Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 92
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(דברים יג יג) כִּי תִשְׁמַע – וְלֹא הַחוֹזֵר וְהַמְּצַתֵּת.
Pisqa’ 92¹⁷⁹
- “Should you hear” (Dt. 13:13)— [even indirectly,] and not by active interrogation.
footnotes: ¹⁷⁹ H:141; JN1:245.
יָכוֹל יְהֵא רָטוּשׁ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְדָרַשְׁתָּ וְחָקַרְתָּ וְשָׁאַלְתָּ הֵיטֵב״, ״וְדָרַשְׁתָּ״ – מִן הַתּוֹרָה, ״וְחָקַרְתָּ״ – מִן הָעֵדִים, ״וְשָׁאַלְתָּ״ – מִן הַתַּלְמִידִים.
Is it possible to suppose that [in this circumstance,] the report should be suppressed? The Teaching states: “Then you shall seek out, and investigate, and inquire diligently” (Dt. 13:15)— “you shall seek out” –in the Torah, “and investigate”—testimony from eye-witnesses, “and inquire”—from disciples [trained in judicial procedings].¹⁸⁰
footnotes: ¹⁸⁰ This passage is missing in some mss of Sifre, on which grounds F:153, n.13 regards it as an interpolation.,
בְּאַחַת עָרֶיךָ, עִיר אַחַת עוֹשִׂים עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת, וְאֵין עוֹשִׂים שָׁלֹשׁ עֲיָרוֹת נִדָּחוֹת. יָכוֹל אַף לֹא שְׁתַּיִם? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: בְּאַחַת עָרֶיךָ.
- “That in one of your cities” (Dt. 13:13)— they declare one city a condemned city, but they do not declare three cities [simultaneously] to be condemned. Is it possible to say that not even two cities can be condemned simultaneously?
“In one of your cities” (Dt. 13:13)— this teaches that only one city **can be condemned at a time.**¹⁸¹
footnotes: ¹⁸¹ //M. San.1:5; cf. T.San.14:1.
אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נוֹתֵן לְךָ – בְּכָל מָקוֹם.
“Which HASHEM your God is giving you” (Dt. 13:13)— that is, anywhere [in the Land of Israel].
לָשֶׁבֶת שָׁם – פְּרָט לִירוּשָׁלִַם, שֶׁלֹּא נִתְּנָה לְבֵית דִּירָה.
“To dwell there” (Dt. 13: 13)— this exempts Jerusalem [from being declared a condemned city], because it was not given [to any tribe] as a patrimony.