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Sifrei ספרי
The halakhic midrash on the last two books of the Torah, completing the tannaitic verse-commentary set alongside the Mekhilta (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Shemot) and Sifra (Sifra, Vayikra). Modeled as one entity under its traditional single title, with the two-school composition recorded as a claim.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- ספרי
- Also known as
- Sifrei Bamidbar, Sifrei Devarim
- Era
- tannaim
II. When
- Traditional
- tannaitic; anonymous layer of R' Shimon, per R' Akiva's school
- Academic
- redacted c. 3rd c. CE; Bamidbar and Devarim portions from different schools
- Duration
- ≈70 years
- Precision
- disputed
IV. What
- Language
- Mishnaic Hebrew
- Redaction
- "The anonymous Sifrei is R' Shimon... and all follow R' Akiva" (Sanhedrin 86a) — R' Shimon bar Yochai is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, R' Akiva Rabbi Akiva. The Rambam's tradition credits Rav with the compilation, as with the Sifra (Sifra).
- Structure
- Halakhic midrash on Bamidbar and Devarim, transmitted under the single title "Sifrei" but comprising two distinct works: Sifrei Bamidbar (starting at the priestly laws of chapter 5) and Sifrei Devarim (centered on the legal core of chapters 12–26).
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| R' Yochanan assigns the Sifrei's anonymous layer to R' Shimon (bar Yochai), within the school of R' Akiva: "the anonymous Sifrei is R' Shimon... and all follow R' Akiva." | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| The Rambam records that Rav composed the Sifra and the Sifrei to elucidate the principles of the Mishnah. | tradition | ★★★☆☆ | |
| Academic analysis of terminology and named authorities shows the single title covers two works of different provenance: Sifrei Bamidbar exhibits the style of R' Yishmael's school, while Sifrei Devarim is in its legal core a product of R' Akiva's school — partially crossing the Talmud's own one-line attribution.
The Sefaria refs verify the two works' existence and openings; the school analysis is the cited scholarship's.
|
reconstruction | ★★★★☆ |