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Subject: Parsha Q&A - Vayeshev Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 13:26:59 +0000 From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Reply-To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com To: "Parasha-PageList"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Reply-to: ohr@jerl.co.il
From: Ohr Somayach <ohr@jeri.co.il>
To: " In-depth questions on Parashat HaShavua w/ Rashi" <parasha-qa@jerl.
Subject: Parsha Q&A - Vayeshev
X-To: Parsha Q&A List <parasha-qa@jerl.co.il>
* PARSHA Q&A *
In-Depth Questions on the Parsha and Rashi's commentary.
Parshas Vayeshev
For the week ending 26 Kislev 5757
6 & 7 December 1996
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Parsha Questions
1. "These are the offspring of Yaakov: Yosef...." Give three reasons why
Yosef is considered Yaakov* s main offspring.
2. Yaakov rebuked Yosef for telling his brothers the dreams. Why?
3. How do we see from the dream about the sun, moon and stars that all
dreams contain some untrue element?
4. How did Reuven plan to save Yosef?
5. What did Ishmaelites usually transport?
6. Who brought Yosef down to Egypt?
7. Where was Reuven when Yosef was sold?
8. In addition to the brothers, who else knew that Yosef was alive?
9. For how long did Yaakov mourn the loss of Yosef?
10. Verse 37:35 states "his father wept." To whom does this refer?
11. Who was Tamar^s father?
12. Why did Tamar not tell Yehuda that she was pregnant with his child?
13. In what merit did Tamar deserve to have kings as her descendants?
14. Why is the word "hand" mentioned four times in connection to the birth
of Zerach?
15. Why does the Torah relate the incident with Potiphar ' s wife immediately
after the incident of Yehuda and Tamar?
16. In what way was Hashem "with" Yosef?
17. Why were the butler and the baker imprisoned?
18. For how long were the butler and the baker in prison?
19. How did the baker know that Yosef had correctly interpreted the
butler's dream? (40:16)
20. How was Yosef punished for asking the butler for help?
Bonus QUESTION:
"Yehuda said to his brothers, '.. .We should not kill him, for he is our
brother, our flesh. '"(37:26-7) A person is a combination of elements
inherited from his mother and his father. According to the Taimud, a
person inherits his flesh from his mother and his bones from his father.
If so, why did Yehuda refer to Yosef as "our brother, our flesh?' Since
Yehuda and Yosef had the same father, but not the same mother, Yehuda
should have referred to Yosef as 'our brother, our bone.'
I Did Not Know That!
"Yosef was seventeen years old... and Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his
sons, for he was his "wisdom son....' (37:2-3) "Yaakov taught Yosef
everything he had learned from Shem and Ever." Rashi.
This hints to the custom to teach a child to read Hebrew when he is three
years old. How so? Yaakov studied in the Academy of Shem and Ever for
fourteen years. Yaakov taught this wisdom to Yosef by the time Yosef was
seventeen. If it took Yaakov fourteen years to teach it, just as it had
taken him to learn it, we see that Yaakov began teaching Yosef at age
three!
(See Rema, Orach Chaim Yoreh Deah 245:8)
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Recommended Reading List
Ramban
37:2 The Evil Report
37:10 The Moon
38:24 Tamar's Punishment
Sforno
37:2 The Evil Report
37:3 Yosef's Coat
37:18 The Brothers' Concern
38:1 Yehuda's Punishment
39:19 Why Yosef was Imprisoned
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Answers to this Week ' s Questions
All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise
stated
1. 37:2 - (A) Yosef was the son of Rachel, Yaakov's primary wife. (B)
Yosef looked like Yaakov. (C) Ail that befell Yaakov befell Yosef.
2. 37:10- Because Yosef aroused the hatred of his brothers.
3. 37:10- The moon represented Rachel. Since she had already died, it
was impossible for that element of the dream to come true.
4. 37:22-He intended to return to the pit and pull Yosef out of it.
5. 37:25 - Tar and Kerosene (Itran and Nepht).
6. 37:28-A caravan of Midianites.
7. 37:29-He was attending to Yaakov.
8. 37:33- Yitzchak.
9. 37:34- Twenty-two years.
10. 37:35 - Yitzchak, who wept because of Yaakov's suffering.
11. 38:24 - Shem.
12. 38:25- She did not want to embarrass him in public.
13. 38:26 - In the merit of her modesty.
14. 38:30-To allude to his descendent, Achan, who sinned with his hand by
taking four things from the spoils of Jericho.
15. 39:1-To teach us that just as Tamar acted with pure motives, so did
Potiphar's wife.
16. 39:3 - Yosef mentioned Hashem's name frequently in his speech.
17. 40:1 - The butler was imprisoned because a fly was found in the king's
goblet, and the baker was imprisoned because a pebble was found in the
king's bread.
18. 40:4 - Twelve months.
19. 40:5 - The baker dreamed the interpretation of the butler's dream.
20. 40:23 - He remained in prison an additional two years.
Bonus ANSWER:
Yosef had two mothers: Rachel and Leah!
Originally, Leah conceived Yosef and Rachel conceived Dina. But Leah saw
with divine inspiration that if she were to bear Yaakov's seventh son,
Rachel would bear only one son, and thus be less than even the handmaids,
Biliah and Zilpah, who had two sons each. Therefore, Leah prayed, and
Hashem swapped her fetus with Rachel's. Thus, Leah was in fact one of
Yosef's mothers .
Meshech Chochma
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