## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 219

###### Sifrei Devarim 219:1
[Sifrei Devarim 219:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/219:1)

(דברים כא יט) **וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ** – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ חַיָּב עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לוֹ אָב וָאֵם, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אִם לֹא הָיְתָה אִמּוֹ רְאוּיָה לְאָבִיו – אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 219**³⁹
1. “Then his *father and mother* shall seize him” (Dt. 21:19).
This teaches that
he can only be liable for punishment
while he has a [living] *father and mother*:
words of R. Meir.
R. Judah says:
**If his mother was unsuited [by improper lineage]**⁴⁰ and the father was of unimpaired lineage. See *Pisqa’* 196.1. **to marry his father,**
**the son cannot be held liable**
**for punishment as a persistently incorrigible son.** ⁴¹

footnotes:
³⁹ H:230-231; JN2:124-125.
⁴⁰ That is, his mother was disqualified from marrying into the priesthood, and his father was a priest, or if the mother was a mamzeret
⁴¹ //M. San.8:4.


###### Sifrei Devarim 219:2
[Sifrei Devarim 219:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/219:2)

**וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְאֶל שַׁעַר מְקֹמוֹ** – מִצְוָה בְּזִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וּבְשַׁעַר מְקוֹמוֹ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “And they shall take him to the *elders* of his city, and to the *gate* of his place” (Dt. 21:19)—
it is essential that the *elders* of his city
[bear witness] at the *gate* of his home.


###### Sifrei Devarim 219:3
[Sifrei Devarim 219:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/219:3)

(דברים כא כ) **וְאָמְרוּ אֶל זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ בְּנֵנוּ זֶה** – זֶהוּ שֶׁלָּקָה בִּפְנֵיכֶם, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאִם מֵת אֶחָד מֵהֶם אֵינוֹ נִסְקָל.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“And they shall say to the elders of his city: *This* son of *ours*” (Dt. 21:20)—
“*this one*,” who has recently been beaten before you.
The phrase*, ours*, teaches that
if one parent has died, the son is not stoned.


###### Sifrei Devarim 219:4
[Sifrei Devarim 219:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/219:4)

הָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם גִּדֵּם אוֹ חִגֵּר אוֹ אִלֵּם אוֹ סוּמָה אוֹ חֵרֵשׁ – אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ״ – וְלֹא גִדְּמִים, ״וְהוֹצִיאוּ אוֹתוֹ״ – וְלֹא חִגְּרִים, **וְאָמְרוּ** – וְלֹא אִלְּמִים, **בְּנֵנוּ זֶה** – וְלֹא סוּמִים, **אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ בְּקֹלֵנוּ** – וְלֹא חֵרְשִׁים. מַתְרִים בּוֹ בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה וּמַלְקִים אוֹתוֹ; חָזַר וְקִלְקֵל – נִדּוֹן בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ, וְאֵינוֹ נִסְקָל עַד שֶׁיְּהוּ שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **בְּנֵנוּ זֶה** – זֶהוּ שֶׁלָּקָה בִּפְנֵיכֶם. **זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא** – זוֹלֵל בְּבָשָׂר וְסוֹבֵא בְּיַיִן, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְאָיָה לַדָּבָר – זֵכֶר לַדָּבָר (משלי כג כ): ״אַל תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי יָיִן בְּזֹלְלֵי בָשָׂר לָמוֹ״, וְאוֹמֵר (משלי כג כא): ״כִּי זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא יִוָּרֵשׁ, וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָה״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**If one of them is an *amputee*, or *lame*, or *mute*, or *blind*, or *deaf*,**
**he cannot be held liable for punishment**
**as a stubbornly incorrigible son,**
**for it is said:**
**“They shall *seize* him” (Dt. 21:19)—**
**so they cannot be *amputees*.**
**“*Bring* him out to the gate” (Dt. 21:19)—**
**so they cannot be *lame*.**
**“And they shall *declare*” (Dt. 21:19)—**
**so they cannot be *mute*.**
**“*This* son of ours” (Dt. 21:19)—**
**[since *this* implies gesturing towards the son,]**
**they cannot be blind.**
**“Does not *heed* our voice” (Dt. 21:19)—**
**[since they observe that he doesn’t *heed*,]**
**they cannot be deaf!**
**The elders then warn him,**
**before three witnesses,**
**[of the consequences of his acts,]**
**and administer a beating.**
**If he repeated his offenses,**
**he is brought to a Court of Twenty-Three.**
**But he is not stoned unless**
**three of the *original* elders are in session,**
**as it is said:**
**“*This* son of ours” (Dt. 21:20)—**
***this one* who has recently been beaten before you.**
**“Is a *gluttonous drunkard*” (Dt. 21:20)—**
**stuffing himself with meat**
**and swilling wine.**⁴²
3. Now, even though
**[the Torah contains] no clear proscription**
**against drunken gluttony**,⁴³
the Prophets⁴⁴ suggest as much:
“Don’t be among the wine-swillers or the meat-bingers!” (Prov. 23:20).
And He says:
“For *the wine-swiller* and *meat-binger* will know want,
and their stupor will clothe them in tatters!” (Prov. 23:21)

footnotes:
⁴² //M. San. 8:4.
⁴³ Cf. T. San.11:6.
⁴⁴ This is not a reference to the scriptural canon of the Prophet in general, or to any book in that canon. Rather, the “prophet” in question is King Solomon, reputed compiler of Proverbs.