Parsha Q&A - Parshat Pinchas

Parshat Pinchas

For the week ending July 14, 2001 / 23Tammuz 5761

Contents:

Parsha Questions

Kasha

I Did Not Know That!

Parsha Questions

Answers Contents

Why was Pinchas not originally a kohen?
Why was Moav spared the fate of Midian?
What does the yud and hey added to the family names testify?
Korach and his congregation became a "sign." What do they signify?
Why did Korach's children survive?
Name six families in this Parsha whose names are changed.
Who was Yaakov's only living granddaughter at the time of the census?
How many years did it take to conquer the Land? How long to divide the Land?
Two brothers leave Egypt and die in the midbar. One brother has three sons. The other brother has only one son. When these four cousins enter the Land, how many portions will the one son get?
What do Yocheved, Ard and Na'aman all have in common?
Why did the decree to die in the desert not apply to the women?
What trait did Tzlofchad's daughters exhibit that their ancestor Yosef also exhibited?
Why does the Torah change the order of Tzlofchad's daughters' names?
Tzlofchad died for what transgression?
Why did Moshe use the phrase "Hashem of the spirits of all flesh"?
Moshe "put some of his glory" upon Yehoshua. What does this mean?
Where were the daily offerings slaughtered?
Goats are brought as musaf sin-offerings. For what sin do they atone?
Why is Shavuot called Yom Habikkurim?
What do the 70 bulls offered on Succot symbolize?

Kasha

How would you answer this question on the Parsha?

JRS asked the following "Kasha":

Dear Rabbi,

Regarding the inheritance of Tzlofchad's daughters, the verse says, "And Moshe brought their judgement (mishpataN) before G-d." In this verse, the letter "noon" of the word mishpatan is written bigger than the other letters. Why?

Dear JRS,

While I haven't seen an explanation for this, allow me to offer my own thought:

We know that each Hebrew letter corresponds to a number; noon corresponds to 50. The large noon could be a reminder to Moshe of the "noon shaarei bina " - "the fifty gates of understanding" - which are only attainable through Divine assistance.

Why does Moshe get this reminder now? Rashi explains that Moshe was being punished here: Because he had told the Jews that he would answer all their hard legal questions - a statement which may have been misunderstood to mean that he "had all the answers" - he was suddenly stumped by the daughters of Tzlofchad and needed to ask G-d for the answer.

Do you have a Kasha? Write to kasha@ohr.edu with your questions on any Parsha!

I Did Not Know That!

Moshe's prayer for G-d to appoint a leader in his stead (Numbers 27:16-17) contains exactly 28 words, corresponding to the 28 years which that leader, Yehoshua, led the people. Thus, in connection with Yehoshua's conquering the Land, the verse states (Deuteronomy 8:18) that G-d grants koach-power (koach = 28) to prosper in the Land.

Ba'al Haturim

Answers to this Week's Questions

Questions Contents

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

Why was Pinchas not originally a kohen?
25:13 - Kehuna (priesthood) was given to Aharon and his sons (not grandsons), and to any of their descendants born after they were anointed. Pinchas, Aharon's grandson, was born prior to the anointing.
Why was Moav spared the fate of Midian?
25:18 - For the sake of Ruth, a future descendant of Moav.
What does the yud and hey added to the family names testify?
26:5 - That the families were truly children of their tribe.
Korach and his congregation became a "sign." What do they signify?
26:10 - That kehuna was given forever to Aharon and his sons, and that no one should ever dispute this.
Why did Korach's children survive?
26:11 - Because they repented.
Name six families in this Parsha whose names are changed.
26:13,16,24,38,39,42 - Zerach, Ozni, Yashuv, Achiram, Shfufam, Shucham.
Who was Yaakov's only living granddaughter at the time of the census?
26:46 - Serach bat Asher
How many years did it take to conquer the Land? How long to divide the Land?
26:53 - Seven years. Seven years.
Two brothers leave Egypt and die in the midbar. One brother has three sons. The other brother has only one son. When these four cousins enter the Land, how many portions will the one son get?
26:55 - Two portions. That is, the four cousins merit four portions among them. These four portions are then split among them as if their fathers were inheriting them; i.e., two portions to one father and two portions to the other father.
What do Yocheved, Ard and Na'aman all have in common?
26:24,56 - They came down to Mitzrayim in their mothers' wombs.
Why did the decree to die in the desert not apply to the women?
26:64 - In the incident of the meraglim, only the men wished to return to Egypt. The women wanted to enter Eretz Yisrael.
What trait did Tzlofchad's daughters exhibit that their ancestor Yosef also exhibited?
27:1 - Love for Eretz Yisrael.
Why does the Torah change the order of Tzlofchad's daughters' names?
27:1 - To teach that they were equal in greatness.
Tzlofchad died for what transgression?
27:3 - Rabbi Akiva says that Tzlofchad gathered sticks on Shabbat. Rabbi Shimon says that Tzlofchad was one who tried to enter Eretz Yisrael after the sin of the meraglim.
Why did Moshe use the phrase "Hashem of the spirits of all flesh"?
27:16 - He was asking Hashem, who knows the multitude of dispositions among the Jewish People, to appoint a leader who can deal with each person on that person's level.
Moshe "put some of his glory" upon Yehoshua. What does this mean?
27:20 - That Yehoshua's face beamed like the moon.
Where were the daily offerings slaughtered?
28:3 - At a spot opposite the sun. The morning offering was slaughtered on the west side of the slaughtering area and the afternoon offering on the east side.
Goats are brought as musaf sin-offerings. For what sin do they atone?
28:15 - For unnoticed ritual impurity of the Sanctuary or its vessels.
Why is Shavuot called Yom Habikkurim?
28:26 - The Shavuot double-bread offering was the first wheat-offering made from the new crop.
What do the 70 bulls offered on Succot symbolize?
29:18 - The seventy nations.

Written and Compiled by Rabbi Eliyahu Kane & Rabbi Reuven Subar
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
Production Design: Michael Treblow

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