## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 60

###### Sifrei Devarim 60:1
[Sifrei Devarim 60:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/60:1)

(דברים יב ב) **אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן אֶת כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת**, מִנַּיִן אַתָּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁאִם קָצַץ אֲשֵׁרָה וְהֶחְלִיפָה אֲפִלּוּ עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים, שֶׁחַיָּב לְקָצְצָהּ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 60**²⁵
1. “You must *utterly destroy* all the places” (Dt. 12:2).
On what basis do you claim that
if a person cut down an Ashera-tree
and it resprouted even ten times,
he is obliged to cut it down again?
The Teaching states:
“*Utterly destroy*!” (Dt. 12:2)—
[even if many destructions of a single Ashera-tree are necessary].

footnotes:
²⁵ H:115; JN1:177-178.


###### Sifrei Devarim 60:2
[Sifrei Devarim 60:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/60:2)

**אֶת כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ שָׁם**, מַגִּיד שֶׁהָיוּ כְּנַעֲנִים שְׁטוּפִים בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה יוֹתֵר מִכָּל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“*All* the places at which . . *. they served*” (Dt. 12:2).
This indicates that the Canaanites
were more immersed in serving foreign cults
than all the nations of the world combined.


###### Sifrei Devarim 60:3
[Sifrei Devarim 60:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/60:3)

**אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יוֹרְשִׁים אוֹתָם אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם**, מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתֶּם יוֹרְשִׁים? – **אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם**! שֶׁלֹּא תַּעֲשׂוּ כְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וְיָבוֹאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְיִירְשׁוּ אֶתְכֶם.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“All the places at which the nations you are about to *dispossess* served their *gods*” (Dt. 12:2).
On what grounds
would you dispossess [the nations of] their gods?
So that you don’t follow in their practices,
and others come to dispossess you!


###### Sifrei Devarim 60:4
[Sifrei Devarim 60:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/60:4)

(ע״ז פ״ג מ״ה) רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: יָכוֹל אֲפִלּוּ עוֹבְדִים אֶת הֶהָרִים וְאֶת הַגְּבָעוֹת אַתְּ מְצֻוֶּה לְאַבְּדָם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **עַל הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת וְתַחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן**, אֱלֹהֵיהֶם תַּחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן, וְלֹא עֵץ רַעֲנָן אֱלֹהֵיהֶם; אֱלֹהֵיהֶם עַל הַגְּבָעוֹת, וְלֹא הַגְּבָעוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה אֲשֵׁרָה אֲסוּרָה? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ תְּפִיסַת יַד אָדָם, וְכָל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ תְּפִיסַת יַד אָדָם אָסוּר. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָה: אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה אָבִין לְפָנֶיךָ – כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצֵא הַר גָּבוֹהַּ וְגִבְעָה נִשָּׂאָה וְעֵץ רַעֲנָן, דַּע שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: **עַל הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת וְתַחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. R. Yose the Galilean says:
Is it possible to say that
even if they worship the mountains and hills,
you are commanded to destroy them?
The Teaching states:
**“Upon the high mountains, and on the hills, and *beneath* every leafy tree” (Dt. 12:2)—**
**their gods may be found *beneath* every leafy tree,**
**but the leafy tree is *not* their god!**
**Their gods may be found *upon* the hills,**
**but the hills are *not* their gods!**
**So why is the Ashera-tree forbidden?**
**Because it bears the human imprint;**²⁶ See JN1:188: “Anything that is subject to the power of a human being.” H:115 “Man’s handiwork.”.
**and whatever bears the human imprint**
**is proscribed.**
**Said R. Akiva:**
**Allow me to inform you!**
**Wherever you find a high mountain,**
**or a lofty hill, or a leafy tree—**
**you can be sure that a foreign cult is served there.**
**This is why it is said:**
**“Upon the high mountains, and on the hills,**
**and beneath every leafy tree” (Dt. 12:2).** ²⁷

footnotes:
²⁶ Heb: tefisat yad.
²⁷ =M. AZ.3:5.