## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 8

###### Sifrei Devarim 8:1
[Sifrei Devarim 8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/8:1)

(דברים א ח) **אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם**, מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב**? אִם לְעִנְיַן שְׁבוּעוֹת אָבוֹת, הֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (חבקוק ג ט): ״שְׁבֻעוֹת מַטּוֹת אֹמֶר סֶלָה״! מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר **לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב**? כְּדַיי אַבְרָהָם בְּעַצְמוֹ, כְּדַיי יִצְחָק בְּעַצְמוֹ, כְּדַיי יַעֲקֹב בְּעַצְמוֹ. 
מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנָּתַן לְעַבְדּוֹ שָׂדֶה אַחַת בְּמַתָּנָה; לֹא נְתָנָהּ לוֹ אֶלָּא כְּמוֹת שֶׁהִיא. עָמַד הָעֶבֶד הַהוּא וְהִשְׁבִּיחָהּ, וְאָמַר: מַה בְּיָדִי? לֹא נְתָנָהּ לִי אֶלָּא כְּמוֹת שֶׁהִיא! חָזַר וּנְטָעָהּ כֶּרֶם, וְאָמַר: מַה בְּיָדִי? לֹא נְתָנָהּ לִי אֶלָּא כְּמוֹת שֶׁהִיא! 
כָּךְ כְּשֶׁנָּתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ, לֹא נְתָנָהּ לוֹ אֶלָּא כְּמוֹת שֶׁהִיא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יג יז): ״קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ כִּי לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה״. עָמַד אַבְרָהָם וְהִשְׁבִּיחָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כא לג): ״וַיִּטַּע אֶשֶׁל בִּבְאֵר שָׁבַע״. עָמַד יִצְחָק וְהִשְׁבִּיחָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כו יב): ״וַיִּזְרַע יִצְחָק בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא וַיִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים״. עָמַד יַעֲקֹב וְהִשְׁבִּיחָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית לג יט): ״וַיִּקֶן אֶת חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 8**⁸⁵
1. **“Which HASHEM swore to your Patriarchs,**
**to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob” (Dt. 1:8).**
**What does the Teaching mean by**
**to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob*?***
**If the reference is to the oaths sworn to the Patriarchs,**⁸⁶
**isn’t it already said**:
**“The oaths sworn to the *tribal ancestors* still speak!” (Hab. 3:9).**
**So what does the Teaching mean by**
**to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob?**
**Abraham was worthy on his own merits,**
**Isaac was worthy on his own merits,**
**Jacob was worthy on his own merits!**⁸⁷ which reads Habakkuk in reference not to the Patriarchs, but to founding figures of the priestly tribe of Levi.
There is an analogy—
a king gave his slave a single field as a gift.
He gave it to him just as it was.
Then the slave got busy
and improved the field, saying:
what is now in my hands
was only given to me just as it was!
Then he went and planted a vineyard, saying:
what is now in my hands
was only given to me just as it was!
**So, too, when the Blessed Holy One**
**gave the Land to Father Abraham,**
**He gave it to him *just as it was*,**
**for it is said:**
**“Get up and walk around the Land, its length and breadth,**
***for to you* have I given it” (Gn. 13:17).**⁸⁸
Then Abraham arose and improved it,
for it is said:
“And *he planted* a tree in Beer Sheba” (Gn. 21:33).
Then Isaac arose and improved it,
for it is said:
“And Isaac *sowed* that land,
and that year it yielded a hundred-fold” (Gn. 26:12).
Then Jacob arose and improved it,
for it is said:
“And he *acquired a share* in the field” (Gn. 33:19).

footnotes:
⁸⁵ H:33; JN1:35-36.
⁸⁶ Cf. T. M.S.5:29.
⁸⁷ Cf. SZ,korakh 2,
⁸⁸ //T. M.S.5:29.


###### Sifrei Devarim 8:2
[Sifrei Devarim 8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/8:2)

**לָתֵת לָהֶם** – אֵלּוּ בָּאֵי הָאָרֶץ, **וּלְזַרְעָם** – אֵלּוּ בְנֵיהֶם, **אַחֲרֵיהֶם** – אֵלּוּ שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ דָּוִד וְיָרָבְעָם, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (מלכים ב יד כה): ״הוּא הֵשִׁיב אֶת גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִלְּבוֹא חֲמָת״ וְגוֹ׳.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. “To give *them*” (Dt. 1:8)—
these are the immigrants to the Land
[who were born in the wasteland].
“And to their *seed*” (Dt. 1:8)—
these are their children.
“*After* them” (Dt. 1:8)—
these are the territories conquered
by David and Jeroboam.
For indeed He says:
“[Jeroboam b. Joash, king of Judah]
restored the border of Israel
from the Hamat Pass until the sea of the Aravah” (2 Ki. 14:25).


###### Sifrei Devarim 8:3
[Sifrei Devarim 8:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/8:3)

רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: **לָתֵת לָהֶם** – אֵלּוּ עוֹלֵי בָבֶל, **וּלְזַרְעָם** – אֵלּוּ בְּנֵיהֶם, **אַחֲרֵיהֶם** – אֵלּוּ יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
3. Rabbi says:
“To give *them*” (Dt. 1:8)—
these are the ascenders to the Land from Babylonia.
“And to their *seed*” (Dt. 1:8)—
these are their children.
“*After* them” (Dt. 1:8)—
[those restored to life] in the days of the Messiah.