* PARSHA Q&A * In-Depth Questions on the Parsha with Rashi NOW WITH THE ANSWERS IN THE SAME ISSUE! Parshas Chukas For the week ending 9 Tamuz 5754 17 & 18 June 1994 ======================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for Parsha Q&A Please contact us for details. ======================================================================== Parsha Questions 1. How many non-red hairs disqualify a cow from being a Parah Adumah (red heifer)? 2. Who is in charge of preparing the Parah Adumah? 3. Who slaughters the Parah Adumah? 4. A person came in contact with the dead, went to the mikvah after seven days, but was not purified by means of the Parah Adumah. What is the penalty if he enters the Azarah (Sanctuary Courtyard)? 5. A man dies in a tent. What happens to the people and the utensils that are in the tent? 6. What happens to the one who: a) sprinkles the water concocted from the ashes of the Parah Adumah; b) touches the "water"; c) carries the "water"? 7. Why does the Torah stress that all of the congregation came to Midbar Tzin? 8. Why is Miriam's death taught after the section of the Parah Adumah? 9. Why did Moshe need to strike the rock a second time? 10. Why did Hashem `take an oath" that Moshe and Aaron would not enter the Land? 11. Who foresaw the trouble of "Mei Meriva"? 12. When Moshe told the King of Edom that the Jewish People would not drink from the well-water, to which well did he refer? What do we learn from this? 13. The cloud that led the Jewish People in the midbar leveled all the mountains that were in their path except for three. Which three and why? 14. Why did the entire congregation mourn the death of Aaron? 15. What disappeared when Aaron died? 16. Who was "the inhabitant of the South" (21:1) that attacked the Jewish People? 17. Who did the King of Arad take prisoner? 18. Why was the manna called "light bread" (21:5)? 19. What arrangement did the Canaanite kings make with Sichon? 20. The Torah refers to those who speak in parables in verse 21:27. To whom does this refer? Bonus Question: Rashi points out that the well that traveled with the Jewish People in the midbar came to them through the merit of Miriam. Why did she merit this? I Did Not Know That! Rabbi Chama the son of Rabbi Chanina said, "Whoever quarrels with his teacher, is as if he quarrels with the Shechina." Where does he get this? From the Pasuk "This is [called] 'Mei Meriva' because the Bnei Yisirael quarreled [quarrel=riv] with Hashem (20:13)." Sanhedrin 110a ======================================================================== Answers to this Week's Questions 1. 19:2 - Two. 2. 19:3 - The Segan (assistant Kohen Gadol). 3. 19:3 - A non-Kohen in the presence of the Segan. 4. 19:13 - Kares. 5. 19:14,15 - The people, the metal utensils, and the unsealed earthenware utensils contract tumas meis. The sealed earthenware vessels are unaffected. 6. a) Remains tahor; b) he, but not his clothing, contracts tumah; c) he and his clothing contract tumah. 7. 20:1 - To teach that all were fit to enter Eretz Yisrael since those who were to die in the midbar, because of the sin of the spies, had already died. 8. 20:1 - To teach that just as sacrifices bring atonement, so does the death of the righteous. 9. 20:11 - After he hit it the first time only a few drops came out. 10. 20:12 - Hashem did not want them to pray at length. 11. 20:13 - Pharaoh's astrologers predicted that the deliverer of the Jewish People would be punished by water (Shmos 1:22). 12. 20:17 - To the well that traveled with the nation in the midbar. This teaches that even if one has adequate provisions, he should purchase goods from his host in order to provide benefit. 13. 20:22 - The mountains that were spared were Mt. Sinai for the giving of the Torah, Hor Hahar for Aaron's burial place, and Mt. Nevo for Moshe's burial place. 14. 20:29 - Aaron made peace between contending parties including man and wife. Thus when he died both men and women mourned. 15. 20:29 - The ananei hakavod (clouds of glory) disappeared since they sheltered the Jewish People in the merit of Aaron. 16. 21:1 - Amalek. 17. 21:1 - Only one maidservant. 18. 21:5 - Because it was absorbed in its entirety and was not excreted. 19. 21:23 - They made payment to Sichon so that he would defend them when the Jewish People come to enter Eretz Canaan. 20. 21:27 - Bilaam and his father Beor. Bonus ANSWER: Miriam waited to see what would happen to Moshe when he was cast into the Nile River. Because she performed a mitzvah involving water, in her merit the entire Jewish People would receive water. Rabbeinu Bechaye ======================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: dafyomi - "The Weekly Daf," Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into and comments on the seven pages of Talmud studied this week. Always interesting and CONTROVERSIAL reading! ask - Ask the Rabbi Column. Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh, of Ohr Somayach Jerusalem, answers YOUR questions on Judaism. weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion, plus summaries of commentaries from various sources. Designed for ALL readers, from INTRODUCTORY to ADVANCED. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. Includes the answers so you can check yourself! There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {firstname} {lastname} to: listproc@jer1.co.il This address is only for SUBSCRIPTIONS. If you have any comments, questions and suggestions, we'd love to hear them! Send them to: ohr@jer1.co.il Remember, these are all INTERNET addresses. Compuserve users must preface the address with "INTERNET:" ========================================================================= 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 ========================================================================= (C) 1994 Ohr Somayach Institutions - All rights reserved.