## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 203

###### Sifrei Devarim 203:1
[Sifrei Devarim 203:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:1)

(דברים כ יט) **כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר**, בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הָרְשׁוּת הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 203**³³⁸
1. “*If* you lay siege to a city” (Dt. 20:19)—
This verse concerns an optional war
[of territorial expansion].³³⁹ 190.8

footnotes:
³³⁸ H:219; JN2:95-96
³³⁹ Cf. Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:2
[Sifrei Devarim 203:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:2)

**אֶל עִיר** – וְלֹא לִכְרָךְ;

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“To a *city*” (Dt. 20:19)—but not to a capitol;


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:3
[Sifrei Devarim 203:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:3)

**אֶל עִיר** – וְלֹא לִכְפָר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“To a *city*” (Dt. 20:19)—but not to a village.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:4
[Sifrei Devarim 203:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:4)

**יָמִים רַבִּים**, **יָמִים** – שְׁנַיִם, **רַבִּים** – שְׁלֹשָׁה. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: אֵין צָרִים עַל עִיר שֶׁל גּוֹיִם פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים קֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“For many days” (Dt. 20:19):
*Days*—this implies at least two days,
*Many*—adds a third.
On this basis they taught:
**They do not lay siege to a gentile city,**
**Fewer than three days before the Sabbath.**³⁴⁰

footnotes:
³⁴⁰ Cf. T. Eruv.3:7.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:5
[Sifrei Devarim 203:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:5)

**לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ** – וְלֹא לִשְׁבּוֹתָהּ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“To wage war against it, to seize it” (Dt. 20:19)—
but not merely to take captives.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:6
[Sifrei Devarim 203:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:6)

**לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן**, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא גַּרְזֶן. מִנַּיִן אַף לִמְשֹׁךְ הֵימֶנָּה אַמַּת הַמַּיִם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ**, בְּכָל דָּבָר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “You may not destroy a tree, wielding an ax against it” (Dt. 20:19)—
I infer only that
one may not wield an ax.
How do I know that
one may not even divert its irrigation channel?
The Teaching states:
“You may not destroy a tree” (Dt. 20:19)—
by any means.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:7
[Sifrei Devarim 203:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:7)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: **כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר**, מַגִּיד שֶׁתּוֹבֵעַ שָׁלוֹם שְׁנַיִם שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִלְחָם בָּהּ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (שמואל ב א א): ״וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בְּצִקְלַג יָמִים שְׁנַיִם״. וְאֵין צָרִים עַל עִיר בַּתְּחִלָּה בְּשַׁבָּת, אֶלָּא קוֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים. וְאִם הִקִּיפוּהָ וְאֵרְעָה שַׁבָּת לִהְיוֹת – אֵין הַשַּׁבָּת מַפְסֶקֶת מִלְחַמְתָּהּ. זֶה אֶחָד מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים שֶׁדָּרַשׁ שַׁמַּי הַזָּקֵן: אֵין מַפְלִיגִים אֶת הַסְּפִינָה לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל אֶלָּא קוֹדֶם לַשַּׁבָּת שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים? בְּדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה, אֲבָל בְּדֶרֶךְ קְרוֹבָה מַפְלִיגִים אוֹתָהּ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Another word:
“*If* you lay siege to a city” (Dt. 20:19)—
this explains that you may sue for peace
two or three days before waging war against it.
And, similarly, He says:
“And David stayed at Tziqlag for two days” (2Sam. 1:1).
**They may not initiate a siege against a city on the Sabbath;**
**rather, at least three days before the Sabbath.**
**But if they surround it, and the Sabbath intervenes,**
**Sabbath-observance does not interfere with the war**³⁴¹**.**
This is one of three teachings
expounded by Shammai the Elder:
**A ship does not embark on the Great Sea**
**unless there are three days left till the Sabbath.**³⁴²
Under what circumstances?
If it’s sailing to a distant port.
But if it’s sailing a short distance,
They permit the ship to embark.³⁴³

footnotes:
³⁴¹ //T.Eruv.3:7.
³⁴² //T.Eruv.3:8.
³⁴³ This material is lacking in many mss copies. See F:239, n.3,


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:8
[Sifrei Devarim 203:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:8)

**כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל** – מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה; **וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת** – מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
3. “For you *must* eat from it” (Dt. 20:19)—
this is a prescription.
“But you may not chop it down” (Dt. 20:19)—
this is a proscription.


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:9
[Sifrei Devarim 203:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:9)

**כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה**, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחַיָּיו שֶׁל אָדָם אֵינָם אֶלָּא מִן הָאִילָן. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר: מִכָּן חָס הַמָּקוֹם עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן קַל וָחוֹמֶר מֵאִילָן, וּמָה אִילָן שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה פֵּרוֹת – הִזְהִירְךָ הַכָּתוּב עָלָיו, פֵּרוֹת עַצְמָם – עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה!

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“Now, is a tree of the field *like a man*” (Dt. 20:19)—
this teaches that
human life is sustained only by trees.
R. Ishmael says:
On this basis we reason that
since the All-Present notes
the importance of the fruit of trees,
it stands to reason that
He cares for the tree itself.
For just as the verse warns you about the tree,
which yields the fruit,
all the more so should we protect the fruit itself!


###### Sifrei Devarim 203:10
[Sifrei Devarim 203:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/203:10)

**לָבוֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר**, הָא אִם מְעַכֶּבְךָ לָבוֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר – קָצְצֵהוּ!

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“That *must be* besieged by you?” (Dt. 20:19)—
well—if the tree is hindering the siege,
you may chop it down.