹא כְּשֶׁהוּא מִסְתַּפֵּר וְלֹא בְּבֵית הַמֶּרְחָץ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “Shall you place over yourself a king” (Dt. 17:15).
Now, wasn’t it just said
[in the very same verse]:
“You should indeed place *over yourself* a king” (Dt. 17:15)?
Why, then, does the Teaching state twice:
“Shall you place *over yourself* a king” (Dt. 17:15)?
So that his *majesty* awes you.
On this basis they taught:
**A king—**
**they don’t ride his horse, or sit on his throne,**
**or use his scepter.**
**Nor may they see him naked, or getting a haircut,**
**or in the bath house**⁸⁴

footnotes:
⁸⁴ =M/San.2:5; cf. T.San.4;2


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:7
[Sifrei Devarim 157:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:7)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: **שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ** – מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
3. Another word:
“You *should indeed* place over yourself a king” (Dt. 17:15)—
this is a prescriptive commandment.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:8
[Sifrei Devarim 157:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:8)

**לֹא תוּכַל לָתֵת עָלֶיךָ אִישׁ נָכְרִי** – מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“You *will not* be permitted to place over yourself a *foreign* man” (Dt. 17:15)—
this is a proscriptive commandment.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:9
[Sifrei Devarim 157:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:9)

**אִישׁ נָכְרִי** – מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: הָאִישׁ מְמַנִּים פַּרְנָס עַל הַצִּבּוּר, וְאֵין מְמַנִּים הָאִשָּׁה פַּרְנֶסֶת עַל הַצִּבּוּר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“A foreign *man*” (Dt. 17:15)—
On this basis they taught:
*A man* may be appointed
to provide for the community,
but they may not appoint *a woman*
to provide for the community.


###### Sifrei Devarim 157:10
[Sifrei Devarim 157:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/157:10)

(סוטה פ״ז מ״ח) **אֲשֶׁר לֹא אָחִיךָ הוּא**, כְּשֶׁהָיָה אַגְרִיפַּס מַגִּיעַ לְפָסוּק זֶה הָיָה בּוֹכֶה, וְהָיוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: ״אַל תִּירָא אַגְרִיפַּס, אָחִינוּ אַתָּה, אָחִינוּ אַתָּה!״

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
4. “Who is not *your brother*” (Dt. 17:15).
**When Agrippas [the king] reached this verse,**⁸⁵
**he would weep.**
**And all Israel would say to him:**
**Have no fear, Agrippas,**
**You are our brother!**
**You are our brother!”**⁸⁶

footnotes:
⁸⁵ In his ceremonial reading of the Torah on the Day of Assembly (Dt. 31:10-13).
⁸⁶ //M. Sotah 7:8.