Sifrei on Deuteronomy Sifrei Devarim 41

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim 11:13) "And it shall be, if hearken you shall hearken to My mitzvoth": Because it is written (Ibid. 5:1) "And you shall learn them (the mitzvoth) and you shall heed them to do them," I might think that there is no obligation for learning until there is an obligation for doing; it is, therefore, written (the redundant) "if hearken (i.e., learn) you shall hearken," Scripture indicating that the obligation for learning is immediate.

2

English · Shraga Silverstein

I might think that this applies only to those mitzvoth which obtain before entry to Eretz Yisrael, such as bechoroth (the first-born), sacrifices, and animal tithes. Whence do I derive that it applies also to those mitzvoth that apply only after entering Eretz Yisrael, such as omer, challah, the two loaves, and the show bread? From "if hearken you shall hearken to My mitzvoth" — to include the other mitzvoth.

3

English · Shraga Silverstein

This tells me (that they are required to learn immediately) only those mitzvoth which obtain (even) before they conquered and settled the land. Whence do I derive (the same for those mitzvoth which obtain) only after they conquered and settled the land, such as leket, shikchah, peah, terumoth, ma'aseroth, shemitah, and Yovloth? From "to My mitzvoth which I command you this day" — to include the other mitzvoth.

4

English · Shraga Silverstein

If so, what is the intent of "And you shall learn them and you shall heed them to do them"? Scripture hereby apprises us that doing (the mitzvah) is contingent upon learning, and not, learning up doing. And thus do we find that the punishment for (not) learning is greater than that of (not) doing, viz.: (Hoshea 4:1) "Hear the word of the L-rd, O children of Israel. For the L-rd has a quarrel with the dwellers of the land. For there is no truth, and there is no lovingkindness, and there is no knowledge of the L-rd in the land."

5

English · Shraga Silverstein

"there is no truth": Words of Torah are not being spoken, viz.: (Proverbs 22:23) "Buy truth and do not sell it."

6

English · Shraga Silverstein

"and there is no lovingkindness": There is no lovingkindness in the land, viz. (Psalms 33:5) "The lovingkindness of the L-rd fills the land."

7

English · Shraga Silverstein

"and there is no knowledge": Words of knowledge are not being spoken, viz. (Hoshea 4:6) "My people is silent, without knowledge; for you have silenced knowledge."

8

English · Shraga Silverstein

And it is written (Isaiah 5:24) "As straw will consume a tongue of fire, and hay will weaken a flame, etc." Now can straw consume fire? — "straw" here is Esav. So long as Israel "weaken" their hand from mitzvoth, Esav prevails over them.

9

English · Shraga Silverstein

And it is written (Jeremiah 9:11-12) "Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of the L-rd has spoken and who can tell it? Why was the land lost and parched like a desert without a passerby? And the L-rd said: 'Because they forsook My Torah which I placed before them, and they did not keep My voice nor follow it.'"

10

English · Shraga Silverstein

And it is written (Amos 2:4) "Thus said the L-rd: 'For three offenses of Judah (I looked away), but for the fourth I will not pardon them — for their despising the Torah of the L-rd, and for not observing His statutes.'"

11

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Tarfon, R. Yossi Haglili and R. Akiva were once seated in the house of Nitzah in Lod when they were asked: "What is greater? Learning or doing?" R. Tarfon said: "Doing is greater." R. Akiva: "Learning is greater." All of them responded: "Learning is greater, for learning leads to doing."

12

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Yossi says: "Learning is greater, for learning preceded challah by forty years; terumoth and ma'aseroth by fifty-four years; shemitoth by sixty-one years, and Yovloth by one hundred and three years."

13

English · Shraga Silverstein

And just as learning is greater than doing, so is its punishment (i.e., that for not learning) greater than (that for not) doing, as it is written (Proverbs 17:14) "Freeing oneself from water (i.e., Torah) is the beginning of punishment." And just as the punishment for (not) learning is greater than that for not doing, so is its reward greater than that for doing. As it is written (Devarim 11:19) "And you shall teach your sons to speak in them (words of Torah) … (21) So that your days be prolonged and the days of your children, etc." And (Psalms 105:44) "And He gave them the lands of nations, and they inherited the toil of peoples, so that they keep (i.e., learn) His statutes and heed His laws."

14

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid. 13) "Which I command you this day.": Whence is it derived that if one heard a word (of Torah) from a minor it is as if he heard it from a sage? From (Koheleth 12:11) "The words of the wise are like goads, etc." What is more, if one hears (words of Torah) from a sage, it is as if he hears them from Sanhedrin, it being written (Ibid.) "the man of the gatherings," "gatherings" alluding to Sanhedrin, viz. (Bamidbar 11:16) "Gather unto Me seventy men from the elders of Israel." And if one hears from Sanhedrin, it is as if he hears from Moses, viz. (Koheleth, Ibid.) "given by one shepherd (Moses)." And (Isaiah 63:11) "And they remembered the days of old, Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up from the Sea? the shepherd of His flock? who placed in their midst His holy spirit?" And, what is more, if one hears from Moses, it is as if he hears from the Holy One Blessed be He, viz.: "given by one Shepherd," and (Psalms 80:2) "Shepherd of Israel hear, Leader of Joshua as a flock — Dweller above the cherubs, appear!" And it is written (Devarim 6:4) "Hear, O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One."

15

English · Shraga Silverstein

And thus is it written (Song of Songs 7:5) "Your eyes are like the pools in Cheshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim": "Your eyes": These are the elders appointed over the congregation, viz. (Isaiah 29:10) "For the L-rd has poured upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and He has closed your 'eyes' from seeing." "pools": Just as one cannot plumb (the depths of) a pool, so he cannot plumb the words of the sages. "in Cheshbon": the "accountings" (cheshbonoth) that they conclude with counsel and deliberation (machshavah). These are concluded in the houses of study, by "the gate (of study) frequented by the many (scholars)" — bath-rabbim. What is the intent of (Song of Songs, Ibid.) "Your nose is like the tower of Levanon which looks towards Damascus"? If you have studied the Torah, hope for (i.e., anticipate the arrival of) Eliyahu, whom I told (I Kings 19:15) "Go, return on your way, to the desert of Damascus." And it is written (Malachi 3:22-24) "Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant, which I commanded you in Chorev for all of Israel, statues and judgments. Behold, I am sending you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the day of the L-rd, and he will turn back (to the L-rd) the hearts of fathers with (their) sons, and the heart of sons with their fathers" — this being the purport of "which I command you this day."

16

English · Shraga Silverstein

(Devarim, Ibid. 13) "to love the L-rd your G-d": Lest you say: I shall learn Torah to be rich, to be called Rebbi, to receive reward in the world to come — it is, therefore, written "to love the L-rd your G-d." All that you do shall be out of love alone.

17

English · Shraga Silverstein

"and to serve Him": This is learning. — But perhaps it is service, literally. It is written (Bereshith 2:15) "And the L-rd G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to serve it and to guard it." Now what "service" was there in the past, and what "guarding" was there in the past? We are hereby taught "serving" is learning, (in this instance, the "seven mitzvoth of the sons of Noach) and "guarding" is (the doing of) mitzvoth. And just as the (sacrificial) service of the altar is called "service," so, learning is called "service."

18

English · Shraga Silverstein

Variantly: "and to serve Him": This is prayer. — But perhaps it is service, literally. It is, therefore, written "with all your heart." Now is there "service" in the heart? What, then, is the intent of "and to serve Him with all your heart? Prayer. Similarly, David said (Psalms 141:2) "Let my prayer stand as incense before You; the lifting of my hands, as an evening offering." And it is written (Daniel 6:11) "And when Daniel learned that the writing had been inscribed, he went home. He had windows open in his upper storey, facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he fell to his knees and gave thanks before his G-d, exactly as he used to do before this." And (Ibid. 21) "And when he (the king) drew near to the pit, to Daniel, he cried out in a sad voice. The king answered and said to Daniel: 'Daniel, servant of the living G-d, was your G-d, whom you serve continually, able to save you from the lions?'" Now was there (Temple) service in Bavel? What, then, is the intent of "and to serve Him"? Prayer. Just as the sacrificial service is called "service," so, prayer.

19

English · Shraga Silverstein

R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: "and to serve Him with all your heart": This is an exhortation to the Cohanim that their hearts not be "preoccupied" at the time of the (sacrificial) service.

20

English · Shraga Silverstein

"with all your heart and with all your soul": Now is it not already written (Ibid. 6:5) "with all your heart and with all your soul"? Here (above) — vis-à-vis the individual; there — (Devarim 11:13) vis-à-vis the congregation. Here, for learning; there, for doing. If you hearken and do what is yours (to do), I, likewise, will do what is Mine, (Ibid. 11:19) "and I shall give the rain of your land, etc."

Sifrei Devarim 41

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