Parshas Yisro - Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

פרשת יתרו

Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

1. What did Yisro hear that no one else did?
2. According to the one who holds that Yisro was attracted by the fact that B'nei Yisroel won the 
   
   
   war against Amalek, what was so special about it? Granted they were untrained, but still the 
   
   
   B'nei Yisroel had an army of 600,000 men between 20 and 60. Certainly it couldn't have been 
   
   
   
   
   such a tremendous surprise that they won.
   
   
   
   
3. Rashi writes that Yisro had 7 names. One of them was Yeser – which became Yisro after he 
   
   
   
   
   converted. If so, didn't Yisro really only have 6 names at any given time?
   
   
4. Yisro came over to Moshe and asked “What are you doing?” Moshe responded, “Judging the 
   
   
   people and helping them with their questions.” Yisro then clarified and said that he meant why is
   
   
   Moshe the only one judging instead of creating a system of ranks where more people could be 
   
   
   
   
   helped at a time. What was this conversation between Moshe and Yisro? And why didn't Moshe 
   
   
   
   
   think of this himself?
   
   
   
   
5. When describing Moshe's two sons the Torah writes “Shem Ha'echad Gershom...” and “Shem 
   
   
   Ha'echad Eliezer...” The Torah refers to them both as “The first” even though Gershom was 
   
   
   older because Eliezer was named for an earlier event that Moshe experienced. What is the 
   
   
   significance behind each of their names? And why did Moshe name his first son for a later 
   
   
   event and his second son for the earlier one?

6. The Aseres Hadibros are a Pangrammatic Lipogram (consists of all the letters in Hebrew Aleph 
   
   
   Beis except for one). Which letter is missing? Why?

7. The Aseres Hadibros in this week's parsha are slightly different from the ones found in Parshas 
   
   
   Va'eschnan. What are the differences? Why are there differences?

Parshas Va'eira - Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

פרשת וארא

Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

1. This week's Parsha contains one of the ten Kal V'chomers found throughout Tanach. The 
   
   
   Kal V'chomer seems to be that Moshe said to Hashem, “If B'nei Yisroel won't listen to me, 
   
   
   
   
   then certainly Phroah will refuse to listen!” The question is that the Torah told us earlier 
   
   
   
   
   that the reason B'nei Yisroel didn't listen was because they were under stress and hard 
   
   
   
   
   work. Certainly these concerns did not apply to Pharoah. So what was the Kal V'chomer?

2. Rashi says that Moshe didn't bring the מכה of דם or צפרדעים because since the Nile had 
   
   
   protected him, it would not be proper for Moshe to hit the Nile. How did the river protect 
   
   
   
   
   him? If anything, didn't the basket protect him from the river?

3. A “Riddle on the Parsha”:

In פרק ז Hashem commands,

“Tell Aharon to take his staff in his hand.

כל מקוה מימיהם shall turn to blood so red

Maybe then Pharoah will get the message through his head.”

However, Pharoah, so foolish and stubborn

Refused to listen to Moshe and Aharon

Instead, he just laughed in their face

thinking, 'Ha! I will put them in their place.'

“Turn water into blood!” He commanded his חרטומים

Who did just that right in front of 'em

So, Pharoah's heart continued to grow harder and harder

The question, though, remains: From where did theחרטומים get their water?

4. Rashi stresses the fact that the frogs were croaking. What is so significant about the croak 
   
   
   of the frog? (I mean the sound that it makes, not that when the frogs “croaked” they 
   
   
   were left on the land as opposed to the ערב which were removed so that the Egyptians 
   
   
   wouldn't benefit from the hides.)

5. Rashi brings the Medrash which describes that initially only one frog came out of the river, 
   
   
   but every time they hit it, more frogs would burst forth. Didn't the Mitzryim start to 
   
   
   
   
   realize after a few times that they were only causing a bigger disaster? Why didn't they just 
   
   
   
   
   stop hitting the frogs!!??

6. The Passuk says that after Moshe and Aharon brought the frogs, the Egyptian Magicians 
   
   
   were able to make frogs come as well. How was everyone able to tell that those frogs were 
   
   
   
   
   created by the magicians? Was there a difference in the type of frogs from Moshe and 
   
   
   Aharon, and that of the magicians?

7. Why did Pharoah ask that Moshe daven today for theצפרדעים to be removed tomorrow?

8. When is 2 not greater than 1 ?

Parshas Shemos - Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

פרשת שמות

Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About

1. Where is there a רמז in the Parsha that one who does Shnayim Mikrah V'echad Targum 
   
   
   nicely will merit to be able to do many more shnayim mikrah v'echad targums?

2. Why isn't Yosef listed among the other shevatim in the beginning of the parsha?

3. How could it have been a maidservant of Batya's who went to get Moshe if Rashi 
   
   
   explained that malach Gavriel killed them all?

4. Why was it necessary for Moshe to grow up in the house of Pharoah?

5. Rashi explains that before Moshe killed the Mitzri, he looked into the Mitzri's future to 
   
   
   see if any geirim would come out of his descendents. What did the Mitzri do to that 
   
   
   
   
   made him Chayav Meesah? If he only hit the Jew, then how could Moshe kill him; and if 
   
   
   
   
   he killed him, then why did Moshe have to first look into the Mitzri's future?

6. When Rashi tells us who the two Jews were that were hitting each other, he writes 
   
   
   
   
   “They were Dasan and Aviram; the same ones who left over the manna (in the desert). 
   
   
   
   
   Why is it necessary for Rashi to add in this piece of information? What does it have to 
   
   
   
   
   do with here?

7. Yisro had seven names and seven daughters...what is significant about Yisro and the 
   
   
   number seven?

8. Moshe is the third one to find himself by a well in a distant land right before finding a 
   
   
   wife.

a. Who were the first two?

b. How are each of their stories as to how they found themselves by the well very different?

c. Why does there seem to be a pattern of the experience by the well getting progressively 

worse and worse?

d. What is the significance of the well?

9. Besides for the fact that they both went to a well after running away from home, there 
   
   
   are many similarities between Moshe and Yaakov. How many can you find?
   
   
   
   
10. What was Hashem's hava amina to tell B'nei Yisroel about both troubles, that Moshe
    
    
     had to argue and say that He should not tell B''nei Yisroel about the one in the future
    
    
    
    
     while they were still suffering now? (See Rashi 3:14)
    
    
11. The mind and mouth work together to bring ruchniyus into this world. If so, isn't it 
    
    
    weird that Moshe who was the one who would bring the Torah from Har Sinai had a 
    
    
    
    
    speech impediment?

12. Hashem told Moshe (4:19) to return to Mitzrayim and that Moshe should not worry 
    
    
    because those who had wanted to kill him were dead. Rashi learns that “those people” 
    
    
    were Dasan and Aviram and they were actually still alive. Rashi explains that they are 
    
    
    
    
    called “dead” because they became poor...

a. Who cares if they are “called dead”, why should that make Moshe feel better?

b. How does Rashi know that they became poor as opposed to one of the other things for 

which a person is titled dead (such as: Having Tzaraas, being blind, not having children)?

13. How could Tziporah give Bris Milah to her son if the Gemara Kiddushin (29a) says that Bris Milah is a Mitzva which is optimally done by the father (on 8^th day)?