Sifrei on Deuteronomy Sifrei Devarim 40

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 11:12) "A land which the L-rd your G-d inquires after": Rebbi says: Does He inquire after it (Eretz Yisrael) alone? Does He not inquire after all the lands, viz. (Job 38:26) (He makes it) "rain upon a land without a man, a desert in which there is no person." What is the intent, then, of "a land which the L-rd your G-d inquires after"? — It is as if He inquires only after it. Because He inquires after it, He inquires after all the other lands along with it.

2

English · Shraga Silverstein

Similarly, (Psalms 121:4) "Behold, He neither slumbers or sleeps, the Watcher of Israel." Is it Israel alone that He watches? Does He not watch over all? As it is written (Job 12:10) "In His hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of all the flesh of man." What is the intent, then, of "the Watcher of Israel"? — It is as if He watches only over Israel. And because of that watching, He watches over all along with them.

3

English · Shraga Silverstein

Similarly, (I Kings 9:3) "And My eyes and My heart shall be there (in the Temple) all of the days." Now are they there alone? Is it not written (Zechariah 4:10) "They are the eyes of the L-rd, which range over all the world," and (Proverbs 15:3) "In every place, the eyes of the L-rd look upon the evil and the good." What, then, is the intent of "And My eyes and My heart shall be there all of the days"? — It is as if they are only there. And because they are there, they are everywhere.

4

English · Shraga Silverstein

Similarly, (Psalms 29:8) "The voice of the L-rd frights the desert; the L-rd frights the desert of Kadesh." Now is it not already written "the voice of the L-rd frights the desert"? (Why, then, is it written, etc.)

5

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 11:12) "a land which the L-rd your G-d inquires after": It is subject to inquiry for the separation of challah, terumoth, and tithes. I might think that the other lands are also subject to inquiry; it is, therefore, written "inquires after it"; it is subject to inquiry and not the other lands.

6

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: Scripture hereby tells us that it is inquired after in reward for inquiry (the "inquiring" [i.e., the learning of the Torah by Israel]), as it is written (Ibid. 19) "And you shall teach them (words of Torah) to speak in them," followed by (21) "So that your days be prolonged and the days of your children (in the land, etc."). And it is written (Psalms 105:44-45) "And He gave them the lands of the nations and caused them to inherit the toil of the peoples. So that they keep His statues and heed His laws."

7

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Ibid. 12) "Always the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are in it (from the beginning of the year to the end of the year," i.e., for good), and elsewhere it is written (Psalms 104:32) "He looks to the earth and it trembles; He touches the mountains and they smoke." How are these verses to be reconciled? When Israel does the L-rd's will — "Always the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are in it," and they are not harmed. When Israel do not do the L-rd's will — "He looks to the earth and it trembles; He touches the mountains and they smoke." Variantly: "Always the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are in it": sometimes for good; sometimes for ill. How so for good? If Israel were wicked on Rosh Hashanah and scant rain was decreed upon them (for the year), and they repented — to add to them (the rains) is impossible, for the decree has already gone forth; but the Holy One Blessed be He brings them down upon the land in their (optimum) time, when it is in need of them. How so for ill? If Israel were absolutely righteous on Rosh Hashanah, and abundant rain was decreed upon them, and they repented (of their good) — to detract from them (the rains) is impossible, for the decree has already gone forth; but the Holy One Blessed be He brings them down upon the land, not in their (optimum) time, when it is not in need of them, upon deserts and seas, as it is written (Job 24:19) "Dryness, also heat, will steal from the days of snow. They have sinned unto Sheol": What you have done against Me in the days of heat (i.e., at harvest time) — that you have not separated terumoth and tithes — will steal the rains from you.

8

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid.) "from the beginning of the year until the end of the year": Scripture hereby teaches that from Rosh Hashanah it is decreed upon them how many rains and dews (will descend), how much sun will shine, how many winds will blow upon it.

9

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "from the beginning of the year until the end of the year": I shall bless you — in business, in planting, in all to which you put your hand — I will bless you.

10

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "from the beginning of the year until the end of the year": Now are the fruits in the field from the beginning of the year until the end of the year? (The intent is that it is) in My domain to bestow blessing upon them (when they are) in the house as when they are in the field, as it is written (Ibid. 28:8) "The L-rd shall command unto you the blessing in your store-houses and in all to which you put your hand." And it is written (Chaggai 2:19) "Is there any more seed in the silo? Even the grapevine and the fig tree and the pomegranate tree have not borne their fruit, (but) from this day on, I will bless." They are in My domain to bestow blessing upon them, just as I bestow blessing upon them in the field. And mothiness and rot will not enter the fruit, and wine will not sour, and oil will not foul, and honey will not ferment. And whence do I derive (that this obtains) even in the storehouses? From (Devarim 28:3) "Blessed shall you be in the city (including the storehouses), and blessed shall you be in the field." Whence do I derive even the flour? From (Ibid. 5) "Blessed shall be your basket and your (kneading) bowl." Whence do I derive even in entering and in leaving? From (Ibid. 6) "Blessed shall you be in your coming in and blessed shall you be in your leaving." And whence do I derive even in eating? From (Ibid. 8:6) "And you shall eat and you shall be sated and you shall bless." And whence do I derive even when it descends into one's intestines? From (Shemoth 23:25) "and I shall remove sickness from your midst."

11

English · Shraga Silverstein

— But perhaps (you will say) this is so only because (the L-rd's measure of good, being greater than His measure of ill), it is not in My domain (i.e., within My ability) to send blight upon them in the house, as it is in the field; it is, therefore, written (Chaggai 1:9) "You brought it (your produce) home, and I blew upon it!" And it is written (Devarim 28:20) "and the L-rd will send in you the blight and the mehumah." It is within My domain to send blight indoors just as I do in the field, and rot in the fruit and sourness in the wine and foulness in the oil and fermentation in the honey. And whence is it derived even in the storehouses? From (Ibid. 16) "Cursed shall you be in the city." And whence do I derive even in the flour? From (Ibid. 17) "Cursed will be your basket and your (kneading) bowl." And whence do I derive even in entering and in leaving? From (Ibid. 19) "Cursed will you be in your coming and cursed will you be in your going out." And whence do I derive even in eating? From (Vayikra 26:26) "and you will eat and not be sated." And whence do I derive even when they descend into one's intestines? From (Michah 6:14) "and you will stoop over because of (sickness in) your innards."

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English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Shimon b. Yochai says: An analogy: A king had many sons and servants, who were fed and sustained by him, the key to the storehouse being in his hand. When they do his will, he opens the storehouse and they eat and are sated. When they do not do his will, he locks the storehouse and they die of hunger. Thus with Israel. When they do the L-rd's will — (Devarim 18:12) "The L-rd will open for you His goodly treasure trove, the heavens," and when they do not do His will — (Ibid. 11:17) "And the wrath of the L-rd will burn against you, and He will hold back the heavens and there will not be rain."

13

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Shimon b. Yochai says: A loaf and a rod descended intertwined from heaven. The Holy One Blessed be He said to Israel: If you observe the Torah, here is the loaf to eat. If not, here is the rod to be smitten with. And where is this articulated? — (Isaiah 1:19-20) "If you accept and you heed, the good of the earth shall you eat; and if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you. For the mouth of the L-rd has spoken."

14

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Eliezer says: A scroll and a sword descended intertwined from heaven. He said to them: If you observe the Torah written in the one, you will be saved from the other; if not, you will be smitten by it. And where is this articulated — (Bereshith 3:24) "And He drove the man out (of Eden), and He posted east of Eden the cherubs and the flash of the revolving sword to guard the way of the tree of life."

Sifrei Devarim 40

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