~ Something to Think About ~
פרשת ויחי
Parsha Stumpers
By: Daniel Listhaus
1. (47:28-29) Why in the Torah is Yaakov sometimes referred to as
Yaakov and sometimes as Yisroel?
2. (47:28) What purpose was there in Yaakov trying to tell the B’nei
Yisroel when mashiach would arrive?
3. (47:29) Rashi lists a few reasons that Yaakov gave Yosef why he
wanted to be buried in Eretz Yisroel. Why did he need these reasons? Why not
just tell Yosef he wanted to be buried in ma’aras ha’machpeilah with his
wife and ancestors?
4. (47:31) Why did Yaakov make Yosef swear that he would bury him
in Eretz Yisroel?
5. (48:2) Why did Yaakov get up in bed when Yosef entered the room?
Forget the fact that Yosef was King, still Yaakov was not feeling well and he
should have stayed in bed sick so Yosef would realize and spread the word to
have everyone daven for him?
6. (48:5) Why did Ephraim and Menashe receive special status to be
lieke shevatim and get their own portions In Eretz Yisroel like shevatim?
7. (48:6) Rashi writes that Yaakov told Yosef that if Yosef would
have more sons then they would be included in Ephraim and Menashe. Did Yosef
have more sons? And if so whose portion would they be included in?
8.
(48:7) Why was Yaakov concerned that Yosef would “take
revenge” for his mother and not bury his father inb Eretz Yisroel?
a.
Yosef loved Yaakov and would have wanted to bury him
properly anyway?
b.
Yaakov loved Rachel and that was something that was clear
to everyone, especially Yosef/ So what need was there for an explanation?
c.
Also, why did Yaakov say to Yosef not to rationalize and
give his own reasons why Yaakov didn't bury Rachel in a better place (such as
it being the rainy season or that there were a lot of pits in the road) ? If he
thought Yosef would do that anyway and that it would make him happy, why not
just let it play out?
9. (48:8) Why did the shechinah leave just because of their descendants?
What about their own greatness? And what about their good descendants? Also, who
said that they will in fact have evil descendants - what about bechira?
10. (48:9) When Yaakov asked Yosef regarded his children, “Who are
these (unfit of receiving a beracha), Rashi writes that Yosef first
showed Yaakov his sh’tar eirusin and sh’tar kesubah. And then,
afterwards, davened for Yaakov to get ruach hakodesh back.
a. Why did Yosef have his wife's kesuba and shtar eirusin?
b. Who were the eidim (witnesses) on these documemts?
c. Why did he assume that Yaakov would think that he married
illegally? He should have just started off by davening that Yaakov get
his ruach hakodesh back?
d. Why did it help if the real reason Yaakov lost his ruach
ha'kodesh was because of the descendants of Ephraim and Menashe? The shechina
already knew that they were not mamzeirim, so what did it do to get
Yaakov's ruach ha'kodesh back?
11. (48:10) What was the reason Yaakov became blind? When Yitzchak
became blind Rashi offered three explanations. What was the reason here?
12.
(49:1) Why did the Shechina
leave Yaakov when he wanted to tell the shevatim what would happen באחרית הימים?
13. (49:5) Yaakov
refers to Shimon and levi as having “stolen tools” because murder was a 'gift'
given to Eisav. If so, how did they get it? And if it was a different type of
murder because all l'shem shamayim, then what did they do wrong?
14. (49:31) Why not mention Adam too?
15. (49:33) Why did Yosef kiss Yaakov after he died?
16. (50:1) Rashi mentions from the gemara (Taanis) that “Yaakov
never died” - what does this mean?
17. (50:6) Why did Pharaoh add in, “like you swore”? What if Yosef
hadn’t swore? What difference was it to Pharaoh?
18. (50:10) Why did they sit shivah starting after the 40
days?
19.
(50:13) The Gemara in Sotah relates that an interesting
episode with Eisav occurred when the shevatim tried to bury Yaakov in ma'aras
hamachpeilah. Chushim ben Dan was the one who ultimately beheaded
Eisav to allow Yaakov to be buried. Why didn't any of the shevatim or
other spectators have the sense to remove the obstacle (Eisav) which was
stopping them from burying the tzaddik Yaakov?
20. (50:15) The brothers noticed that Yosef had started acting
differently towards them once Yaakov had died, so they called him out on it. Yosef
however denied having any animosity or wanting for revenge. If that was true,
then why indeed did Yosef behave differently towards them once Yaakov had died?
21.
(50:19) At the end of the Parsha, Yosef told his brothers
“HaTachas Elokim Ani?” (Am I in place of Hashem?) -
a.
Who else in the Torah used this expression? When?
b.
Is there a connection in how to understand the passuk in
both places?
22.
(50:21) What argument did Yosef say to finally convince
the brothers that he would not kill them? What argument did he try to
originally use and why didn't it work?
23.
What is the connection between this week's parsha and its
haftorah?
24.
Where do you see in this week's parsha that,
sometimes, having in mind to have done something is considered as if you did
it?
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