* PARSHA Q&A * In-Depth Questions on the Parsha w/Rashi * VAYETZE * * GENERAL QUESTIONS * 1. Name three passages in this and previous portions of the week indicating prayer by each of the Patriarchs. 2. Name two passages in this and previous portions of the week indicating "kefitzat haderech" for the Patriarchs. 3. List three verses where the word "brother" means another type of relative. 4. Which three names of Yaakov's children indicate that his wives were aware that he would father twelve sons? 5. The Rambam cites Yaakov as the model of morality in employee behavior and quality of effort. Name his source. * RASHI QUESTIONS * 1. Name three situations in which people are considered LIKE dead. 2. Name a source for: a)wedding feast, b)week of celebration. 3. How do we know that the curse uttered by a righteous man takes effect regardless of the motives of the victim or the intentions of the curser ? 4. Name two sources for the fact that angels of Eretz Yisrael don't accompany a person to go outside of Israel, & vice versa. 5. What made Esav think he would marry Leah? Rachel? * BONUS QUESTION * The Rambam (Hilchot Machira 15:3) rules that when a buyer acquires merchandise and finds a defect in the merchandise, such that if he had known of the defect before the sale he would not have made the deal, this is a mistaken transaction and the sale is nullified. Yaakov had intended to marry Rachel. Lavan switched Leah for Rachel, and Yaakov married Leah instead, thinking she was Rachel. Since Yaakov did not know he was marrying Leah and did not intend to marry Leah, why wasn't their marriage considered a mistaken transaction, thus nullifying the marriage? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANSWERS TO RASHI REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR PARSHAT TOLDOT * 1. Rashi 25:20. Sarah died at the time of the binding of Yitzchak at the age of 127. She gave birth to him when she was 90. Therefore Yitzchak was 37 at the time of the the binding. 2. R. 25:21. The Torah states that Hashem "let Himself be entreated by him (Yitzchak)." "Him" but not "her" because the prayer of a righteous person who is the son of a righteous person is not similar to the prayer of a righteous person who is the son of a wicked person. 3. R. 25:23. Hashem told Rivka "Two nations are in your womb", but the word "nations - goyim" is written defectively so that it may be read "gaiim", meaning leaders. This refers to Caesar Antoninus, a descendant of Esav, and to R.Yehuda HaNasi, a descendant of Yaakov who were both wealthy rulers. 4. R. 25:23. Rivka is told that one nation will be stronger than the other, meaning the rise of one will always coincide with the fall of the other. Thus Tyre, a city of Esau, will only become great when Jerusalem, the city of Yaakov, is destroyed. 5. R. 25:24. Tamar gave birth at full term to two righteous children. Rivka gave birth prematurely at 7 months to two children, one righteous and one wicked. 6. R. 25:25. Formed. 7. R. 25:26. Yaakov was born from the first drop of seed and Esav from the second. When dealing with a narrow tube, what enters first comes out last, and what enters last comes out first. The Yaakov who comes out second was formed first and thus was really older. 8. R. 25:26. Esav will not be able to complete his reign before a Yaakov will come and take it from him. 9. R. 25:27. When they become thirteen, one began toward a life of study, and the other began a life of idolatry. 10. R. 25:27. Esav deceived Yitzchak by asking questions that suggested that he was very strict in Mitzvah observance. 11. R. 25:30. Avraham was promised to live till a good old age. When Avraham was 175, Esav was 15 and began his career of murder and theft. So that Abraham should not see the evil of his grandson, he died prematurely at 175. 12. R. 25:30. Lentils, which is a meal for mourners. The legume resemble a sphere, and mourning is a sphere which makes its circuit around the world and affects everyone. 13. R. 25:32. He thought the birthright is unstable because not always would the first-born have it. (We find that Levi took it.) Also there may be punishments due to it. Esav thought, "I'll die because of it so why should I desire it." 14. R. 26:2. Because he had the status of a Korban and leaving Eretz Yisrael was not appropriate for him. 15. R. 26:5. Both the Written and Oral Laws, as well as Rabbinical prohibitions to protect Torah observance. 16. R. 26:15. They felt that either marauders would attack to capture the wells, or if attacking for other reasons, they would use the wells as a water supply. 17. R. 27:2. When a person approaches the age of his parents at their death, he should be concerned from five years before that age until five years after. Yitzchak was 123 years old when his eyes grew dim. His mother died at 127 years old. He thought that maybe he would only reach the age of his mother. 18. R. 27:40. When Yisrael trangresses the Torah. 19. R. 28:9. a) 63 - Yaakov's age when Ishmael died and he left for the yeshiva of Eber. b) 14 - Number of years he spent in the yeshiva of Eber. The number of years he worked for his wives. c) 22 - The number of years from when he left the yeshiva of Eber until he returned to his father, and the number of years Joseph was separated from him. d) 20 - The number of years he served Lavan. * ANSWER TO BONUS QUESTION PARSHAT TOLEDOT * The TAZ bases his ruling on Isaiah 57:19, "Peace, peace to him that is far and to him that is near." The TAZ says that the verse teaches a mitzvah to help people to return to Judaism, and that this can be achieved by giving those with weaker backgrounds more responsibility. Though the gemara teaches that the prayer of one whose parents are righteous is better received than the prayer of one whose parents are wicked, if the congregation designates a righteous person who is the son of wicked parents to lead the prayers, with the intention of strengthening his commitment to Judaism, then in the merit of this collective mitzvah his prayers are even better received than one whose parents are righteous.