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 ?