Pisqa’ 344¹

1

“He indeed loves the peoples” (Dt.33:3)—

this teaches that the All-Present

loved Israel in a way different

from any other nation or kingdom.²

“All its consecrated ones are in Your hands” (Dt.33:3)—

these are the providers of Israel,

who give their lives on behalf of Israel.

Of Moses, He says:

“Now, can You bear their sin? If not, I beg of You:

Rub me out of Your record that You have written!” (Ex.32:32)

Of David, He says:

“Didn’t I order the census of the people?

I alone am guilty . . . But these sheep, what have they done?

HASHEM my God! Let your hand be upon me and my father’s house,

yet may Your people not be afflicted!” (1Chron.21:17).

“And they followed in Your footsteps” (Dt.33:3)—

despite being raped, despite beatings, and despite humiliation.

2

“Bearing Your words” (Dt.33:3)—

they accepted them upon themselves, saying:

“All that HASHEM has spoken, we will obediently perform!” (Ex.24:7).

Another word:

“He indeed loves the peoples” (Dt.33:3)—

this teaches that

the Blessed Holy One did not share His love

with the nations of the world as He shared His love with Israel. ³

You can be sure of this,

for, indeed, they have taught:

An object stolen from a foreigner (nochri)—

[Israel] is permitted [to benefit from it].

But an object stolen from Israel—

[Israel] is forbidden [to benefit from it].⁴

Now, one time,

the Imperium sent two investigators, instructing them:

Disguise yourselves as Jews,

and determine what their Torah is about.

They went to the Ushan academy of Rabban Gamliel.⁵

They declaimed Scriptures (miqra’),

recited the oral-performative tradition (mishnah),

and mastered hermeneutics (midrash), law (halakhah) and lore (haggadot).⁶

When they were about to depart, they said to [the sages]:

This Torah of yours is lovely and praiseworthy,

except for a single thing that you teach:

An object stolen from a gentile (goy) —

[Israel] is permitted [to benefit from it].

But an object stolen from Israel—

[Israel] is forbidden [to benefit from it].⁷

But we will not inform the Imperium about this!

3

“All its consecrated ones are in Your hands” (Dt.33:3)—

these are the giants of Israel,

who are held as ransom for Israel.

And, so does He state of Ezekiel:

“And as for you, lie on your left side . . .

for as many days as you lie upon it you shall bear their punishment . . .

corresponding to the number of the years of their punishment;

and so you shall bear the punishment for the House of Israel” (Exek.4:4-5).

“And they followed in Your footsteps” (Dt.33:3)—

despite being irksome, and despite being sinners.

“Bearing Your words” (Dt.33:3)—

they accepted upon themselves the yoke of Your Torah, saying:

“All that HASHEM has spoken, we will obediently perform” (Ex.24:7).

Another word:

“He indeed loves the peoples” (Dt.33:3)—

this teaches that

the Blessed Holy One loved Israel

in a way different from any other nation or kingdom. ⁸

4

“All its consecrated ones are in Your hands” (Dt.33:3)—

these are the souls of the Righteous, which are deposited in a treasury,

as it is said:

“May M’lord’s soul be bound up

in the bundle of those who are living

with HASHEM your God” (1Sam.25:29).⁹

“And they followed in Your footsteps” (Dt.33:3)—

even though [at each Utterance]

they recoiled twelve mil backwards, and twelve mil forwards.¹⁰

“Bearing Your words” (Dt.33:3)—

They accepted them upon themselves, saying:

“All that HASHEM has spoken, we will obediently perform” (Ex.24:7).

1. H:356-357; JN2:413-415.
2. Cf. Pisqa’ 97.1.
3. Repeated in a similar exegesis at Pisqa’ 344.3.
4. I take the case to concern a gentile’s theft of an object from another gentile. For more on this theme, see Pisqa’ 16.2-3, where R. Ishmael’s version of this opinion is rejected in the name of Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel, in favor of a single standard of justice for all thefts.
5. Some commentaries emend as follows: “the Yavnean academy of Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel.” Others prefer: “the Ushan academy of Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel.” The confusion here, as elsewhere, results from the confusion in mss between the Yavnean figures, Rabban Shimon b, Gamliel I and Rabban Gamliel II, and the Ushan figure, Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel II. Cf. M. Avot 16-18 and H:507, Pisqa’ 344,n. 3.
6. This is a standard list of the topics of the rabbinic curriculum. With certain substitutions or additions, it is common in tannaitic compilations, in which scriptural terms are resignified in terms of the rabbinic intellectual lexicon.   For Sifre alone, cf. Pisqa’ot 306.16 18, and 317.4.
7. Cf. Pisqa’ 16.2-3 and H:397, Pisqa’ 16, ns. 6-7.
8. //Pisqa’ 344.2 above.
9. //Sifre Nu., 139; cf. SZ:12.
10. Cf. Pisqa’ 313.3.