Torah Parallels

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת ויגש Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus 1.      (44:18) In the first passuk of this week's parsha there are two times where it says that Yehuda was the one who approached Yosef. One is straight out ( b'feirush ) in the passuk and the other is a remez. Where is the remez ? 2.     (44:18) Why wasn't Reuvain the one to approach Yosef and stand up for Binyamin? Regardless of the deal Yehuda made with Yaakov, still Reuvain was the eldest of the brothers so why not be the one to confront Yosef? 3.     (44:18) In one of the pshatim that Rashi says that Yehuda was telling Yosef when he said “You are like Pharaoh” is: Just like Pharoah makes decrees and doesn't keep them so too you”. The sifsei chochomim brings the mahar'shal who explains that Yehuda was saying the following, “You Yosef put all your reliance on Pharoah. However, Pharoah is a liar! Pharoah had a decree that no slave should ever rule over mitzrayim or wear royal clothing.

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayigash Two-Face: The One Tracked Mind By: Daniel Listhaus וְהַקֹּל נִשְׁמַע בֵּית פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר בָּאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף וַיִּיטַב בְּעֵינֵי פַרְעֹה וּבְעֵינֵי עֲבָדָיו “The news was heard in Pharaoh’s house saying, 'Yosef's brothers have come!' And it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.” - Vayigash 45:16             After being separated from his family for twenty-two years, Yosef was about to find himself being reunited with his father, Yaakov. The passuk (verse) [1] relates that when Pharaoh heard that Yosef's family was coming down to Mitzrayim (Egypt), he was extremely happy. However, the reason he was happy was not because he was sharing in Yosef's simcha (joyous occasion) of being reunited with his family. Instead, Pharaoh was ecstatic for a very different reason.             When Pharaoh appointed Yosef as second-in-command of the entire country, there were many people who raised an eyebrow.

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת מקץ Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus 1.       (41:1) Why was Pharaoh in his own dreams? 2.       Rashi (41:2,4) writes what the simanim in Pharoah's dreams meant. Why is Rashi telling us this here and not by Yosef's interpretations? 3.       Why does the passuk say that Pharaoh woke up – “And behold it was a dream!”? 4.       Rashi (41:8) differentiates between the dreams of Pharaoh and those of Nevuchadnetzer. Nevuchadnetzer not only did not understand the meaning of his dreams, but also did not even remember his dreams. Why the difference? 5.       (41:17) How could Pharaoh know the dream if Rashi 41:8 said earlier that Pharaoh did not remember his dreams? 6.       (41:25) If Pharaoh’s dreams were one and the same, why did they feature different characters (wheat and cows)? 7.       (41:26) Both Yosef and Pharaoh had double dreams. Why? Also the mefarshim explain that Yosef knew that the years of plenty and famine would happen very soon b

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Miketz and Chanukah I Think, Therefore I Am...Or Am I? By: Daniel Listhaus וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנָתַיִם יָמִים וּפַרְעֹה חֹלֵם וְהִנֵּה עֹמֵד עַל הַיְאֹר : וְהִנֵּה מִן הַיְאֹר עֹלֹת שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת יְפוֹת מַרְאֶה וּבְרִיאֹת בָּשָׂר וַתִּרְעֶינָה בָּאָחוּ : וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע פָּרוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת עֹלוֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן מִן הַיְאֹר רָעוֹת מַרְאֶה וְדַקּוֹת בָּשָׂר וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה אֵצֶל הַפָּרוֹת עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאֹר : וַתֹּאכַלְנָה הַפָּרוֹת רָעוֹת הַמַּרְאֶה וְדַקֹּת הַבָּשָׂר אֵת שֶׁבַע הַפָּרוֹת יְפֹת הַמַּרְאֶה וְהַבְּרִיאֹת וַיִּיקַץ פַּרְעֹה : וַיִּישָׁן וַיַּחֲלֹם שֵׁנִית וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע שִׁבֳּלִים עֹלוֹת בְּקָנֶה אֶחָד בְּרִיאוֹת וְטֹבוֹת : וְהִנֵּה שֶׁבַע שִׁבֳּלִים דַּקּוֹת וּשְׁדוּפֹת קָדִים צֹמְחוֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן : וַתִּבְלַעְנָה הַשִּׁבֳּלִים הַדַּקּוֹת אֵת שֶׁבַע הַשִּׁבֳּלִים הַבְּרִיאוֹת וְהַמְּלֵאוֹת וַיִּיקַץ פַּרְעֹה וְהִנֵּה חֲלוֹם “It happened at the end of two years to the day: Pharaoh was dreaming that behold! - he was standing over the canal wh

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayeishev Newton’s Law By: Daniel Listhaus וַיַּכִּירָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר כְּתֹנֶת בְּנִי חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ טָרֹף טֹרַף יוֹסֵף “And he [Yaakov] recognized it and he said, “My son’s tunic! An evil beast devoured him! Yosef has surely been torn to bits!” - Vayeishev 37:33 As one reads the story of Yosef and his relationship with the shevatim it is easy to recognize the sibling rivalry which existed. Yosef, being the first-born of Rachel, received special privileges and gifts from Yaakov, which his brothers did not. [1] As if that was not bad enough, the Torah relates that Yosef acted like a child. [2] When he had his dreams about being superior to his brothers he not only did not keep it to himself, but rather he flaunted and repeated it in front of his brothers many times. [3] Yosef would also be the first to “put down” his brothers and “tattle-tale” when he saw them doing improper things. [4] In the brothers’ eyes, he kept adding insult after insult