Torah Parallels

פרשת חקת Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About 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. Why is it that two hairs disqualify it? If it needs to be perfect, shouldn't even one hair disqualify? Who does the Parah Adumah? In our Parsha – Elazar the S'gan Kohen (Aharon's son) performed the avodah , but it seems that that was only because Aharon couldn't since he was involved in the eigel hazahav . So whose job is it l'doros (I.e- from that point on)? Was it always the job of the S'gan Kohen or was it the job of the Kohen Gadol himself? Why did Hashem ask Moshe to take his stick if he wasn't supposed to hit the rock? Aharon got reprimanded along with Moshe during the episode of the hitting the rock – what did Aharon do wrong?

Thoughts on the Parsha Parshas Chukas Real Responsibility By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר ה ' אֶל משֶׁה עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל נֵס וְהָיָה כָּל הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי : וַיַּעַשׂ משֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחשֶׁת וַיְשִׂמֵהוּ עַל הַנֵּס וְהָיָה אִם נָשַׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ אֶת אִישׁ וְהִבִּיט אֶל נְחַשׁ הַנְּחשֶׁת וָחָי “ Hashem said to Moshe, 'Make yourself a burning one and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who had been bitten will look at it and live. Moshe made a snake of copper and placed it on the pole; so it was that if the snake bit a man, he would stare at the copper snake and live.” -Chukas 21:8-9 As hard as it is to believe, we read through this week's parsha only to find that the B'nei Yisroel once again complained about their experience in the midbar (desert), saying that they remembered their time in Mitzrayim being more pleasureful than their current situation. In response to this, Hashem sent burning nechashim (snakes) to bite those who ha...

פרשת קרח Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About The medrash describes that Korach approached Moshe and Aharon with two arguments: - “Does a talis made completely of techeiles require a string of techeiles ?” - “Does a room full of sifrei Torah require a mezuza on its doorpost?” a. What are the answers to these questions? Why? b. What exactly was Korach getting at with this debate? c. How do these “attacks” on Moshe and Aharon fit with Korach's motto of “ ki kol ha'eidah kulam kedoshim u'vesocham Hashem” ? d. How is the story of Korach similar to the episode of the meraglim and their statement of “ va'nehi v'eineinu ka'chagavim” ? The Torah tells us that after Korach came to Moshe rabbeinu , Moshe fell on his face. There are three different types of “falling on the face” thorughout Tanach . What are they? Extra Credit: When do they occur?

Thoughts on The Parsha Parshas Korach Favors are Easily Forgotten By: Daniel Listhaus וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב וְאוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן “ Korach son of Yitzhar son of Kehas son of Levi separated himself, with Dasan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On son of Peles, sons of Reuvein.” -Korach 16:1 Rashi 1 explains that what instigated Korach's argument with Moshe was the fact that he was jealous because Moshe appointed Elitzaphan ben Uziel as a nassi (literally: prince) over the B'nei Kehas . 2 Korach based his argument on what he assumed was logical. He assessed the situation and realized that Levi's son Kehas had four sons: Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron, and Uziel. Amram's two sons – Moshe and Aharon – assumed the two top positions of B'nei Yisroel . Moshe rabbeinu was the leader of the entire nation, and Aharon HaKohen was the Kohen Gadol . When Hashem commanded for the appointing of the nassi'im ,...

פרשת שלח Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About Rashi (13:2) writes that the story of the Meraglim was placed in the Torah immediately following the episode of Miriam because they did not learn from Miriam about how one should speak. Miriam spoke lashon harah about her brother, Moshe Rabbeinu, while the Meraglim spoke about Eretz Yisroel – an inanimate object, not a person. There is nothing wrong with doing so. So what did the Meraglim do wrong that they should have learned from the story of Miriam? Calev and Yehoshua each had the help of a tefillah to stay away from the plot of the meraglim. Why was this necessary? Why not just stay away? After the report of the Meraglim, the B'nei Yisroel cried out, “Why is Hashem bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and young will be taken captive! Is it not better that we return to Egypt?” What were the B'nei Yisroel thinking? How exactly were they thinking they would be treated if they went back...

Thoughts on the parsha Parshas Shelach What's the Real Story? By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּצִיאוּ דִּבַּת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תָּרוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בָהּ לָתוּר אֹתָהּ אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ הִוא וְכָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ בְתוֹכָהּ אַנְשֵׁי מִדּוֹת “ They brought forth to the B'nei Yisroel an evil report on the land that they had spied out, saying, 'The land through which we have passed, to spy it out, is a land which devours its inhabitants! All the people that we saw in it were men of measures!'” -Shelach 13:32 Rashi 1 tells us that the B'nei Yisroel approached Moshe and said that they wanted to send spies out before them to check out Eretz Yisroel . Hashem was obviously not happy with this request because if He said that He would bring us to a great land, what further need is there to check it out? Nontheless, Hashem did not stop Moshe from sending the meraglim (spies). 2 The Torah describes that Eretz Yisroel was a land...

Thoughts on The Parsha Parshas Nasso Capitalized Coincidences By: Daniel Listhaus וַיְדַבֵּר ה ' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר : דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה כִּי יַפְלִא לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר נָזִיר לְהַזִּיר לַה ' : מִיַּיִן וְשֵׁכָר יַזִּיר חֹמֶץ יַיִן וְחֹמֶץ שֵׁכָר לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה וְכָל מִשְׁרַת עֲנָבִים לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה וַעֲנָבִים לַחִים וִיבֵשִׁים לֹא יֹאכֵל “Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, “Speak to the B'nei Yisroel and say to them: A man or a woman who shall set apart by taking a nazarite vow to set apart to Hashem; from wine and hard drink shall he abstain, and he shall not drink vinegar or wine or vinegar of hard drink; anything in which grapes have been steeped he shall not drink, and fresh and dried grapes he shall not eat.” - Nasso 6:1-3 After describing the degrading process that the sotah must go through, the Torah begins to teach the seemingly unrelated topic of one who accepts upon oneself to be a nazir , and proceeds to relate the relevant...