Parshas Tetzaveh - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת תצוה

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1.    The Rosh and Ba'al Ha'Turim along with others point out that this is the only parsha which does not contain Moshe's rabbeinu name (since his birth in parshas shemos). Why is this? And why was this parsha chosen to be the one to leave out Moshe's name (especially considering the fact that the reason Moshe's name was erased has to do with an episode in next week's parsha)?

2.    The passuk (verse) tells us (28:12) that the avnei shoham were placed on the shoulder straps so that Hashem would remember the B'nei Yisroel as a zechus for us. Why does Hashem need us to remind Him of the greatness of the shevatim ?

3.    Rashi (29:24) tells us that the “wavings” were to hold back the harmful winds and the harmful dews. What does waving back and forth, up and down have anything to do with chasing away harmful winds and dews?

4.    If the Urim V'tumim had incredible powers to let the Kohen Gadol know answers to difficult questions, then why couldn't Shlomo Ha'Melech ask it where he could find the shamir instead of capturing and asking Ashmedai?

1.    Depending on how you answered, how do you understand how Eili the Kohen Gadol could have used it to find out whether Channah (shmuel han'avi's mother) was drunk or not?

2.    What is wrong about asking the Urim V'tumim questions that you could obtain from another source?

5.    What was the purpose of the bigdei kehuna?

6.    How could there be a mitzva to wipe out Amalek and yet a mitzva to remember them?

Parshas Mishpatim - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת משפטים

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. The Ba'al Ha’turim sees a remez (hint) in the parsha to the fact that a Jewish judge must first try to create a compromise between two fighting parties before judging the case. Why is this true though? Shouldn't we focus on getting the correct judgment rather than settling on a compromise which is definitely not the truth?

2. The Jewish slave who decides to stay by his master must get his ear pierced. The mechilta (34) comments that this is because he became a slave by not listening to the commandment at Har Sinai not to steal. Why then should the ear be pierced more here than by one who does any other aveirah?

3. Rashi writes that even if non-Jews judge regarding certain matters as Beis Din, still one should not go to them to judge even in such a case. Why is this? Why would this be considered giving chashivus to avodah zarah if it is well known that the Torah's perspective is the same as society's perspective in this area?

4. Why does the Torah interrupt between the passukim of hitting and cursing one's parents with “וגנב איש ומכרו...מות יומת” ?

5. The passuk in Perek 22 Passuk 17 says, “מכשפה לא תחיה”. Sorcery is against the Torah and is taken seriously.

                   a. What is fundamentally wrong with sorcery?

                   b. Why is the mitzva worded as “The sorcerer you should not let live”.                             Instead of: “Don't practice sorcery” or “If you practice sorcery, you                           will be put to death”, or at least. “One who does sorcery, you should                              kill”?

                   c. I am not sure if this would fall under “כשוף" , but what is the origin of                Avada Kedavra [והמבין יבין ]?

6. Rashi (22:24) says that every word אם in the Torah implies a voluntary act – except for in three places. What are these three places? And is there a connection between them?

7. Rashi (23:7) writes that one could not accept a bribe even to judge correctly. What is this case? Is someone offering a bribe to judge correctly? Is a bribe being offered to judge one way which the judge feels is correct? Either way, why not take the bribe? It shouldn't even be considered a bribe in such a case but more like an incentive to judge correctly?

8. Which mitzva in this week's parsha was neglected by the Jews during the time of ירמיה הנביא?

Parshas Yisro - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת יתרו

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

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 is called Choveiv because of his love for the Torah. Why did Yisro receive such a name any more than Moshe, Aharon, or any of Bnei Yisroel in the midbar?

5.     (18:2) Rashi sounds good in the broad sense but what specifically was Aharon worried about? Moshe’s wife and children would not have become slaves? Moshe was from shevet Levi?

6.     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?

7.     Where did Yisro get his “da’as Torah” from which seems to have been good enough to match Moshe?

8.     (18:21) Where did Yisro get his qualifications from that he suggested be requirements for people to judge k’lal Yisroel?

9.     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?

10.  The Aseres Hadibros are a Pangrammatic Lipogram (consists of all the letters in Hebrew Aleph Beis except for one). Which letter is missing? Why? [See Parshas Yisro - The Ten Commandments: A Pangrammatic Lipogram]

11.   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?

12.   (20:5) We see that Hashem is referred to as a “jealous G-d”. How could we understand Hashem’s “jealousy”?

13.   There are many examples throughout chumash that one should knock on a door before entering, as to not startle those inside. Where is there an example in this week's parsha?

14.   Rashi (18:7) writes that he does not know who bowed to who but when the passuk says “ish”, we figure out that it refers to Moashe....How could Rashi be so sure? Yisro too is called an “ish” by the torah (see Shemos 2:21)?

15.   Why in the aseres ha'dibros does Hashem refer to Himself as the one who took us out of Eretz Mitzrayim, and not the One Who created the world?

16.   How could Hashem give us such a commandment not to desire something? How is it possible to control our emotions to the point of not having a feeling of wanting something?

17.   Why wasn't the Torah given in Eretz Yisroel?