Commentators:Sifra/0

Sifra

This page is a stub.
Please contact us if you would like to assist in its development.

Sifra

Name	Sifra, Torat Kohanim ספרא, ספרא דבי רב, תורת כוהנים
Dates	3rd century
Place	Eretz Yisrael
Characteristics
Sources	R. Akiva
Impacted on

Background¹

Names

• Common names – ²ספרא,³ תורת כהנים
• Other names – ספרא דבי רב⁴

Date

3rd century

Place

Sifra was redacted in Eretz Yisrael.

Language

Mishnaic Hebrew

Text

• Manuscripts – Vatican 66, Breslau 108 (currently in the JTS library, JTS Rab. 2171), Vatican 31, Parma 139, Oxford 151, London 341.⁵
• Printings – I.H. Weiss published an edition of Sifra in Vienna, 1862.⁶ To this day, Sifra is cited according to this edition. The edition has references to parallels and concise interpretive notes.
  Two manuscripts have been printed as facsimile editions: Vatican 66⁷ (New York, 1957, with an introduction by L. Finkelstein) and Vaticacn 31 (Jerusalem, 1972).
  L. Finkelstein published (1983-1992) a critical edition of the first two dibburim of Sifra (Nedavah and Chovah) in five volumes. Each volume is distinct, as follows: an introductory volume, a text volume with parallels and a concise commentary,⁸ a volume of textual variants, a volume of extensive commentary, and an index volume (with a collection of Finkelstein’s articles about the Midreshei Halakhah).
• Textual layers – Scholars have identified a core of Sifra to which several sections were added.⁹
  The core sections include expositions on: Vayikra 1:1-7:38, 10:8-18:6, 18:19, 18:24-20:5, 20:22-27:34.
  The appended sections include:
  The baraita of the thirteen rules of Torah exposition (י"ג מידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן), appearing at the beginning of Sifra, ¹⁰מכילתא דמילואים, expounding Vayikra 8:1-10:7,¹¹ and מכילתא דעריות, expounding 18:1-7,¹² 20:6-22, and, out of order at the end of the unit, a section on 18:18 and 18:28.
  
  
  
  
  

Content

Genre

• – midrash halakhah

Structure

• – The core portions of Sifra (see above, Textual layers) are divided into twelve¹³ sections called dibburim or megillot, each with its distinct name, as follows:
  Nedavah (or Vayikra) – 1:1-3:17
  Chovah (or Nefesh) – 4:1-5:26
  Tzav – 6:1-7:38
  Sheratzim – 10:8-12:8
  Nega’im – 13:1-59
  Metzora – 14:1-57
  Zavim – 15:1-33
  Acharei – 16:1-18:30
  Kedoshim – 19:1-20:27
  Emor – 21:1-24:23
  Sinai – 25:1-26:2
  Bechukotai – 26:3-27:34
  See above, Textual layers regarding the additional sections of Sifra.
  Each dibbur (or megillah) is further subdivided into parashot, perakim, and halakhot.

Characteristics

• – Sifra differs from other midreshei halakhah by its relative lack of aggadah, and its particularly lengthy deliberations. See also, Introduction to the Midreshei Halakhah.

Sources

Significant Influences

– Sifra makes more extensive use of Mishnah than other midreshei halakhah.

Occasional Usage

Possible Relationship

Impact

Other Midrashim

• – 

Medieval Exegetes

• – Sifra is cited and discussed widely by many medieval exegetes. Notably, Rashi cites it extensively in his commentary on Vayikra.

Supercommentaries

• – The Talmud Bavli discusses many baraitot that are extremely similar to sections of Sifra.¹⁴
  Commentaries of Rishonim:¹⁵
  R. Avraham b. David (Ra’avad)¹⁶
  Rabbenu Hillel¹⁷
  R. Shimshon of Sens¹⁸
  Many Acharonim have authored commentaries on Sifra.¹⁹
  See also above, Printings, for the commentaries contained in the critical editions of Sifra.

¹ This page incorporates information from M. Kahana, "The Halakhic Midrashim" in The Literature of the Sages Part II, ed. Safrai et al. (Assen, 2006): 3-105. (hereafter: Kahana).

² This name was used in Eretz Yisrael. The book of Vayikra itself is also referred to by this name.

³ The word ספרא means “the book” and likely attests to the prominence of the work.

⁴ The Talmud Bavli and Geonim refer to this midrash as Sifra or Sifra DeVei Rav, while the other midreshei halakhah are termed שאר ספרי דבי רב.

⁵ For full listings see the Finkelstein edition, and for subsequently discovered materials, see M. Kahana, Manuscripts of the Halakhic Midrashim: An Annotated Catalogue (Jerusalem, 1995): 66-88, and Kahana: 81, note 387.

⁶ Based on the earlier Venice edition and corrections based on citations in Yalkut Shimoni.

⁷ This is considered to be by far the most reliable version of Sifra.

⁸ Finkelstein bases his text on the Vatican 66 manuscript.

⁹ This division into core and additions is supported by abundant evidence from various versions and manuscripts of Sifra. See Kahana: 78, 84-87. Scholars associate the core Sifra with the school of R. Akiva, and the additions with that of R. Yishmael (in other words, that the additions have their source in a no longer extant midrash on Vayikra from the school of R. Yishmael). See Introduction to the Midreshei Halakhah.

¹⁰ Also referred to as: אגדת מילואים and תוספתא של פרשת מילואים.

¹¹ The fullest versions of Mekhilta DeMiluim contain two cycles of expositions on Vayikra 9:1, and two cycles on 9:22-10:7. Some manuscripts are missing the first cycle on 9:22-10:7, and one manuscript is missing the beginning of the second cycle.

¹² This section appears only in some versions. See Kahana: 86.

¹³ In some versions, eleven. There is evidence, however, that there were originally nine sections. See S. Naeh, “The Structure and the Division of Torat Kohanim, A: Scrolls,” Tarbiz 66 (1997) 483-515 for a discussion of the issue and a reconstruction of the original nine sections.

¹⁴ The sages of the Bavli apparently possessed a midrash that is very similar to the extant Sifra. See Kahana:83. See the Weiss and Finkelstein editions for parallels.

¹⁵ See Kahana: 82, note 392 for a listing of unpublished medieval commentaries extant in manuscript. Furthermore, many medieval Bible exegetes discuss Sifra.

¹⁶ Published in the Weiss edition of Sifra, and partially published in a new edition of Sifra commentaries by A. Shoshana (1991-1998) (covering from the beginning through Dibura DeChovah).

¹⁷ Published by S. Koleditzky (Jerusalem, 1961).

¹⁸ The work has traditionally been attributed to him. See, however, the edition of Sifra commentaries by A. Shoshana: 10-12 for various proposals regarding the commentary’s authorship.

¹⁹ The most notable, perhaps, is the commentary of Malbim on Vayikra, which is essentially a running commentary on Sifra. For a full listing see the Finkelstein edition, vol. 1: 13-21.