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Sifra

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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.