* PARSHA Q&A * In-Depth Questions on the Parsha and Rashi's commentary. Parshas Vayechi For the week ending 14 Teves 5755 16 & 17 December 1994 =========================================================================== Parsha Questions 1. How many years did Yaakov live in Egypt? 2. Who informed Yosef that Yaakov was ill? 3. Why was it Divinely decreed that Rachel be buried in the vicinity of Bethlehem? 4. Initially, why was Yisrael unable to bless Efriam and Menashe? 5. Which evil kings descended from Efraim? Which from Menashe? 6. Name one great descendant of; a) Efraim; b) Menashe. 7. What burial ground did Yaakov give to Yosef? 8. In what way did Yosef have the status of bechor (first-born)? 9. Which tribe is compared to a lion? 10. How did the tribe of Zevulun use the profits of its commerce? 11. Which member of the tribe of Dan took vengeance against the Philistines? 12. Which tribe had numerous olive trees in its territory? 13. Which tribe is compared to a deer? 14. Which king from Binyamin was the wolf "that will tear and eat in the morning (49:27)"? 15. Which members of Binyamin "will divide the spoils in the evening (49:27)"? 16. Why did the Egyptians mourn the death of Yaakov? 17. From whom did Yaakov buy his burial place? 18. Which dignitaries paid their respect during the burial procession of Yaakov? 19. Which of Yaakov's grandsons joined in carrying his coffin? 20. What did Yosef make his brothers swear to him before he died? Bonus QUESTION: In verse 49:10, Yaakov promises, "the scepter will not be removed from Yehuda." For most of our history we have been without a king. Even when we had kingship, during the second Temple period the kings were from the tribe of Levi and not Yehuda. Explain Yaakov's statement in light of Jewish history. I Did Not Know That! Yaakov lived to see the population of the Jewish People multiply in Egypt from 70 to 300,000. Ba'al HaTurim =========================================================================== Answers to this Week's Questions All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated 1. 47:27 - Seventeen years. 2. 48:1 - Efraim. 3. 48:7 - So that in the future when Nevuzaradan would take the Jewish captives into Bavel, they would pass by Rachel's tomb and she would pray for their redemption. 4. 48:8 - The Shechina departed from him. 5. 48:8 - From Efraim- Yerovam and Achav. From Menashe- Yehu and his sons. 6. 48:19 - a) Yehoshua. b) Gideon. 7. 48:22 - Shechem. 8. 48:22 - His descendants received two portions in the Land when it was divided. 9. 49:9 - Yehuda. 10. 49:13 - They provided for the needs of the tribe of Yissachar so that Yissachar could learn Torah. 11. 49:16 - Shimshon. 12. 49:20 - Asher. 13. 49:21 - Naftali. 14. 49:27 - King Shaul. 15. 49:27 - Mordechai and Esther. 16. 50:3 - Because he had brought blessing to Egyptand the famine ended. 17. 50:5 - From Esav. 18. 50:10 - All the kings of Canaan and all the princes of Yishmael. 19. 50:13 - Menashe and Efraim. 20. 50:25 - That they will bring his bones to Eretz Yisrael. Bonus ANSWER: Yaakov did not promise that Yehuda would reign continuously or that no other tribe would produce leaders. Yaakov promised that kingship would not be removed completely from Yehuda. Even during periods when Yehuda isn't in power, Yehuda is guaranteed that the role of leadership will return again. Gur Aryeh =========================================================================== Can't make it to Israel for the Winter JLE program? There is still another option available: The Ohr Somayach WINTER LEARNING RETREAT held in our Monsey New York campus from December 22-29. This FREE program is open to college students who are interested in experiencing a taste of Jewish learning. For information, speak to Rabbi Zalman Corlin E-Mail: ny000586@mail.nyser.net Voice: 800-431-2272 (212-344-2000) =========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion. dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi. ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach. os-alum - "Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter. judaismo - Spanish-Language newsletter on Parsha & Judaism. There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as AOL, Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for Parsha Q&A Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions 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 =========================================================================== Written and Compiled by Rabbi Eliyahu Kane Production Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman Production Design: Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== (C) 1994 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample of an issue.