Parsha Q&A - Parshas Emor

Parshas Emor

For the week ending 15 Iyar 5759 / 30 April & 1 May 1999 1999

Contents:

Parsha Questions

Bonus Question

I Did Not Know That!

Parsha Questions

Answers | Contents

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 Hashem?
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?

Bonus Question

"And you shall count from the day after Pesach, from the day you bring the omer offering, seven complete weeks…." (23:15)

Starting the day after Pesach, Jews worldwide begin the mitzvah of "counting the omer," counting the 49 days until the Festival of Shavuos. Why don't we say a shehechyianu blessing when we begin this mitzvah, as we do when fulfilling other mitzvahs that come around once a year? For example, we say shehechyianu when we shake the lulav and read the Megillah.

Bonus Answer

The omer was an offering brought on the day after Pesach in Temple times. We only say shehechyianu on a mitzvah which brings us joy. Counting the omer, on the other hand, reminds us of the pain that we are presently unable to bring the Temple offerings.

(Rashba, cited in Aruch Hashulchan 489:5)

I Did Not Know That!

"The son of the Israelite woman cursed Hashem...his mother's name was Shlomis bas Divri...."(24:11) The Midrash says: "Why was she called 'bas Divri?' Because she brought dever (disease) upon her son." (Vayikrah Rabba 32)

The blasphemer was executed by stoning. Why, then, does the above Midrash say that his mother brought "dever" - disease - upon him?

One of the ten plagues was the plague of "dever" - cattle disease. The commentaries explain that although no cattle belonging to the Children of Israel died, there was one apparently Jewish person whose cattle did die. Who was this person? The son of Shlomis bas Divri. His cattle died because his father was an Egyptian taskmaster; he was therefore not one of the "Children of Israel," such that his cattle would enjoy miraculous protection. Hence, by bearing a son from an Egyptian man, his mother caused her son to suffer from the plague of "dever."

(Heard from Rabbi Sholem Fishbane)

Answers to this Week's Questions

Questions | Contents

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

Which male descendants of Aharon are exempt from the prohibition against contacting a dead body?
21:1 - Challalim - those disqualified from the priesthood because they are descended from a relationship forbidden to a kohen.
Does a kohen have an option regarding becoming ritually defiled when his unmarried sister passes away?
21:3 - No, he is required to do so.
How does one honor a kohen?
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.
How does the Torah restrict the kohen gadol with regard to mourning?
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.
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"?
22:3 - Eats.
What is the smallest piece of a corpse that is able to transmit tumah?
22:5 - A piece the size of an olive.
Who in the household of a kohen may eat terumah?
22:11 - He, his wife, his sons, his unmarried daughters and his non-Jewish slaves.
If the daughter of a kohen marries a "zar" she may no longer eat terumah. What is a zar?
22:12 - A non-kohen.
What is the difference between a neder and a nedavah?
22:18 - A neder is an obligation upon a person; a nedavah is an obligation placed upon an object.
May a person slaughter an animal and its father on the same day?
22:28 - Yes. The Torah only prohibits slaughtering an animal and its mother on the same day.
How does the Torah define "profaning" the Name of Hashem?
22:32 - Willfully transgressing the commandments.
Apart from Shabbos, how many days are there during the year about which the Torah says that work is forbidden?
23:7-36 - Seven.
How big is an omer?
23:10 - One tenth of an eipha.
On what day do we begin to "count the omer"?
23:15 - On the 16th of Nissan.
Why do we begin counting the omer at night?
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.
How does the omer differ from other minchah offerings?
23:16 - It was made from barley.
The blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is called a "zichron teruah" (sound of remembrance). For what is it a reminder?
23:24 - The akeidas (binding of) Yitzchak.
What is unusual about the wood of the esrog tree?
23:40 - It has the same taste as the fruit.
Who was the father of the blasphemer?
24:10 - The Egyptian killed by Moshe (Shemos 2:12).
What is the penalty for intentionally wounding one's parent?
24:21 - Death.

Written and Compiled by Rabbi Eliyahu Kane & Rabbi Reuven Subar
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
Production Design: Eli Ballon
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Parsha Q&A - Parshas Emor

Parshas Emor

Parsha Questions

Bonus Question

Bonus Answer

I Did Not Know That!

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Answers to this Week's Questions