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Parsha Q&A

Parshas Noach

For the week ending 4 Cheshvan 5756; 27 & 28 October 1995

Contents:
  • Parsha Questions
  • Bonus Question
  • I Did Not Know That!
  • Recommended Reading List
  • Answers to Parsha Questions
  • Answer to Bonus Question
  • Subscription Information
  • Ohr Somayach Home Page

    • Parsha Questions

    Answers | Contents
    1. What are the "offspring" of a righteous person?
    2. How did Man corrupt the Earth?
    3. What sin sealed the fate of the Generation of the Flood?
    4. The Ark had three stories. What function did each story serve?
    5. Why did Hashem postpone bringing the Flood for seven days?
    6. What demonstrated Noach's lack of faith?
    7. Why did the first water of the Flood come down as light rain?
    8. How high did the waters of the Flood rise?
    9. What grouping of animals escaped the punishment of the Flood?
    10. How deeply was the Ark submerged in the water?
    11. How long did the punishment of the Flood last?
    12. A solar year is how many days longer than a lunar year?
    13. Adam was commanded to be a vegetarian. When did man receive permission to eat meat?
    14. What prohibition was given along with the permission to eat meat?
    15. Why does the command to "be fruitful and multiply" follow directly after the prohibition of murder?
    16. What does the rainbow symbolize?
    17. Name two generations in which the rainbow never appeared.
    18. Why does the Torah call Nimrod a mighty hunter?
    19. The sin of the generation of the dispersion was greater than the sin of the generation of the Flood. Why was the punishment of the former less severe?
    20. Why was Sarah also called "Yiscah"?

    Bonus Question

    Answer | Contents

    "The length of the Ark shall be 300 amos, the breadth of it - 50 amos, and the height of it - 30 amos." (6:15)
    The Ark was not big enough to accommodate all the animals. Since Noach had to rely on a miracle to contain all the animals, why did he need to make the Ark so big?

    I Did Not Know That!

    In addition to Noach and his family there was one other person in the ark - Og, the giant.
    Ba'al HaTurim

    Recommended Reading List

    Ramban
    6:19
    Miracle of the Ark
    7:1
    Preserving the World
    8:11
    The Olive Leaf
    9:12
    The Rainbow
    9:18
    Ham and Canaan
    10:9
    Nimrod
    10:15
    The Land of Canaan
    11:32
    The Death of Terach

    Sforno
    8:21
    The New World
    8:22
    The Pre-Flood World
    9:6
    The Crime of Murder
    9:9
    The Conditions of the Covenant
    9:13
    Meaning of the Rainbow

    Answers to this Week's Questions

    Questions | Contents

    All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated

    1. 6:9 - Good deeds.
    2. 6:11 - Through promiscuity and idolatry.
    3. 6:13 - Robbery.
    4. 6:16 - The top story housed the people, the middle story - the animals, and the bottom story - the refuse.
    5. 7:4 - To allow seven days to mourn the death of Mesushelach.
    6. 7:7 - He did not believe the Flood would come. Therefore, he did not enter the Ark until the rain forced him to do so.
    7. 7:12 - To give the generation a chance to repent.
    8. 7:20 - Fifteen amos above the mountain tops.
    9. 7:22 - The fish.
    10. 8:4 - Eleven amos.
    11. 8:14 - A full solar year.
    12. 8:14 - Eleven days.
    13. 9:3 - After the Flood.
    14. 9:4 - The prohibition of eating a limb cut from a living animal.
    15. 9:7 - To equate one who abstains from having children to one who commits murder.
    16. 9:9,13 - That the world will not be destroyed again by a flood even when it actually deserves such a punishment.
    17. 9:12 - The generation of king Chizkiyahu and the generation of Shimon bar Yochai.
    18. 10:9 - He used words to ensnare the minds of people, convincing them to rebel against Hashem.
    19. 11:9 - They lived together peacefully.
    20. 11:29 - The word "Yiscah" is related to the Hebrew word "to see". Sarah was called Yiscah because she could "see" the future via prophecy. Also, because of her beauty, everyone would gaze at her.

    Answer to Bonus Question

    Question | Contents

    Whenever Hashem makes a miracle, He does so to supplement man's efforts. He always requires that man also exert himself to the best of his ability.
    Ramban

    Written and Compiled by Rabbi Eliyahu Kane
    General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
    Production Design: Lev Seltzer
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