## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 97

###### Sifrei Devarim 97:1
[Sifrei Devarim 97:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:1)

(דברים יד ב) **כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ**, קַדֵּשׁ אֶת עַצְמְךָ. **כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ** – קְדֻשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא עָלֶיךָ, הִיא גָּרְמָה לָךְ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 97**²¹⁴
1. “For you are a people *consecrated* (*qadosh*) to HASHEM your God” (Dt. 14:2)—
[therefore,] *consecrate* (*qadesh*) yourself.
“For you are *a people* consecrated” (Dt. 14:2)—
the holiness (*qedushah*) upon you
has caused [your consecration].

footnotes:
²¹⁴ H:145; JN1:255.


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:2
[Sifrei Devarim 97:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:2)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: לֹא תִגְרֹם לְעַם אַחֵר לִהְיוֹת קָדוֹשׁ כַּיּוֹצֵא בְּךָ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Another word:
[For you are *a people* consecrated” (Dt. 14:2)—]
do not cause *another people*
to be consecrated like yourself!


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:3
[Sifrei Devarim 97:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:3)

**וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה׳**, (תהלים קלה ד) ״כִּי יַעֲקֹב בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ״. **לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה** – (תהלים קלה ד) ״יִשְׂרָאֵל לִסְגֻלָּתוֹ״.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“And HASHEM has *chosen* you” (Dt. 14:2),
[as He says:]
“For Jacob was chosen by HASHEM” (Ps. 135:4)—
to be His cherished people,
[as He says:]
“Israel, as His cherished people” (Ps. 135:4).²¹⁵

footnotes:
²¹⁵ F:158, n. 14 consider this material a marginal insertion.


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:4
[Sifrei Devarim 97:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:4)

**וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים**, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד חָבִיב לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִכָּל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
“And HASHEM has *chosen you* to be His cherished people *from among* all the peoples” (Dt. 14:2)
this *you* [in the singular (*bekhah*)] teaches that each and every [Israelite]
is more beloved before the Holy One,
than all the nations of the world.


###### Sifrei Devarim 97:5
[Sifrei Devarim 97:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/97:5)

יָכוֹל אַף מֵאָבוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: **מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה**, אֱמֹר מֵעַתָּה: מִשֶּׁלְּפָנָיו וּמִשֶּׁלְּאַחֲרָיו, וְלֹא מֵאָבוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים!

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
Is it possible to say that
[each Israelite] is even more [beloved]
than the founding Patriarchs [of Israel]?
The Teaching states:
“From *among all the peoples* who inhabit the earth” (Dt. 14:2)—
from this verse, you may conclude that
[Israel is] most [beloved] among all its predecessors
and most [beloved] among all its successors,
but not more than the founding Patriarchs!