ואמר אליהם שמע ישראל מאי שנא שמע ישראל אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי אמר להן הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל אפילו לא קיימתם אלא קריאת שמע שחרית וערבית אי אתם נמסרין בידם
said: For what is the priests' deputy appointed? If any disqualification should occur to the High Priest, he enters and functions in his stead.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But so long as the High Priest could officiate, the deputy ranked as an ordinary priest.
');"><sup>27</sup></span> 'And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel'. Why must he just [open with the words] 'Hear, O Israel'? — R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, Even if you only fulfilled morning and evening the commandment to recite the <i>Shema'</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. This also opens with 'Hear, O Israel'.
');"><sup>28</sup></span>
Sifrei Devarim
(Devarim 20:2) "And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle": I might think that this refers to the day of the joining of the battle; but (Ibid. 3) "And he shall say to them: Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to do battle with your foes" already refers to the day of the battle. How, then, am I to understand "And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle"? When they approach the boundary, the Cohein presents to them all of the conditions that follow.
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Sifrei Devarim
(Devarim 20:3) "And he shall say to them "Hear, O Israel … against your foes": and not against your brothers: not Yehudah against Shimon and not Shimon against Yehudah, in which instance if you fell into their hands they would pity you, (viz. II Chronicles 28:8-15) — It is against your foes that you are going, who, if you fall into their hands, will not pity you!
