Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 46

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Sifrei Devarim 46:1

(דברים יא יט) וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם – בְּנֵיכֶם וְלֹא בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן עֲקִיבָה. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: כְּשֶׁהַתִּינוֹק מַתְחִיל לְדַבֵּר, אָבִיו מְדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּמְלַמְּדוֹ תּוֹרָה, וְאִם אֵין מְדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ בִּלְשׁוֹן קֹדֶשׁ וְאֵינוֹ מְלַמְּדוֹ תּוֹרָה, רָאוּי לוֹ כְּאִלּוּ קוֹבְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם. אִם לִמַּדְתֶּם אוֹתָם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם – (דברים יא כא) ״לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם״, וְאִם לָאו – לְמַעַן יִקְצְרוּ יְמֵיכֶם, שֶׁכָּךְ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה נִדְרָשִׁים: מִכְּלַל הֵן לָאו וּמִכְּלַל לָאו הֵן.

Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015

Pisqa’ 46¹¹⁸

“And teach them to your sons” (beneichem; Dt. 11:19)—

*your sons*, but not your daughters

**words of R. Yose b. Akiva.**¹¹⁹ On this basis they taught: When a baby begins to speak, his father should speak to him in the language of holiness [Hebrew], and teach him Torah. But if he does not speak to him in the language of holiness, and does not teach him Torah— **he might as well bury him!**¹²⁰ 15:38. For it is said: “And teach them to your sons, to speak of them” (Dt. 11:19). If you teach them to your sons— [they apply this verse to you]— “so that you extend your lives and your sons’ lives” (Dt. 11:21). But if not— so that you shorten your lives.

For this is how words of Torah are interpreted

a negation implies an affirmation, **and an affirmation implies a negation.**¹²¹ 8.

footnotes: ¹¹⁸ H:98;JN1:151 ¹¹⁹ Cf. M. Sot. 3:4 ¹²⁰ // T. Hag. 1:2; Cf. S.Z, shelakh, ¹²¹ // Mech Ishmael, bakhodesh