What Is Sifre Numbers?

Sifre Numbers is a largely halakhic (legal) midrash on the book of Numbers, generally dated to the third or fourth century CE and attributed to the school of R. Ishmael. Like other midrashim of R. Ishmael’s school, Sifre Numbers is more conservative than midrashim of R. Akiva’s school regarding what can be drawn from the biblical text. Sifre Numbers and Sifre Deuteronomy are often joined together and known as Sifre Rabbah.