Sifrei on Deuteronomy Sifrei Devarim 319

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 32:18) "The Rock of your birth you have weakened": The Holy One Blessed be He said to them: You rendered Me (comparable to) a male who sought to give birth (viz.): If a woman were sitting on the mashber (the birth-stone, and she could not deliver), would she not be in great pain? viz. (I Kings 19:3) "For the sons have come to the mashber (i.e., they are at the point of being born), and she has no strength to bear them" (i.e., to eject them from the womb). And if she were sick and having her first child, would she not be in great pain? viz. (Jeremiah 4:31) "For I have heard an outcry like that of a woman sick (in labor), in pain as with her first child." And if there were two in her womb, would she not be in great pain? viz. (Bereshith 25:22) "And the sons wrangled within her" — And if it were a male, who cannot give birth, that sought to bear, would his agony not be compounded? viz. (Jeremiah 30:6) "Ask now and see if a male has ever given birth!" (Thus: "The Rock of your birth you have weakened.")

2

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "The rock of your birth you have forgotten": You have forgotten the acts of your forefathers, viz. (Isaiah 51:1-2) "Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hollow of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your forefather and to Sarah who bore you."

3

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "You have weakened the Rock of your birth": Whenever I sought to confer good upon you, you "weakened the celestial power" (i.e., Me): You stood at the Red Sea and said (Shemoth 15:2) "This is my G-d and I will extol Him," and I sought to confer good upon you, when you turned around and said (Ibid. 17:3) "Why did You bring us up from Egypt, etc." You stood at Sinai and said (Ibid. 29:7) "All that the L-rd spoke we will do and we will hear," and I sought to confer good upon you, when you turned around and said of the golden calf (Ibid. 32:4) "These are your gods, O Israel" — Whenever I sought to confer good upon you, you "weakened the celestial power." (Devarim, Ibid.) "And you forgot the G-d mecholalecha":

4

English · Shraga Silverstein

The G-d who conferred "hacheil" His name upon you — what He did with no other nation (— you forgot Him), viz. (Shemoth 20:2) "I am the L-rd, your G-d." R. Meir says: The G-d shechechil ("who suffered pangs [chil]") over you, as in (Psalms 48:7) "chil, as a woman in labor." And (Ibid. 29:3) "The voice of the L-rd is upon the water ... (Ibid. 9) The voice of the L-rd yecholel [lit., "brings pangs"] upon the hinds." R. Yehudah says: He made you mechilin, mechilin (i.e., with many natural openings).

5

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Nechemiah says: The G-d who made you "profane" (chullin) in the eyes of all men, when you do not occupy yourselves with Torah, viz. (Isaiah 47:6) "I have profaned (chillati) My inheritance."

6

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "and you have forgotten the G-d mecholalecha": the G-d who forgives you (mochel lecha) for all of your sins.

Sifrei Devarim 319

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