Sifra 9.0.20

Acharei Mot, Section 8

1) (Vayikra 18:1) "And the L–rd said to Moses, saying: (Vayikra 18:2) Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: I am the L–rd your G d." I am the L–rd who spoke and caused the world to come into being. I am full of mercy. I am a Judge, who exacts payment, and who is trusted to reward.

2) It is I, who exacted payment from the generation of the flood, and from the people of Sodom, and from the Egyptians, and I am destined to exact payment from you if you follow in their ways.

3) Whence is it derived that there was no people whose acts were more detestable than those of the Egyptians? From (Vayikra 18:3) "As the deed of the land of Egypt … you shall not do." And whence is it derived that those of the last generation were the worst of all? From "As the deed of the land of Egypt where you dwelt you shall not do." Whence is it derived that (the deeds of the people of) the place where Israel dwelt were the worst of all? From "where you dwelt you shall not do." And whence is it derived that the dwelling of Israel (there) prompted them to all of these deeds? From "where you dwelt you shall not do."

4) And whence is it derived that there was no people whose acts were more detestable than those of the Canaanites? From (Vayikra 18:3) "And as the deed of the land of Canaan you shall not do." And whence is it derived that those of the last generation were the worst of all? From "to which I bring you." And whence is it derived that the coming of Israel (there) prompted them to all of these deeds? From "to which I bring you you shall not do."

5) R. Shimon says (Isaiah 41:4) "Who wrought and did? He who called forth the generations from the beginning." He readied (punishment) for the guilty generation, that Israel come and exact it of them.

6) R Yossi Haglili says: After Scripture equates the deed of the land of Egypt with that of the land of Canaan, and that of the land of Canaan with that of the land of Egypt, why did the Canaanites merit remaining in their land for forty-seven years, as it is written (Bamidbar 13:22) "And Chevron (in Canaan) was built seven years before Tzoan (in) Egypt" (and add forty years for their sojourn in the desert)? It was because they honored our father Abraham, saying (Bereshith 23:5) "Hear us, my lord, a prince of G d are you in our midst" — wherefore they merited remaining on their land forty-seven years.

7) R. Shimon b. Gamliel says in the name of R. Shimon b. Lakish: And thus is it written (Joshua 11:15) ("And the name of Chevron of yore was the city of Arba [Abraham]), the great man among the Anakim, and the land had rest from war." Men who honored the tzaddik merited that their land rest (from war).

8) If "As the deed of the land of Egypt and as the deed of the land of Canaan, you shall not do," I might think they should not build or plant as they do; it is, therefore, written (Joshua 11:15) "and in their statutes you shall not walk." I have proscribed for you only those statutes which were instituted for them and for their forefathers and for the fathers of their forefathers. What did they do? A man would wed a man, and a woman, a woman. A man would wed a woman and her daughter, and a woman would wed two — wherefore Scripture states "and in their statutes you shall not walk."

9) (Vayikra 18:4) ("My judgments you shall do, and My statutes you shall heed to walk in them; I am the L–rd your G d.") "My judgments" — these are the laws; "My statutes" — these are the midrashoth (exegetical derivations); "you shall heed" — this is the Mishnah; "to walk in them" — this is the deed; "shall you heed to walk in them" — It is not the Mishnah which conducts you (to the world to come), but the deed.

10) (Vayikra 18:5) "And you shall heed My statutes and My judgments, which a man shall do": to ascribe heeding and doing to statutes and heeding and doing to judgments, (the previous verse having ascribed only doing to judgments and heeding to statutes). (Vayikra 18:5) "and he shall live in them": in the world to come. If you would say, in this world, is it not one's end to die? How, then, is "and he shall live in them" to be understood? In the world to come. (Vayikra 18:5) "I am the L–rd" — trusted to reward.