Ohr Somayach :: Parsha Q And A

Questions

Which male descendants of Aharon are exempt from the prohibition against contacting a dead body?
Does a kohen have an option regarding becoming ritually defiled when his unmarried sister passes away?
How does one honor a kohen?
How does the Torah restrict the Kohen Gadol with regard to mourning?
The Torah states in verse 22:3 that one who "approaches holy objects" while in a state of tumah (impurity) is penalized with excision. What does the Torah mean by "approaches"?
What is the smallest piece of a corpse that is able to transmit tumah?
Who in the household of a kohen may eat terumah?
If the daughter of a kohen marries a "zar" she may no longer eat terumah. What is a zar?
What is the difference between a neder and a nedavah?
May a person slaughter an animal and its father on the same day?
How does the Torah define "profaning" the Name of G-d?
Apart from Shabbos, how many days are there during the year about which the Torah says that work is forbidden?
How big is an omer?
On what day do we begin to "count the omer"?
Why do we begin counting the omer at night?
How does the omer differ from other minchah offerings?
The blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is called a "zichron teruah" (sound of remembrance). For what is it a reminder?
What is unusual about the wood of the esrog tree?
Who was the father of the blasphemer?
What is the penalty for intentionally wounding one's parent?

Answers

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

21:1 - Challalim - those disqualified from the priesthood because they are descended from a relationship forbidden to a kohen.
21:3 - No, he is required to do so.
21:8 - He is first in all matters of holiness. For example, a kohen reads from the Torah first, and is usually the one to lead the blessings before and after meals.
21:10-12 - He may not allow his hair to grow long, nor attend to his close relatives if they die, nor accompany a funeral procession.
22:3 - Eats.
22:5 - A piece the size of an olive.
22:11 - He, his wife, his sons, his unmarried daughters and his non-Jewish slaves.
22:12 - A non-kohen.
22:18 - A neder is an obligation upon a person; a nedavah is an obligation placed upon an object.
22:28 - Yes. The Torah only prohibits slaughtering an animal and its mother on the same day.
22:32 - Willfully transgressing the commandments.
23:7-36 - Seven.
23:10 - One tenth of an eipha.
23:15 - On the 16th of Nissan.
23:15 - The Torah requires counting seven complete weeks. If we begin counting in the daytime, the seven weeks would not be complete, because according to the Torah a day starts at nightfall.
23:16 - It was made from barley.
23:24 - The akeidas (binding of) Yitzchak.
23:40 - It has the same taste as the fruit.
24:10 - The Egyptian killed by Moshe (Shemos 2:12).
24:21 - Death.