* PARSHA Q&A *
In-Depth Questions on the Parsha w/Rashi
Parshas Miketz
For the week ending 20 Kislev 5754
December 3 & 4, 1993
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Rashi Questions
1.	Why did Yosef's interpretation please the king more than the earlier 
ones?
2.	What did the swallowing of the fat cows portend?
3.	What did Yosef demand of Egyptians the first time they came for grain?
4.	How many years were Jews in Egypt?  Where is the hint in the Torah?
5.	How does Rashi refer to a large city.

General Questions
1.	How did the dream of Pharaoh differ from that of Nebuchadnetzer?
2.	Why is a Kolel scholar today referred to as an "avraych"?
3.	From where do we learn how to prostrate ourselves in prayer on Yom 
Kippur?
4.	Why did Yosef choose Shimon as his hostage?
5.	Compare passages 17:1 and 43:14 regarding the name of G-d.
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Bonus Question
Bereshis 43:9 : Yehuda said to Yaakov that if he did not return Binyamin to 
Yaakov, then "I have sinned against thee all my days". Rashi (43:41) learns 
he was invoking punishment on himself even after death, if he failed to 
return his brother.  We know there is a concept that when a tzadik states a 
curse on the condition that it will take effect only if a certain pledge is 
not fulfilled, even if the pledge is fulfilled, some remnant of the curse 
will take effect.  We see that the curse did in part take effect.  The 
Gemara in Sota 7b states that all 40 years the Jews traveled in the desert, 
Yehuda's bones rolled around loosely in his coffin as a remnant of this 
curse which he had invoked upon himself.  Why did Yehuda invoke such a curse 
upon himself and why did Yaakov not protest the inclusion of this curse as 
part of his pledge?

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Answers to Last Week's Questions - Parshas Vayeshev

Rashi Questions
1.	(R. 37:22)  Reuven wished to save Yosef from the hands of his brother.  
(R. 38:26) Yehuda admitted publicly that Tamar behaved correctly whereas 
he did not.
2.	(R. 37:28)  The brothers sold Yosef to the Ishmaelites, and the 
Ishmaelites to the Midianites, and the Midianites into Egypt.
3.	(R. 37:35)  R. Yehuda said a twin sister was born with each of Jacob's 
sons.  There were 12 sons so therefore there were 12 twin sisters plus 
Dinah.
4.	(R. 38:27)  Rivka's sons were full term, Tamar's sons were short of full 
term.  Only one of Rivka's sons was righteous; both of Tamar's sons were 
righteous.
5.	(R. 39:9)  The Bnei Noach are subject to the command that prohibits 
adultery.  (R. 38:25)  Tamar would not embarrass Yehuda.  "It is better 
to be cast into a furnace than to put a person to shame."  (Sota 10b)

Bonus Questions
1.	Hashem is very strict with His tzadikim and He punishes them quickly.  
The Torah says in Vayikra 10:3 concerning the death of Nadab and Abihu : 
"Through them that are close to me I will be sanctified... and I will be 
glorified."  Rashi says when Hashem executes judgment on the righteous, 
He is exalted.  When people see a tzadik punished, people say, "If this 
is how He deals with the righteous, all the more so with the wicked," 
and they will fear G-d.  Since the Torah stresses that Onan committed a 
sin and was punished immediately (Bereshis 38:9-10), we may infer that 
the Torah is telling us also that he was a tzadik.
2.	Yosef was able to find favor in the eyes of all those who saw him, as we 
see so often in the Torah.  Yaacov realized he had this quality and gave 
him the long sleeved coat to enhance this trait.  This quality which is 
what we ask HaShem to give us in this prayer, did not disturb the 
brothers.  They were upset that Yaacov showed extra favor to Yosef, as 
it says (37:4) "When his brothers saw their father loved him more than 
all of his brothers, they hated him."  It wasn't the coat but the extra 
affection that Yaacov showed Yosef that incited their jealousy.
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