* PARSHA Q&A * In-Depth Questions on the Parsha with Rashi Parshas Vaera For the week ending 25 Teves 5754 8 & 9 January 1994 ========================================================================= Rashi Questions 1. Which two covenants with Avraham are referred to in this Parsha? 2. If Levi was 43 when he came to Egypt, for how many years were Jews enslaved there? 3. Which relative - forbidden by the Torah - was permissibly married in Egypt by a Levite descendant? 4. In which two plagues was there a multiplicity of miracles? 5. How many names of Yisro are mentioned in Shmos and Vaera? General Questions 1. Name two false Egyptian deities and explain how they were exposed. 2. Where is the true origin of the phrase "coals to Newcastle"? 3. What lesson in gratitude can be learned from the first three plagues? 4. How did the second and fourth plagues differ in their end? 5. What is the connection between the Haftorah and the Parsha? Bonus Question Aaron was commanded to smite the Nile and then all the water in Egypt would turn into blood, "their river, ... their streams ...their pools ... their ponds ... (as well as the water in their vessels) of wood and of stone." (7.19) Aaron did so, and "the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt". (7:21) The Torah continues, "and the magicians of Egypt did in a like manner with their secret arts." (7:22) If all the water in Egypt had already tuned into blood, where did Pharaoh's magicians get the water ? ========================================================================= Answers to Last Week's Questions - Parshas Shmos Rashi Questions All references are to Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated. 1. 2:2 - His family saw that when he was born, the house was filled with light. 2:6 - Pharaoh's daughter saw the Shechina was with him. 2. 5:6 - Nogshim were the Egyptian task-masters; Shotrim were the Jewish overseers. 3. 5:14 - They were the Jewish overseers in Egypt. 4. 4:13, 6:1 - Moshe was not going to bring the Jewish People into the land. 5. 6:1 - The first refers to being against the will of the Egyptians, the second refers to being against the will of the Jews. Bonus Question Sefer Bereishis is a book of great individuals. It focuses on Avraham and his descendants, and their interaction with the world around them. With the statement "every man and his household" (Shmos 1:1) the Torah is indicating a shift in emphasis from the individual to the group. The Torah is now concerned with the nation of Israel, their slavery and redemption from Egypt, their war with Amalek, the in receiving of the Torah, etc.. Sefer Bereishis discusses the birth and foundation of the Jewish personality. Sefer Shmos deals with the creation and emergence of the Jews as a national identity. General Questions See Rashi's commentary on these psukim 1. 1:13 2. 2:11, 2:13, 4:19, 5:20 3. 4:18 - honesty; 3:11-4:10 - humility; 2:12-13 - justice; 5:3 - respect 4. 3:18, 4:8 5. 3:16, 5:1 ========================================================================= Spend this coming Summer in Israel for as little as $599 6 week program of study and touring: June 1, 1994 - July 17, 1994 For information, send E-Mail to ohr@jer1.co.il, or from the U.S. call toll-free 800-431-2272 (212-344-2000) ========================================================================= Remember, all Ohr Somayach lists are now archived on the jerusalem1 gopher. Back issues of torah weekly, parasha Q&A and ask the rabbi are now only an FTP connection away! ========================================================================= Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Instutitions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il =========================================================================