Torah Parallels

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת ויחי Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (47:28-29) Why in the Torah is Yaakov sometimes referred to as Yaakov and sometimes as Yisroel? (47:28) What purpose was there in Yaakov trying to tell the B’nei Yisroel when mashiach would arrive? (47:29) Rashi lists a few reasons that Yaakov gave Yosef why he wanted to be buried in Eretz Yisroel. Why did he need these reasons? Why not just tell Yosef he wanted to be buried in ma’aras ha’machpeilah with his wife and ancestors? (47:31) Why did Yaakov make Yosef swear that he would bury him in Eretz Yisroel ? (48:2) Why did Yaakov get up in bed when Yosef entered the room? Forget the fact that Yosef was King, still Yaakov was not feeling well and he should have stayed in bed sick so Yosef would realize and spread the word to have everyone daven for him? (48:5) Why did Ephraim and Menashe receive special status to be lieke shevatim and get their own porti...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayechi I Thought That You Thought By: Daniel Listhaus וַיִּקַּח יוֹסֵף אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם אֶת אֶפְרַיִם בִּימִינוֹ מִשְּׂמֹאל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת מְנַשֶּׁה בִשְׂמֹאלוֹ מִימִין יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּגֵּשׁ אֵלָיו : וַיִּשְׁלַח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת יְמִינוֹ וַיָּשֶׁת עַל רֹאשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וְהוּא הַצָּעִיר וְאֶת שְׂמֹאלוֹ עַל רֹאשׁ מְנַשֶּׁה שִׂכֵּל אֶת יָדָיו כִּי מְנַשֶּׁה הַבְּכוֹר “And Yosef took the two of them – Ephraim with his right hand, to Yisroel's [Yaakov's] left, and Menasheh, with his left, to Yisroel's right – and he drew close to him. But Yisroel extended his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head though he was younger and his left hand on Menasheh's head. He moved his hands with intelligence, for Menasheh was the first born.” - Vayechi 48:13-14             The Torah [1] carefully details the way that Yosef came to Yaakov with his sons, Menasheh and Ephraim. Menasheh was the older son and Yosef knew that...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת ויגש Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (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 ? (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? (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 o...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayigash How Old Are You Now? By: Daniel Listhaus וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת יַעֲקֹב אָבִיו וַיַּעֲמִדֵהוּ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וַיְבָרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב אֶת פַּרְעֹה: וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה  אֶל יַעֲקֹב כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ: וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל פַּרְעֹה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי שְׁלשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה m מְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי וְלֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֶת יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אֲבֹתַי בִּימֵי מְגוּרֵיהֶם  “Then Yosef brought Yaakov, his father, and stood him before Pharaoh, and Yaakov blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Yaakov, 'How many are the days of the years of your life?' Yaakov said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojourns have been one hundred and thirty years; few and bad gave been the days of the years of my life and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my forefathers in the days of their sojourns.'” - Vayigash 47:7-9 After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, the brothers went back to fetch Yaakov...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת וישב Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (37:2) The Torah and Rashi describe that Yosef would to tell Yaakov about things he saw the shevatim do. He claimed to have eye-witnessed his brothers eating eiver min ha'chai , degrading the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, and doing gilui arayos . If these claims were true, how could we understand that the shevatim did such things and why was Yosef punished? And if not true, then how could Yosef say such things about them? (37:2) Yaakov grew up in a house of brother rivalry between him and Eisav. So, why did he anyway do so many things to single out Yosef over his brothers? (37:3) Why didn’t Yaakov make a kesones passim for Binyamin? (37:10) As we know, the Torah is written on many levels. When Yosef is telling Yaakov his dreams, Yaakov responds, “What is this dream that you dreamt? Are we to come – I and your mother and your brothers – and b...