Torah Parallels

~ Something to Think About ~   פנחס פרשת  Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (Rashi 26:46) Why did Sarach merit such a long life? (Rashi 27:22) Why did b’nos Telafchad wait so long to ask? (27:15) Rashi explains that Moshe demanded an answer/response from Hashem. Similarly, Rashi explains in Bamidbar 12:13 regarding Miriam. How could we understand Moshe’s more aggressive behavior at these particular points? (27:18) Hashem told Moshe that he should put his hand on Yehoshua and lean on him to give him s'meecha . However, the Torah accounts that Moshe leaned on Yehoshua with both his hands . How could Moshe add to the commandment of Hashem? Isn't that bal toseif ?      

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Pinchas Hypocrite or Hippogriff By: Daniel Listhaus פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא כִלִּיתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי “Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal”  - Bamidbar 25:11             Rashi [1] points out that the Torah goes into more detail of Pinchas’s ancestry than necessary. The Be’er Heitev [2] explains further and writes that the indicator that there is something to be learned from the extra ancestry stated here is that the Torah already introduced Pinchas to us, just four passukim earlier at the end of parshas Balak, and went through his family tree at the time that he actually killed Zimri and Kazbi . [3] Rashi therefore explains that the passuk (vers

~ Something to Think About ~ בלק     פרשת Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (22:22) Why does the Torah describe Balak as “seeing” what B’nei Yisroel did as whereas by Yisro the Torah refers to Yisro’s “hearing”? What is the difference? (22:4) The Torah relates that Moav said to the elders of Midian that B’nei Yisroel will chew up their surroundings like an ox chews up its food. What was the point of this simile and why does the Torah feel the need to write it? (22:21) Why did Billam ride a donkey and not a horse? (22:28) Billam’s hit his donkey three times. When Hashem opened the donkey’s mouth, the first thing its first words to Billam was asking him, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”  Rashi writes that besides for giving Billam mussar , the donkey was also hinting to him that he will not be able to succeed in trying to uproot a nation which keeps the shalosh regalim . What is it about the

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Balak All Lives Matter By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ ה ' עַל מָה הִכִּיתָ אֶת אֲתֹנְךָ זֶה שָׁלוֹשׁ רְגָלִים הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יָצָאתִי לְשָׂטָן כִּי יָרַט הַדֶּרֶךְ לְנֶגְדִּי : וַתִּרְאַנִי הָאָתוֹן וַתֵּט לְפָנַי זֶה שָׁלשׁ רְגָלִים אוּלַי נָטְתָה מִפָּנַי כִּי עַתָּה גַּם אֹתְכָה הָרַגְתִּי וְאוֹתָהּ הֶחֱיֵיתִי : “The angel of Hashem said to him, ‘For what reason did you strike the she-donkey three these three times? Behold! I went out as an impediment, for he hastened on the road, against me. The she-donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. Had she not turned away frim me I would now even have killed you and let her live.’”  - Bamidbar 22:32-33             The mishna in Avos [1] states that one of the last things created just before Shabbos during bein hashmashos was the mouth of Billam’s donkey. When Billam’s donkey spoke to him it was not really a new miracle that was taking place but rather an anomaly kick

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת חקת Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus Rashi (19:22) writes that the parah adumah is a kapparah for the eigel ha'zahav – it is the mother cleaning after its baby. In fact, the Torah stresses six similarities between the parah adumah and eigel ha'zahav. What exactly is the connection, though, between mitzva of parah adumah and eigel haz'zahav (other than the fact that they are both cows) that it should be chosen to be its kaparah? (19:22) Why should the parah adumah cow act as a kapparah for the eigel? What about the concept of ein k’teigar na’aseh s’neiger – that the prosecutor does not become the defense counselor? (See Rashi 19:3 for example) Why is it that the eigel ha'zahav has no “settling of its debt”? The Torah states that the Parah Adumah had to be perfectly red. The Meforshim explain that even two black or white hairs would disqualify it from being a valid Parah Adumah. Wh

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~ Parshas Chukas The Power of a Zechus By: Daniel Listhaus וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הָעֵדָה מִדְבַּר צִן בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם בְּקָדֵשׁ וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם וְלֹא הָיָה מַיִם לָעֵדָה וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל משֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן “The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Tzin the first month, and the people settled in Kadeish. Miriam died there and was buried there. And there was no water for the assembly so they assembled against Moses and Aharon.” -Chukas 20:1-2             Rashi [1] comments that from the juxtaposition of these passukim (verses) we see that for the entire forty years in the desert prior to this point, the well that the Jews had access to, which followed them on their journey, was only deserved through Miriam's zechus (merit). This is why when she died, the well disappeared and hid among the other rocks.             What was Miriam's zechus which had the capacity of pr