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In Sifrei Devarim – specifically section 96 – we find some fascinating instructions on this very topic. It starts with a seemingly simple prohibition: "Do not lacerate yourselves" ...
The core of this passage revolves around the first tithe, the ma'aser rishon. This was a portion of the harvest given to the Levites, the tribe dedicated to serving in the Temple. ...
Poof! Gone. Wiped clean. Sounds like a fantasy. But Jewish tradition actually envisions such a thing. It's called shemittah. And it's wild. The verse in Sifrei Devarim lays it out ...
Today, let’s untangle a fascinating detail from the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) and Shemot (Exodus) concerning the Hebrew slave – the eved Ivri – who chooses to remain with his m...
Like winning the lottery. But what if there's more to it? What if we have a role to play? The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal Midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this...
It’s a question that rabbis have been debating for centuries, and it comes to life in a fascinating discussion about two very important observances: building a succah and waving th...
We read in 1 Samuel that they yearned to be "like all the nations." But what was really driving that desire? Rabbi Nehorai, as quoted in Sifrei Devarim, gives us a rather startling...
The book of Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on Deuteronomy, touches on this very idea. It connects our wholeness, our completeness, directly to our relationship with God. It says, "Wh...
We’re talking about the verse, "to him shall you hearken" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Simple enough. Listen to the prophet. But Sifrei Devarim 176 throws a curveball. It suggests this obe...
