Parshas Noach - Parsha Stumpers

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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 Ha'azinu - Parsha Stumpers

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פרשת האזינו

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. (32:2) Rashi explains that the Torah gives the simile of Torah being like dew as opposed to rain because rain is annoying to people as opposed to dew which everyone is happy with. Rashi gives two examples of how rain is annoying to some people: It is annoying when one is trying to travel and it is annoying for someone who has an uncovered barrel of wine. Why does Rashi feel it is necessary to give any example at all, let alone two of them

2. (32:9) Rashi describes that Avraham + Yitzchak + Yaakov with the qualities they represented are like three strands of string twisted together into a strong rope. Similarly we find in the Gemara Berachos when Moshe was fighting on B’nei Yisroel’s behalf and davening that Hashem not wipe them out. Moshe said that unlike his own descendents which would only have him – a “one legged stool” – to rely on, B’nei Yisroel are backed by a “three legged chair” of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Assuming that Moshe Rabbeinu, who was worthy of receiving the Torah and leading B’nei Yisroel, had the same qualities, is there something stronger of the middos being represented specifically by three different individuals as opposed to one person containing all three?

3. (32:48) Rashi points out that there are three times in the Torah where the Torah uses the expression of “b’etzem ha’haom ha’zeh”. However, in truth there are four. What is the one which Rashi leaves out and why does he do so?

Parshas Vayeilech - Parsha Stumpers

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פרשת וילך

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. “Vayeilech Moshe...” Where did Moshe go?

2. (31:1) The S'forno and others explain that Moshe said to B'nei Yisroel, “ I am old and no longer able to go and come back...and even if I was able to, still Hashem said to me that I anyway cannot enter into Eretz Yisroel.” What was the point of the first half of Moshe's statement? Let him just say that Hashem said he cannot enter Eretz Yisroel? How was this different from Yaakov’s response to Pharoah when asked how old he was?

3. (31:1) How did Moshe know when he was going to die?

4. What is significant about dying on the same day one is born?

5. There are many differences between what Hashem told Yeshoshua and what Moshe told Yehoshua. What are these differences? And why the differences?

6. Rashi (31:12) says that the men come to hakhel to learn, the women to hear, and the children to give reward to those who brought them. What does this mean?

7. The passuk (31:14) says “hein karvo yame'cha lamus”. The simple way to understand the passuk is “Behold, your days are drawing near to die...” However, as a remez, the word “hein” – represented by the letters hey and nun – could also actually refer to Moshe rabbeinu. How is this?

8. (31:29) Rashi, in an answer to a question of his, writes that a rebbe considers his talmid like himself. If so, how did Rashi answer his question? If Yehoshua was considered to Moshe like Moshe himself, then it should follow that Yehoshua's talmid was viewed by Yehoshua as Yehoshua himself. The “chain rule” should then say that Moshe would consider even his talmid's talmid's talmid's talmid..... as himself. If so, how did Rashi answer his question?

9. The Gemara Sanhedrin brings a proof from our parsha for techiyas hamaysim. What is it?

10. (When parshas Vayeilech falls out on Shabbos Shuva): In the Haftorah for Shabbos Shuva we read, “Shuva Yisroel ad Hashem elo'kecha” (Repent, Yisroel, until Hashem your G-d). The choice of word to say “ad Hashem” instead of “l'Hashem” (to Hashem) seems a bit strange. What is hinted to in the passuk by writing it this way?

Parshas Nitzavim- Parsha Stumpers

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פרשת נצבים

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. (29:13-14) The passukim  say, “Not with you alone do I forge this bris  and this oath, but with whoever is here, standing with us today before Hashem, our G-d, and with whoever is not here with us today…” How could a bris be made with people who are not present?

2. (29:15) The passuk says,

 כִּי אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יָשַׁבְנוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עֲבַרְתֶּם

Why switch from “that which we passed” to “that which you passed”

3. (29:28)There are nekudos (dots) above certain letters/words in the passuk. Why is this and why over those particular ones?

4. (30:12) The Rosh and Da’as Zekainim mention that there is a remez in the passuk that in the zechus of bris millah, Moshe was able to enter shamayim. Which zechus millah is being referred to? And why this particular zechus?

5. (30:19) Rashi writes that “Hashem tells us to look at the sun, which obeys Hashem command perfectly – it rises and sets every day at the right time, even though it will not receive any reward for doing so. Therefore, certainly we who will get reward for listening to Hashem should do so...” How could we understand this Rashi? There is a very simple pircha with this kal v'chomer: the sun is an inanimate object with no ability to think or decide, nor does it have any nesyonos to stop it. So how could it be so obvious that we should be expected to obey Hashem as well as the sun?

Parshas Ki Seitzrei - Parsha Stumpers

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פרשת כי תצא

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. (21:11) How could we understand the concept of eishes y'fas to’ar?

2. (21:18) How could we understand the concept of ben sorer u'moreh? How could we punish him based on his future? Doesn't he have bechira?

3. (22:7) The mishna in Berachos states that if one who declares, “Hashem's rachamim extends to the bird's nest” we quiet him.

a. Where do we see in this week's parsha that Hashem's rachamim reaches the bird's nest?

b. What is wrong with saying such a statement that we quiet one who says it?

4. (22:12) This week's parsha contains the basis for the minhag to start wearing a talis when one gets married. Where is it?

5. (23:8) In this week's parsha is an unbelievable example of the extent we must show hakaras hatov. What is it? Why?

6. (23:14) In this week's Parsha there is a mitzva, which many people do not know, pertaining to going out to battle:ויתד תהיה לך על אזנך …

a. What is this mitzva ? [Hint: It shows the importance of כבוד הבריות even in extreme circumstances such as war.]

b. Where is there a רמז in this פסוק as to what a person should do when in danger of hearing a דבר שאינו הגון? 

7. (24:19) Rashi writes that even if one would drop money accidentlly on the ground, it was ultimately picked up by a poor person then the one who dropped is blessed because of it. Why should he receive any reward? He did absolutely nothing and is completely unaware of the money he dropped!?

8. Two of the six zechiros are in this week's parsha. What are they? What are the other four? And what makes them so fundamentally important that they are of the zechiros?

Parshas Shoftim - Parsha Stumpers

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    שופטים  פרשת

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. (16:21) The Medrash Rabbah says that Shlomo HaMelech's throne had 6 steps leading up to it. On each step was one of six consecutive לא תעשה found in this week's parsha. What are they and what is the connection between them? (see Kli Yakar)

2. (17:18) There are three important dinim pertaining to a melech. What are they and where is there a remez to them in the word כסא – as if to say that a king who keeps these three things will merit to stay on the כסא ? (see Kli Yakar)

3. (16:22) Rashi explains that Hashem despises things which goyim use for avoda zarah. If this is so, why are we allowed to have a mizbe'ach? Why are we allowed to pray? Where do the liens get drawn?

4. (17:6) Rashi writes that if three witnesses come to testify, they do not become eidim zomemin until all three of them become zomemin. Why should this be true?

5. How could we even understand the din of eidim zomemin? They never even completed the evil they intended to do!?

6. (17:11) Rashi comments on the passuk that we must listen to the chachomim even if he says right is left and left is right. If I know that right is indeed not left, then why should I listen to the words of the chochom? What is the fundamental difference between this law and the one regarding not following a navi sheker (18:22)?

7. (18:10) Rashi understands the passuk as forbidding various types of superstitious activities. (a) Rabbi Akiva explains “me’onain” as people who assign seasons by saying that certain times are more propitious for certain things. Isn’t this something that we do? For example, we say that Adar is a good time to have a court case? (b) Rashi explains “menacheish” as one who makes decisions based on occurrences such as bread falling or a deer blocking the road or one’s staff dropping from his hand. Yet the Gemara Berachos relates a story in a mishna of a tanna who would know when his tefillos would be answered based on the fluency it came from his mouth?

8. (18:20) Rashi writes based on the passuk that it is assur to say things in the name of a different god even to permit something which is permitted according to Torah or to forbid something which the Torah itself forbids. (a) What is wrong with doing this? Why can’t it just be a creative way to motivate people to keep the mitzvos?  (b) Rashi gets this from the mishna in Sanhedrin (89a) however, for some reason the example that the mishna offers is that this is assur even if one is saying something is pure (tahor) which actually is tahor, or tamei what is in fact tamei. Why does Rashi change the example in chumash from what the mishna states? (c) As a historical example, the gemara on 89a says “Such as was with the neviei ha’ba’al” – referring to those in navi who claimed to be prophets of a “god baal”. Why would the gemara bring such a case in point if in that is not a case of saying a correct halacha from an invalid source? (d) The Ramban, seems to address all these questions by saying that the issur referred to here in the Torah  is merely to prohibit calling a different entity a “god”. If so why do we need the wordiness and examples of the mishna and gemara in sahnedrin? And how is this issur different than the classic issur of not serving avodah zarrah which would presumably include this?

9. (20:3) Rashi points out that the Torah lists four times not to be afraid of an enemy during war based on the noise it makes – whether it be the collision of shields, the stamping of the horses hooves and their neighing, the sound of their horns, and the enemy’s shouting. Why does the Torah need to write four warnings to include each of these specific scary noises? Why not just tell us not to be afraid?

10. (20:8) Rashi brings down a machlokes ta’naim regarding who the Torah is referring to when it mentions someone who is “fearful and fainthearted” of going to war. R’ Akiva holds that it refers to someone who can’t stand in war and see a sword drawn in front of him or have to hit someone. R’ Yose Haglili holds that it refers to someone who did aveiros and is therefore afraid that by entering war he is likely to die. (a) Why is the Torah’s response to such a person that he doesn’t have to go to battle? He should do teshuva and then go to battle? Why does the torah have rachmanus on someone who must not only realize that he sinned but also understands the severity and the hashkafa that “it isn’t the sword which kills but rather the sin that kills”. ? (b)  According to R’ Yose Haglili, Rashi has a good follow up explanation as to why the Torah allows someone who just started a house, business, or family to be patur from war – in order to be a distraction for the sinner not to be embarrassed and singled out. However, Rashi doesn’t explain why these three categories of people were arbitrarily chosen as opposed to all butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers? (c) According to R’ Akiva, what reason is there at all for these people to be pattur?      

Parshas Re'eh - Parsha Stumpers

~ Something to Think About ~

פרשת ראה

Parsha Stumpers

By: Daniel Listhaus

1. (13:6) The passuk says, with regards to a navi sheker (false prophet), that “he should be put to death, for he has spoken fabrication against Hashem you G-d – Who takes you out of the land of Egypt”. The passuk uses the word “motzee” which is the present tense of the word for “take out”. Why does the Torah use the present tense “Who takes you out of…Egypt” instead of “Who took you out of…Egypt”?

2. (15:10) Rashi writes even one who merely commits verbally to give will receive reward for the statement along with reward for the act. Why does one receive reward for merely committing?