* PARSHA Q&A * In-Depth Questions on the Parsha and Rashi's commentary. Parshas Toldos For the week ending 29 Cheshvan 5758 28 & 29 November 1997 =========================================================================== This publication is available in HTML format at http://www.ohr.org.il/qa/5758/bereishi/toldos.htm =========================================================================== Spend this Coming Winter Break in Israel for as little as $599 (including airfare from New York) with the JEWISH LEARNING EXCHANGE For more information, see below =========================================================================== Parsha Questions 1. Why was it important that Yitzchak look like Avraham? 2. Why does the Torah stress that Rivka was the daughter of Besuel and the sister of Lavan? 3. What are the two differences between Tamar's pregnancy and Rivka's pregnancy? 4. Yaakov was born grasping Esav's heel. What does this symbolize? 5. Who gave Yaakov his name? 6. How did Esav deceive his father? 7. Why did Hashem cause Avraham to die prematurely? 8. Why are lentils a food for mourners? 9. What was the birth right that Yaakov bought from Esav? 10. Why was Yitzchak not permitted to go to Egypt to escape the famine? 11. Why did the Philistines plug up the wells? 12. To which animal is Esav compared? 13. What caused Yitzchak to lose his sight? 14. Why did Esav leave his special garments with Rivka rather than keep them at home? 15. What made Yitzchak suspect that it wasn't Esav bringing him food? 16. What fragrance did Yitzchak detect on the garments of Yaakov? 17. What was the "fat of the land" promised to Esav? 18. When will Esav be released from his subjugation to Yaakov? 19. What inspired Esav to marry the daughter of Yishmael? 20. How long did Yaakov study in the Yeshiva of Ever before going to Lavan's house? Bonus QUESTION: "Esav said, `Give me some of this red red, because I'm exhausted.' Therefore, they called him `Red.'" Esav was born red, but they didn't call him "Red" until this incident. Why not? I Did Not Know That! "And Esav was a man who knew how to trap, a man of the field..." There exists a dangerous beast called the "man of the field" -- a creature connected to the ground by the navel (see Mishna Kilaim 8). The only way to hunt it is to shoot arrows at its connection to the ground until it is severed, and then the beast dies. Esav, on the other hand, knew how to capture it alive. Therefore the verse reads, "Esav was a man who knew how to trap a `man of the field.'" (Kehilas Yitzchak in the name of the Vilna Gaon, courtesy of Rabbi Sholem Fishbane) =========================================================================== Recommended Reading List Ramban 25:23 Two Nations 26:1 Yitzchak in Exile 26:5 The Avos and Mitzvah Observance 26:20 The Wells and the Future 27:4 Rivka's Secret 27:33 Why Yitzchak Trembled Sforno 25:24 Esav's Name 25:26 Yaakov's Name 27:1 Yitzchak's Blindness 27:29 Yaakov's Portion =========================================================================== Answers to this Week's Questions All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated 1. 25:19 - So that everyone would agree that Avraham was indeed his father. 2. 25:20 - To proclaim her praise, that even though her family was evil she was righteous. 3. 25:24 - Rivka gave birth at full term to two children, one righteous and one wicked. Tamar gave birth after seven months to two righteous children. 4. 25:26 - That Yaakov would eventually rise to rule over Esav. 5. 25:26 - Hashem. 6. 25:27 - Esav deceived Yitzchak by asking questions that suggested that he was very strict in mitzvah observance. 7. 25:30 - Avraham died five years prematurely, at 175, so that he should not see his grandson become wicked. 8. 25:30 - They are round like a wheel and mourning is like a revolving wheel that eventually touches everyone. 9. 25:31 - The right to bring korbanos (sacrifices). 10. 26:2 - Through the akeida he had attained the status of a korban and was forbidden to leave Eretz Canaan. 11. 26:15 - They felt that either marauders would attack to capture the wells, or if attacking for other reasons, they would use the wells as a water supply. 12. 26:34 - The pig. Just as the pig appears to be kosher but lacks the internal sign, so too Esav appeared righteous but internally was evil. 13. 27:1 - The smoke from the incense offered by Esav's wives to their idols. 14. 27:15 - He suspected that his wives might steal them. 15. 27:21 - Yaakov mentioned the name of Hashem too readily. 16. 27:27 - The scent of Gan Edan. 17. 27:36 - Italy. 18. 27:40 - When the Jewish People transgress the Torah. 19. 28:7 - When he saw that his father despised his current wives, he resolved to take a wife from his father's family. 20. 28:9 - Fourteen years. Bonus ANSWER: There was nothing so unusual about Esav being born with a red complexion; many people are born with a red complexion. People only began calling him "Red" in order to deride him for selling his birthright for some red food. Ramban and Kli Yakar ***************************SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!************************* Spend this Coming Winter Break in Israel for as little as $599 (including airfare from New York) with the JEWISH LEARNING EXCHANGE ************************************************************************* -> JLE Israel Winter Seminar '97/'98 -> 3 weeks of Touring, Exploring and Studying Judaism and Israel -> December 22 - January 12 -> for Jewish men between the ages of 19 and 30 with demonstrated academic achievement and a sincere motivation to explore their roots. Undergraduate college students from the New York City and Chicago Metropolitan areas may qualify for additional scholarship monies. See http://www.ohr.org.il/web/jle/na-jle.htm for full details. ************************************************************************* For information: send E-Mail to Rabbi Zalman Corlin: RZCorlin@aol.com or call 800-431-2272 / 212-213-3100 or see the web site at http://www.ohr.org.il/web/jle =========================================================================== Do you link to us? Let everyone know about the Ohr Somayach Home Page by dropping the following text into the HTML document of YOUR home page: The Ohr Somayach International Home Page =========================================================================== Ohr Somayach Proudly Offers you a NEW LIST: OHRNET Get Torah Weekly, Parsha Q&A, The Weekly Daf and Ask The Rabbi sent to you each week in one easy-to-use PDF file. Subscribe to OHRNET and each week, you'll receive a beautifully formatted document designed to be viewed with Adobe Acrobat 3.0 (which you can get for FREE from http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html). To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ohrnet {your full name} To: listproc@virtual.co.il =========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: ohrnet - Torah Weekly, Q&A, Ask the Rabbi & Daf Yomi in PDF Format ohrnews - Keep up-to-date with the Ohr Somayach Web Site weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter judaismo - Spanish-Language newsletter on the Parsha & Judaism month - Seasons of the Moon - The Jewish Year through its months Ohr Somayach NEVER charges for any of the above lists. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} mailto:listproc@virtual.co.il =========================================================================== "I'm looking for the E-Mail address of a student at Ohr Somayach..." Look no further than: http://www.ohr.org.il/web/alumni/email.htm =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for Parsha Q&A. Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Written and Compiled by Rabbi Reuven Subar General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman Production Design: Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== Prepared by the Jewish Learning Exchange of Ohr Somayach International 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 Jerusalem 91180, Israel Tel: 972-2-581-0315 Fax: 972-2-581-2890 E-Mail: info@ohr.org.il Home Page: http://www.ohr.org.il =========================================================================== (C) 1997 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.