## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 308

###### Sifrei Devarim 308:1
[Sifrei Devarim 308:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/308:1)

(דברים לב ה) **שִׁחֵת לוֹ לֹא בָּנָיו מוּמָם**, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֵם מְלֵאִים מוּמִים קְרוּיִים בָּנִים, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **בָּנָיו מוּמָם**. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אֵין בָּהֶם מוּמִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר **לֹא בָּנָיו מוּמָם**, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיה א ד): ״זֶרַע מְרֵעִים בָּנִים מַשְׁחִיתִים״, אִם כְּשֶׁמַּשְׁחִיתִים קְרוּיִים בָּנִים, אִלּוּ לֹא הָיוּ מַשְׁחִיתִים עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ (ירמיה ד כב): ״חֲכָמִים הֵמָּה לְהָרַע״, וַהֲלֹא דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר: וּמַה כְּשֶׁהֵם מְרֵעִים קְרוּיִים חֲכָמִים, אִלּוּ הָיוּ מְטִיבִים עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ (שם): ״בָּנִים סְכָלִים הֵמָּה״, וּמַה כְּשֶׁהֵם סְכָלִים קְרוּיִים בָּנִים, אִלּוּ הָיוּ נְבוֹנִים עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ (יחזקאל לג לא): ״וְיָבֹאוּ אֵלֶיךָ כִּמְבוֹא עָם וְיֵשְׁבוּ לְפָנֶיךָ עַמִּי וְשָׁמְעוּ אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ״, יָכוֹל שׁוֹמְעִים וְעוֹשִׂים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (שם): ״וְאוֹתָם לֹא יַעֲשׂוּ״. וַהֲלֹא דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר: וּמַה כְּשֶׁהֵם שׁוֹמְעִים וְאֵינָם עוֹשִׂים קְרוּיִים עַמִּי, אִלּוּ שׁוֹמְעִים וְעוֹשִׂים עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 308**⁶³
1. “Is the destruction His own? No!
The flaw lies in *His children*,
a crooked, twisted generation!” (Dt. 32:5)—
they may well be full of blemishes,
but they are *still* called *His children*!:
Words of R. Meir:
As it is stated:
“The flaw lies in His children” (Dt. 32:5).
R. Judah says:
They have no blemishes!
For it is stated:
“The flaw is *not* in His children” (Dt. 32:5)⁶⁴.2. And, in this vein, He states:
“Offspring of evil-doers! *Children* of destroyers!” (Is. 1:4)—
if [Israel is] called *children*
even while *destructive,*
all the more so should they be called *children*
when they are *not* destructive!
And, similarly:
“They are *sages* in doing evil” (Jer. 4:22)—
now, isn’t this a simple matter of logic?
Just as when they are evil-doers they are nevertheless called *sages*,
all the more so,
should they be called *sages* when they are doing good!
And, similarly:
“They are *foolish children*” (Jer. 4:22)—
just as when they are *foolish*, they are still called *children*,
all the more so should they be called *children* when they are insightful!
And similarly:
“And *My people* shall sit before you, . . .
and *listen* to your words” (Ezek. 33:31).
Is it possible to say that
they shall listen and *obey*?⁶⁵ Cf. Ex. 24:7*: na`aseh ve-nishm`a.*
The Teaching states:
“But they will not *obey* them” (Ezek. 33:31).
Now, isn’t it a simple matter of logic?
Just as when they hear the Prophet, but will not obey—
they are still called *My people*—
all the more so should they be called *My people*
when they listen and obey!

footnotes:
⁶³ H:313-314;JN2:322-323.
⁶⁴ The difficult syntax of the verse permits the dual reading.
⁶⁵ Heb: shom`im ve-`osim.


###### Sifrei Devarim 308:2
[Sifrei Devarim 308:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/308:2)

מִשּׁוּם אַבָּה הַדּוֹרֵס אָמְרוּ: שִׁחֲתוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל לָאוִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה, שֶׁלֹּא לִתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לָרְשָׁעִים לוֹמַר: כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאָנוּ חוֹטְאִים לְפָנָיו אָנוּ מִצְטַעֲרִים לְפָנָיו. לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאֶחָד שֶׁיָּצָא לִצָּלֵב וְאָבִיו בּוֹכֶה עָלָיו וְאִמּוֹ מִתְחַבֶּטֶת לְפָנָיו, זֶה אוֹמֵר: אוֹי לִי! וְזֶה אוֹמֵר: אוֹי לִי! אֲבָל אֵין זֶה הֹוָה אֶלָּא עַל אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיָּצָא לִצָּלֵב. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיה ג ט): ״אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם כִּי גָמְלוּ לָהֶם רָעָה״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
3. In the name of Abba Hadores⁶⁶ 352.1 and comments of F:347, n.10. they taught:
Israel has [nearly] destroyed itself by
violating all the proscriptions of the Torah.
And why belabor this point?
So as not to provide the Wicked
an argument, such as this:
Whenever we sinned against Him, the pain was our own!
Now, what is it like?
Like someone going off to be crucified,
while his father is bewailing him
and his mother is flailing about before him.
[The father] says: Woe is me!
[The mother] says: Woe is me!
But these expressions [of grief] change nothing
for the son going off to be crucified!
Thus, He states:
“Woe to their soul! For they have been repaid by evil” (Is. 3:9)

footnotes:
⁶⁶ Very little is known about this obscure tanna. See also Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 308:3
[Sifrei Devarim 308:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/308:3)

**דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל**, אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: עַקְמָנִים אַתֶּם, פְּתַלְתָּנִים אַתֶּם, וְאֵין אַתֶּם הוֹלְכִים אֶלָּא לָאוּר. לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה בְּיָדוֹ מַקֵּל מְעֻקָּם וּנְתָנוֹ לְאֻמָּן לְתַקְּנוֹ, מְתַקְּנוֹ בָּאוּר, וְאִם לָאו מְכַוְּנוֹ בַּמַּעְגִּילָה, וְאִם לָאו מְפַסְּלוֹ בַּמַּעְצָד וּמַשְׁלִיכוֹ לָאוּר. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (יחזקאל כא לו): ״וּנְתַתִּיךְ בְּיַד אֲנָשִׁים בֹּעֲרִים חָרָשֵׁי מַשְׁחִית״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
4. A crooked, *twisted* generation!” (Dt. 32:5)—
Said Moses to Israel:
You are deformed! You are *twisted*!
You are headed nowhere, but to the fire!
What is this like?
Like someone who has in his possession a bent staff.
He’ll give it to a repairman to straighten.
First, he’ll apply heat [to straighten it].
If that fails, he’ll try to straighten it
by pressing it into a form.
If that also fails,
he’ll carve it up with a knife,
and throw it *into the fire*!
And so does He state:
“And I will deliver you into the hands
Of inflamed men, *smiths of destruction*” (Ezek. 21:36)


###### Sifrei Devarim 308:4
[Sifrei Devarim 308:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/308:4)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּמִדָּה שֶׁמְּדַדְתֶּם בָּהּ מָדַדְתִּי לָכֶם, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (ש״ב כב כז): ״עִם נָבָר תִּתָּבָר וְעִם עִקֵּשׁ תִּתַּפָּל״, **דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Another word:
Said Moses to Israel:
Precisely as you treated me have I treated you!
And so does He state:
“Among the pure, you feign purity;
*among the crooked*, you are a crook” (2Sam. 22:27)—
“A *crooked*, twisted generation!” (Dt. 32:5)