Torah Parallels

~ Something to Think About ~ ויחי פרשת  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 ...

~ 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 a...

~ Something to Think About ~ ויגש פרשת  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 ...

~ Something to Think About ~   וישב פרשת  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 ...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayeishev Ready or Not – Hear I Come! By: Daniel Listhaus וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת כְּתֹנֶת יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ שְׂעִיר עִזִּים וַיִּטְבְּלוּ אֶת הַכֻּתֹּנֶת בַּדָּם : וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ אֶת כְּתֹנֶת הַפַּסִּים וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶל אֲבִיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ זֹאת מָצָאנוּ הַכֶּר נָא הַכְּתֹנֶת בִּנְךָ הִוא אִם לֹא : וַיַּכִּירָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר כְּתֹנֶת בְּנִי חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ טָרֹף טֹרַף יוֹסֵף : וַיִּקְרַע יַעֲקֹב שִׂמְלֹתָיו וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק בְּמָתְנָיו וַיִּתְאַבֵּל עַל בְּנוֹ יָמִים רַבִּים : וַיָּקֻמוּ כָל בָּנָיו וְכָל בְּנֹתָיו לְנַחֲמוֹ וַיְמָאֵן לְהִתְנַחֵם וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי אֵרֵד אֶל בְּנִי אָבֵל שְׁאֹלָה וַיֵּבְךְּ אֹתוֹ אָבִיו “They [the brothers] took Yosef's Tunic, and they slaughtered a male of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. They dispatched the fine woolen tunic and they brought it to their father, and said, 'We found this; identify, if you please: Is this your son's tunic or not?' He recognized it and said, 'My son's t...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת וישלח Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (32:4) Rashi explains that Yaakov sent angels to his brother Eisav. Why did he have to send angels as opposed to regular messengers? (32:5) Many know the famous Rashi in our parsha which says “with Lavan I have sojourned...and yet I have kept the 613 mitzvos”. However, many do not realize that that is the second explanation Rashi gives. The first is, “I did not become a dignitary or a notable, but rather a mere sojourner. It therefore does not befit you (Eisav) to hate me over the blessings of your father who blessed me, 'Be a lord to your brothers', for it has not yet been fulfilled in me.” Aren't these two explanations contradictory to each other in the sense that one is meant to scare Eisav and the other is to calm him? (32:5) How could Yaakov claim to have kept all 613 mitzvos if some were not even possible to do yet? (32:5-6) Why did Yaakov focu...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Vayishlach Angels in the Outfield By: Daniel Listhaus וַיִּשְׁלַח יַעֲקֹב מַלְאָכִים לְפָנָיו אֶל עֵשָׂו אָחִיו אַרְצָה שֵׂעִיר שְׂדֵה אֱדוֹם : וַיְצַו אֹתָם לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן לַאדֹנִי לְעֵשָׂו כֹּה אָמַר עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וָאֵחַר עַד עָתָּה : וַיְהִי לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר צֹאן וְעֶבֶד וְשִׁפְחָה וָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ “And Yaakov sent malachim before him to Eisav his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. He charged them saying, “Thus shall you say, 'To My lord, to Eisav, so said your servant Yaakov: I have sojourned with Lavan and have lingered until now. I have acquired ox and donkey, flock, and servant, and maidservant and I am sending to tell my lord to find favor in your eyes.'” - Vayishlach 32:4-6             The Torah [1] describes that after Yaakov left Lavan's house, he sent malachim ahead of him to try to determine what Ei...