Parshas Vayeira - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת וירא

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. The passuk relates that the malachim “ate” the food which Avraham prepared for them. Rashi explains that the reason they pretended to eat is because it is proper not to deviate from the minhag (custom) of the place. Obviously this concept is important enough for the malachim to proactively eat, as opposed to passively just say that they are not hungry. What is so important about not deviating from the minhagei ha'makom? Where in halacha do we see this concept as well?

2. (18:1) Rashi writes that after Avraham's bris Hashem made it extremely hot and sunny in order not to trouble Avraham with guests. When Hashem saw Avraham was upset that no guests were coming, Hashem sent three malachim. Why didn't Hashem just make it not as hot and sunny and have the normal traffic of visitors?

3. Rashi tells us that one malach cannot perform two missions. Yet we know that the same malach that came to heal Avraham was the one who went to save Lot from Sodom (see Rashi 19:1). How could that malach perform multiple missions?

4. (18:2) The Ba'al Ha'Turim writes that because of Avraham's humility of referring to himself as dust and ash, he merited the mitzvos of parah adumah and sotah. What is the connection between these mitzvos and the expressions of Avraham, beyond the words themselves?

5. (19:24) Could we bring a proof from this parsha regarding how long bein hashmashos is?

6. (19:29) Why did Lot keep quiet in Mitzrayim?

7. (19:34-35) Granted Lot’s older daughter could  mistakenly rationalize that the future of the world is in her hands, but what was the younger daughter’s excuse after the older daughter had already “taken care” of the problem at hand?

8. (20:13) Avraham told Avimelech that he had prearranged with Sarah to always say “she is my sister”. However, we don’t find that Avraham said such a thing. The Torah doesn’t make this clear in 12:12 when Avraham first tells this idea to Sarah. Furthermore, Rashi 20:2 says that at this point Avraham did so without Sarah’s consent. So how could we understand why Avraham said he said something which it doesn’t seem he does and why was it necessary to give the extra detail to Avimelech at all? Just simply say why he did so without the history of him making up with Sarah that they would do so?

9. (20:14) The Torah testifies that Avraham accepted a gift from Avimelech of flocks, cattle, servants, and maid servants. Similarly we see that Avraham accepted gifts from Pharoah in last week's parsha. Why was Avraham willing to take these, yet by the war of the four and five kings, Avraham refused to accept even a shoelace?

10.  (21:17) Rashi informs us that despite the malachim’s argument of why Yishmael should be left to die, Hashem said that he cannot be judged based on who he will become but rather who he is presently. Why then is the sorer u’moreh punished for the aveiros we assume he will do in the future?

11. (22:13) Why did the ram have to be created special from shushes y’mei beraishis? What was so important that this ram was created at the beginning of time, survive the mabbul and awaited to be shechted by Avraham avinu? Why couldn’t it have been any ram?

Parshas Lech Lecha - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת לך-לך

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. The Gemara says that because Avraham turned the spoils of the war in this week's parsha from the king of sodom, he merited the mitzva if tzitzis. However, in parshas Noach, Rashi said that because Shem covered Noach with a garment, Hashem rewarded him that his children merit the mitzva of tzitzis. How can we answer this contradiction?

2. (12:13) Why did Avraham mention getting gifts before mentioning having his life spared?

3. (12:13) Why was Avraham willing to take the gifts of Mitzrayim sand not the gifts after winning the war between the 4 and 5 kings?

4. (13:5) Why did Avraham take Lot with him?

5. (14:10) Rashi writes that it was only after seeing miracles for themselves that the kings believed that Avraham was right. This is similar to Haran who also only listened to Avraham after seeing him survive from the furnace. So why was Haran killed in the fire? Why was more expected of Haran than of the kings?

6. (15:1) Rashi explains that Avraham was afraid that he had used up his reward in Olam Habbah as zechusim on Earth to be able to win the war. Hashem reassured Avraham, “Don’t worry…your reward is very great.” How did this reassure Avraham? Perhaps true that his reward was very great but maybe it was significantly less than it was? Was Avraham only concerned of losing all his Olam Habbah?

7. (15:5) Rashi writes that the changing of Avraham’s name changed his zodiac – however Rashi seems to imply that Avraham was still bound to astrological calculations (just not the same ones) even after the name change. Was he?

8. (15:6) The passuk says that Avraham trusted in Hashem, and that Hashem considered it as righteous of him. Shouldn't this have been expected of Avraham?

9. There are many examples throughout this week's parsha which demonstrate the importance of putting oneself with the right people and surroundings. What are some of these examples?

10. (16:4) If Avraham was able to have children, why did Hashem have to change his mazal?

11. (16:5) Rashi writes that Sarah accused Avraham of not davening for her earlier and for not saying anything despite hearing Hagar’s comments to Sarah. The only response that the Torah records to this was Avraham saying, ‘Hagar is your maidservant and you may do with her as you see fit.” Did Avraham in fact only daven for himself and not Sarah? Did he in fact stay silent and not back up his wife when Hagar made comments? If so, why?

12. (16:7) When Hagar ran away from Sarah, a malach came over and asked “Where have you come from...” Certainly the malach knew where Hagar had come from, and, as Rashi tells us, was only asking as a means to start a conversation. There are a couple of other places in the Torah where Hashem did a similar thing. When were these other times and how was each times' response different?

13. (16:8) The angel asked Hagar, “Where did you come from and where are you going?” Hagar answered, “I am running away from Sarah.” Where was she going?

14. (16:9) Rashi writes that every line of conversation was with another malach. Why a new angel to reply to each sentence?

15. (16:9) How could Hagar have received ruach hakodesh outside of Eretz Yisroel (between Kadeish and Barad – as the mishna in Gittin says)? Why did she merit seeing angels outside the house of Avraham?

16. (17:5) Rashi writes that Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah and that the letter “yud” complained and was added to Yehoshua’s name later. If letter’s need a place to go, where did the two “hey’s” – put into Avraham and Sarah’s names – come from?

17. (17:23)The passuk says that Avraham performed bris millah in the middle of the day. There are several other times in the Torah that this expression is used. When were these other times?

18. There are seven times in the Torah where it mentions a bracha to Hashem. One is in this week's parsha. Where is it in this week's parsha and where are the other six?

19. In this week's parsha Avram's name was changed to Avraham. The gemara in Berachos says that we could no longer refer to him as Avram. Where in davening everyday do we still call him Avram? And how can / why do we do so?

Parshas Noach - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת נח

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

                                              A Riddle:

    סוף סוף ראשי     1.

  תחילת סוף סופי     

    ויבא נח...אל התבה      

            מי אני?ג    

2. (6:9) Where is there a remez in the beginning of the parsha that Noach was not involved in any of these three things?

3. (6:9) Rashi brings down an opinion that Noach was only great compared to those who lived in his generation, but had he lived in Avraham’s generation he wouldn’t have been anything remarkable. Why would we compare an individual to others? All that should matter was if Noach was righteous based on expectations of him alone, not based on what others are capable of?

4. (6:13) How could the dor ha'mabul be punished if there were no mitzvos yet? [Chizkuni]

5. (6:13) Rashi writes that because of the zenus of the generation, the gezairah (decree) was that all mankind – good and bad – were to die. Why should the good people be swept along with the bad?

6. (6:13) Rashi says that despite all the things that the dor ha'mabbul were doing, the gezairah was sealed because of robbery. Why robbery more than avodah zarrah or giluy arayos?

7. (6:14) Why did Hashem have Noach building the teivah specifically for 120 years and no more or less?

8. (6:14) According to Chizkuni that there was a miracle that the tar on the outside didn’t get burned, why couldn’t Hashem allow Noach’s teivah to be like Moshe’s with only tar on the outside and double-dip on the already necessary neis for either the outer tar not to get ruined in the hot water or for the protective layer of cold water whyich surrounded the teivah to separate it from the boiling water?

9. (6:17) Why did Hashem punish the world through means of a mabbul of water?

10. (6:18) Rashi emphasizes the two parts of the “bris” with Noach as a promise to keep the food from spoiling and to protect him from the people who would try to kill him.

a. Why was the promise only needed to ensure that the food stay good in the teivah?

b. Didn’t Hashem on His own want to stop the people who dared threaten Noach (as Rashi says in 7;17)?

11. (7:2) Even if Noach needed to bring Karbanos after surviving the mabbul, why were 7 pairs of each kosher animal necessary?

12. (7:4) Why does Rashi refer to the children of the adulterous unions at the time of the mabbul as “mamzeirim”? Isn’t that specifically if the parents are Jewish?

13. (7:7) Rashi both in 6:18 and 7:7 writes that it was forbidden to have marital relations in the teivah. However, Rashi in 7:7 adds that the reason for this was because the world was in a state of distress...

(a) Why does Rashi repeat himself?  (b) Why does Rashi in 7:7 add the reason? (c ) Why is this a valid reason? Clearly the people dying in the mabbul deserved it. Shouldn't it have been considered a “joyous” time for the world?

14. (7:12) Where do we see from this week's parsha that the day starts at night? Why is it that there is a concept of miktzas hayom k'kulo only if the night is part of the “miktzas”, yet if have even the full day without the preceding night, this concept is not applicable?

15. (7:17) The Torah uses the phrase בעצם היום הזה in this week's parsha as well as three other times in chumash in the same way. Where are these four times [Beraishis 7:17 ; Beraishis 17:37 ; Shemos 12:21 ; Devarim 32:48] and what is the connection between them?

16. (7:17-20 and 8:4) The teivah was submerged 11 amos and the water came above the highest mountains by 15 amos. It comes out that there was always a minimum of 4 amos between the bottom of the teivah and the ground. Why was this necessary? Do these 4 amos have a particular significance?

17. (7:23) Why did Og get Saved? How did he survive being outside of the teivah?

18. (7:23) Rashi writes that about Noach it is written (Mishlei 11:31), “Behold the righteous one is paid [punished] on earth” referring to the fact that he was bitten by the lion in the teivah. What was he punished for?

19. (8:7) Why did Noach send out the raven and the dove? Why not just trust that Hashem would tell him when to come out of the teivah?

20. (8:8) Why did Noach assume that if the dove found land that it wouldn’t return the teivah where its species was?

21. (8:10-11) The passukim describe that the second time Noach sent out the dove, it came back with an olive branch in its mouth. Rashi comments that the dove was trying to tell Noach the following: “Better let my food be bitter as an olive and provided by the hand of Hashem, and not sweet as honey but provided by the hand of man...” (a) The dove should have had hakaras hatov to Noach and his family. Why at the first opportunity does the dove say such a remark? (b ) The dove's statement makes absolutely no sense! The entire time Noach and the animals were in the teivah they experienced open miracles. The whole teivah was something which opposed teva. Wasn't it pretty apparent that Hashem was present every step of the way?

22. (8:14) Rashi writes that the world needed a complete solar year of destruction, yet Rashi said earlier (7:12 #2) that the first day didn’t count because it wasn’t a complete day without the night before. If so, how was there a complete year of destruction?

23. (8:21) Surely Hashem knew even before the mabbul that people are bad from youth. So, either way – if that’s not a reason to destroy the world then why did Hashem destroy it? And if it is a valid reason then why never again? What changed? Also, what is the connection between this “decision” and the fact that it seems to have been decided as a result of Hashem “smelling” the re’ach hane’choach of Noach’s offering?

24. (9:1) Why did Hashem need to give Noach a beracha that the animals would fear him? Wasn't this already built into the world from the sheishes y'mei beraishis?

25. (9:9) Why did Hashem approve of Noach’s necessity to demand a bris if Hashem had commanded him already to have children in 9:1?

26. (9:24) How did Noach know it was Cham who dishonored him?

27. (9:25) Did Noach do the right thing by cursing Cna'an?

28. (9:25-26) Why did Noach have to curse Cham’s children to be slaves to his brother, and also bless Shem that Cham be his slaves? Wouldn’t one of these be enough?

29. (11:1) One of the reasons Rashi gives as the reason behind why the dor haflaga began to build the tower is because they thought that the world was on a cycle that every 1656 years Hashem wold bring another flood, so they wanted to be prepared with supports for the skies. If so, why was Hashem so upset? Why not just let the people think this incorrectly as long as they aren't bothering anyone?

30. If the dor haflaga wanted to 'wage war' with Hashem, why did they buildמגדל  בבל  in a valley? They should have built it on top of a mountain!?

31. (11:28) Rashi brings down the story from the famous medrash how Haran (Avraham's brother) stood and observed the episode of Avraham being thrown into the fiery furnace. Haran decided that Avraham's fate would determine his own faith in Hashem. The medrash continues that indeed when Avraham emerged unscathed, Haran joined his side and was consequentially thrown into the fire – and burned to death. What did Haran do wrong? The Ramban at the end of Parshas Bo writes that Hashem does not perform miracles for every kofeir that decides not to believe in Hashem. This is why we have t he Torah and mitzvos which direct us to remember Yetziyas Mitzrayim and Kriyas Yam Suf as a forever certificate of Hashem's capabilities. Haran obviously lived before matan Torah and kriyas yam suf, so what was so bad with him wanting to see Hashem perform an open miracle first before fully believing in Hashem? 

Parshas Beraishis - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת בראשית

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1.     (1:1) The Torah begins with “Beraishis bara Elokim”. Why not start with “Elokim bara beraishis” which would (a). Allow the first letter of the Torah be an ‘aleph’, (b). allow the first word to be the name of Hashem and (c). not cause any possible misunderstanding in someone chas v’shalom thinking that something called “beraishis” created Hashem?

2.    (1:1) Rashi writes that it is important to start the Torah with a recount of Hashem being the master and creator because this way it is clear to the goyim that Hashem has the only right to decide who gets Eretz Yisroel – the B’nei Yisroel. If we are counting on the goyim accepting the story of the Torah, then for the same price it should be enough for them to just read that Hashem promised us Eretz Yisroel without going into detail of days of Beraishis. So how did Rashi answer his question? Furthermore, what good did it do? Still our enemies try to take Eretz Yisroel from us and claim it for themselves? So what good did it do to put the story of beraishis first in the Torah?

3.    Rashi (1:1) writes that both Yisroel and Torah are called “reishis”. What else is referred to as such and what is the connection between them?

4.    What was the first thing created?

5.    The mishna mentions a number of things which were created both before beraishis and right before Shabbos. What is unique about these things that they were created on the bookends of the six days of creation?

6.    What is the “logic” and “reasoning” behind the order of when everything was created?

7.    (1:5) Rashi comments that angels were created on the 2^nd day of Creation. Why at that particular point?

8.    (1:8) Rashi describes that shamayim (heavens) is made of eish (fire) and mayim (water). What does that mean?

9.    (1:11) Rashi explains that the trees did not listen to the commandment of Hashem. (a) How could they not listen, they are just trees!? (b) Why could they only get punished once man sinned?

10. (1:12) Rashi writes that the vegetables made a kal v’chomeir based on what the trees were commanded. What exactly was the kal v’chomeir? And how could the greens be so sure of the kal v’chomeir? Hashem was creating the world for the first time; maybe His rules for trees would not apply to vegetables?

11.  (1:16) Rashi relates that the moon complained that there cannot be two rulers over the same domain. As a result, Hashem reduced its size. Was the moon incorrect?

12. (1:26) The passuk uses the phrase “let us make man”, which Rashi explains was Hashem’s expression of humility that He – so to speak – consulted with the angels. This was done deliberately to teach this lesson of humility despite the tremendous risk of people possibly reading the Torah and be misled to believe that there was more than One Creator. Was it really worth this risk? Certainly a better place could be found to demonstrate Hashem’s humility without risking such a possibility?

13. How many mitzvos did Adom have?

14. (2:15) The passuk (2:9) says that Hashem put an eitz ha’da’as as well as an eitz ha’chaim in gan eden. Yet Hashem only warned Adom not to eat from eitz ha’da’as. Was he allowed to eat from eitz ha’chaim? Did he? What would have happen if ate from both?

15. (2:17) Hashem warned Adom that the day that he would eat from eitz ha’da’as that he would die. So why is it that on the day that Adom ate from the eitz ha’da’as he did not die?

16. (2:18) If Chava was not yet created at the time of the commandment not to eat from the eitz ha’da’as, then why was she held responsible for not keeping the commandment?

17. (3:3) Rashi seems to understand that the disaster of the eitz ha’da’as had a lot to do with the fact that Chava added that Hashem told them not to touch the eitz ha’da’as, when in reality all that Hashem said was not to eat from the eitz ha’da’as. How is this any different, though, from that which we learn in the first mishna in Avos – that one should make for himself a protective fence around the Torah’s mitzvos? We have many mitzvos m’d’rabanan (from the Rabbis) as a fence to the Torah. Why was what Chava did any worse?

18. (3:19) The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch states that it is dangerous for one to eat sweat, with the exception of sweat from one’s face. Where is there a remez in this week’s parsha for this?

19. (4:1) There seems to be a progressive pattern of usage of Hashem’s Name throughout parshas Beraishis. During the sheishes y’mei beraishis and description of the first shabbos “va’yechulu…”, Hashem is referred to only as Elokim. From that point until and including Adom and Chava being thrown out of Gan Eden, Hashem is referred to as Hashem Elokim. Then, for the first time, after Adom and Chava give birth to their first son, Chava named him Kayin as she said, “I have acquired (ka’nee’see) a man with G-d – for the first time referring to Him as only Hashem. From that point on, Hashem is referred to as just Hashem. Why the differences and what is the significance and connection of the times that the changes occurred to the names of Hashem?

Parshas V'zos Beracha - Parsha Stumper

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת וזאת הברכה

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1.     Rashi brings from Sifrei and gemara (Avodah Zarrah 2b) that Hashem first offered the Torah to Eisav and Yishmael, but they both rejected it and finally He gave the Torah to B’nei Yisroel. What does this mean? Were we a “last resort” or just part of a list of nations Hashem went down until He got to us and we accepted it so we were the “last place Hashem looked”?

2.    During the berachos in parshas V’zos Ha’beracha, Moshe refers to Shevet Gad as being compared to a lion (33:20), as well as Shevet Dan (33:22). Why is this different from birkas Yaakov?

3.    Rashi (34:5) brings a machlokes regarding who physically wrote the remaining few passukim of the Torah after it declares Moshe’s death. One opinion is that Yehoshua wrote it, the other opinion maintains that Moshe wrote the remaining part as well with tears i.e- crying as he wrote it (see Bava Basra 15a). The reason for this opinion is because how is it possible for the Torah to have been incomplete during Moshe’s lifetime. How would the other opinion respond?

4.    Rashi (34:6) brings from the mishna in Avos (5:6) which states that Moshe rabbeinu’s burial place was one of the things created during the six days of creation. In truth this is a machlokes in that mishna. The question is though, what is so special about Moshe’s burial place that it should among the things created during the first erev shabbos during bein has’mashos (twilight)? Also, according to the one who holds that indeed Moshe’s burial place was created at that time – outside Eretz Yisroel – then it must have been planned already that Moshe rabbeinu was not to enter Eretz Yisroel. We know that Moshe was not allowed in because of his own “sin” so how does the mishna fit with the concept of bechira (free choice)?

5.    Rashi (34:7) learns from the passuk that Moshe’s eyes did not dim even after his death. Somehow, Rashi understands that Moshe retained perfect vision not only during his lifetime but after death as well. What does this mean?

6.    Rashi (34:8) sees from the passuk that at the time of Moshe’s death then men felt much more emotionally tied to Moshe as opposed to by Aharon’s death when the sorrow was felt equally by men and women. Rashi explains that the reason for this difference is because Aharon was someone who brought peace between man and wife. How could we understand this Rashi? Surely the women should have realized that Moshe did just as much for them – from leading them out of Mitzrayim and through the midbar. So why didn’t they express the same sorrow?

7.    Rashi (34:12) writes that Moshe’s “strong hand” was evident from his ability to carry down the luchos, which as the Sifsei Chochomim points out, were very heavy. However, didn’t the luchos carry themselves?

8.    As a general rule, we do not like ending topics on a “bad note” dealing with bad times (puraniyus) in B’nei Yisroel, yet Rashi seems compelled to explain the very last passuk of the Torah as a reference to Moshe smashing the luchos during the time of the eigel ha’zahav, as opposed to explaining it as still referring to the wonders of Mitzrayim continuing the theme from the previous passuk. Why?