Sifrei on Deuteronomy Sifrei Devarim 352

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 33:11) "Bless, O, L-rd, his substance": i.e., his possessions — whence the adage: "Most Cohanim are wealthy." According to Abba the exegete, the verse (Psalms 37:25) "I have been a youth and I have also aged, but I have never seen a tzaddik forsaken nor his children begging for bread" applies to the seed of Aaron.

2

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"and desire the work of his hands": For he reconciles Israel to their Father in heaven.

3

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"Break the thighs of those who rise up against him": Whoever contests his right to the priesthood immediately falls.

4

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Variantly: "Break the thighs of those who rise up against him" refers to Korach. "and of his foes, that they rise not": This refers to Uzziyahu (viz. II Chronicles 29:16-23).

5

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid. 12) "Of Benjamin he said 'Beloved (yedid) of the L-rd.'": Benjamin is especially beloved because he is called "yedid" of the L-rd. For there are many "lovers," but the most beloved of all is "yedid." Six are called "yedidim": The Holy One Blessed be He," viz. (Isaiah 5:1) "I will sing now of my Yedid"; Benjamin: "yedid of the L-rd; he shall rest securely upon Him"; Solomon, viz. (II Samuel 12:25) "And he called his name 'yedidyah' because of the L-rd" (i.e., because of the L-rd's love for him.) And it is written (Ibid. 24) "And the L-rd loved him." Israel, viz. (Jeremiah 12:7) "I have delivered the yediduth of My soul into the palm of her enemies"; the Temple, viz. (Psalms 84:2) "How yedidoth are Your dwellings (i.e., the Temple)"; Abraham, viz. (Jeremiah 11:15): "What is My yedid (Abraham) doing in My house" (viz. Menachoth 53b). Let the yedid (Solomon) come and build the yedid (the Temple) in the portion of the yedid (Benjamin) for the Yedid (the Holy One Blessed be He); and let the yedidim (Israel), the children of the yedid (Abraham) come and enter therein.

6

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid.) "he (Benjamin) shall rest securely upon Him": And there is no "security" but in "dwelling," viz. (Ezekiel 34:25) "And they will dwell securely in the desert and sleep in the forests."

7

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid.) "He (the L-rd) hovers over it": This is the first Temple. "all the day": This is the ultimate Temple. "and between his (Benjamin's) shoulders (i.e., in a slight depression on the highest part of Benjamin's land) does it (the Temple) dwell": built and finished in time to come. And thus do you find with Abraham: that he saw it built, and he saw it in ruins, and he saw it built (again), viz. (Bereshith 22:14) "And Abraham called the name of that place 'The L-rd will see'" — built; "of which (place) it will be said (in future generations) 'On this day in the mountain' — in ruins; 'the L-rd shall appear'" — built and finished in time to come. And thus do you find with Isaac: that he saw it built, and he saw it in ruins, and he saw it built (again), viz. (Ibid. 27:27) "See, the smell of my son is like the (pleasing) smell (of the sacrifices)" — built; "field" — in ruins, viz. (Michah 3:12) "Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed over like a field"; "which the L-rd has blessed" — built and finished in time to come, viz. (Psalms 133:3) "For there the L-rd has commanded the blessing — life forever!" And thus do you find with Jacob: that he saw it built, and he saw it in ruins, and he saw it built and finished in time to come, viz. (Bereshith 28:17) "And he feared and he said: 'How awesome is this place' — built; 'This is not' — in ruins; 'other than the house of G-d'" — built and finished in time to come.

8

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid.) "and between his (Benjamin's) shoulders does it (the Temple) rest": whether in ruins or not in ruins. And thus is it written (Ezra 1:2-3) "Thus said Koresh, king of Paras … He is the G-d which (i.e., whose Temple) is in Jerusalem."

9

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "and between his shoulders does it rest": Just as with an ox, there is nothing higher than its shoulders, so, the Temple is higher than the rest of the world, viz. (Devarim 17:8) "then you shall arise and go up to the place," and (Isaiah 2:3) "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the L-rd." It is not written "Gad from the east and Dan from the west, but (Ibid. 4) "many peoples" (i.e., all go up.) Rebbi says: Of all the boundaries it is written "and the border curved," "and the border descended," but here it is written (Ibid. 15:8) "And the border ascended by the valley of Ben Hinnom to the southern shoulder of the Yevussi, which is Jerusalem."

10

English · Shraga Silverstein

We are hereby taught that the Temple is built in the portion of Benjamin and like the head of an ox extends from the portion of Benjamin to that of Judah, as it is written "and between his (Benjamin's) shoulders (in a slight depression on the highest part of Benjamin's land) does it (the Temple) rest." As to its being written (Bereshith 49:10) "The scepter shall not depart from Judah," that refers to the chamber of hewn stone (in the Temple), which is in the portion of Judah, viz. (Psalms 78:67-68) "And He rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tent of Ephraim. He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loves." But the Temple was in the portion of Benjamin, viz. (Bereshith 35:19) "And Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Efrath, which is Bethlehem."

11

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Meir says: She died in the portion of Benjamin, her son, as it is written (Ibid. 48:7) "for when I came from Paden, Rachel died upon me … before Efrath, etc." And Efrath is none other than Bethlehem, viz. (Michah 5:1) "And you, Bethlehem, Efrathah." I might think, in the portion of Joseph, her son; it is, therefore, written (Psalms 132:6) "Behold, we heard of it in Efrath; we found it in the field of the forest" — with him who is compared to an animal of the forest. And who is that? Benjamin, as it is written (Bereshith 49:27) "Benjamin is a wolf that will tear." Benjamin merited that the Shechinah reside in his portion.

12

English · Shraga Silverstein

And thus you find that when Joshua apportioned Eretz Yisrael among the tribes, he left over of the choice land of Jericho five hundred ells by five hundred ells and gave a first portion to the sons of Yonadav ben Rechav from which they ate four hundred and forty years, as it is written (I Kings 6:1) "And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt … he (Solomon) built the Temple for the L-rd." Deduct from that the forty years that Israel was in the desert, whence we find that they ate from it four hundred and forty years. And when the Shechinah reposed in the portion of Benjamin, they arose and vacated it, as it is written (Judges 1:16) "And the children of the Kenite, the father-in-law of Moses, ascended from the city of date palms" (Jericho), and (Bamidbar 10:29) "And Moses said to Chovav (Yithro) the son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses … it will I give to you, etc." Now would it enter your mind that Moses was telling Yithro: Come and we will give you a portion in Eretz Yisrael? What he was saying to him was (Ibid.) "Come with us and we will do good with you." The reference is to the choice land of Jericho, which fed the descendants of Yithro before the Temple was built for the tribes. (Ibid.) "And he said to him: 'I will not go, etc.'", viz.: In the future, when Eretz Yisrael will be apportioned among the tribes, one of them will give me one of his vineyards or one of his furrows — "but I will go to my land and eat the fruits of my land and drink the wine of my vineyard."

13

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Shimon says: This was not his intent, but what he said was "I will go to my land and to my kindred," and I will convert the people of my land and of my family. Lest you say he went and did not do so, it is written (I Chronicles 2:55) "and the families of scribes who dwelt at Ya'abetz … These were the Kenites who descended from Chammath, the father of the house of Rechav." And thus is it written (Judges 1:16) "And the children of the Kenite, the father-in-law of Moses, ascended from the city of date palms" (Jericho.) They left a place of fruit, food, and drink, and went to the south of Arad to the desert to learn Torah with Ya'abetz. Who was Ya'abetz? Athniel ben Kenaz. And thus is it written (II Samuel 24:24) "And David bought (on the future site of the Temple) the threshing floor and the cattle for fifty silver shekels." And elsewhere it is written (I Chronicles 21:25) "And David gave Ornan for the place golden shekels, six hundred." It cannot mean (literally,) golden shekels, for it is written "silver shekels." And it cannot mean silver shekels, for it is written "golden shekels." It must mean, then, that he weighed in gold and bought in silver. And it cannot mean fifty, for it is written six hundred. And it cannot mean six hundred, for it is written fifty. It must mean, then, that when David saw the place where it was fitting to build the Temple, he collected fifty shekalim from each tribe; all together, six hundred shekalim.

14

English · Shraga Silverstein

Why did Benjamin merit the reposing of the Shechinah in his portion? This may be compared to (the situation of) a king, who visited his sons from time to time. Each one said let him stay with me. The youngest said: Is it possible that father will leave my big brothers and stay with me? — whereupon he was completely crestfallen. His father, seeing him in this state, said: I will eat by you and sleep by him. Thus, the Holy One Blessed be He said: The Temple will be in the portion of Benjamin, and sacrifices offered by all of the tribes.

15

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: Why did Benjamin merit the reposing of the Shechinah in his portion? For all of the brothers were born outside of the land, and Benjamin in it.

16

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: Because all of the brothers were involved in the sale of Joseph, but not Benjamin. The Holy One Blessed be He said (as it were): Shall I tell these to build the Temple? No. Let them pray before Me and I will be filled with mercy for them; but I will not repose My Shechinah in their midst, for they did not have mercy upon their brother.

17

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: This may be compared to (the situation of) a king who had many sons. When they grew up, each went his own way. The youngest was beloved of his father. He ate with him, drank with him, and leaned upon him in going out and coming in. Similarly, Benjamin the tzaddik was the youngest of the tribes, and Jacob our father would eat with him and drink with him and lean upon him in going out and coming in — whereupon the Holy One Blessed be He said: The place where this tzaddik reposed his hands, there will I repose My Shechinah. Thus, "and between his (Benjamin's) shoulders does it (the Temple) rest."

Sifrei Devarim 352

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