Parsha Q&A - Va'eschanan

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Parsha Q&A

Parshas Va'eschanan

For the week ending 11 Av 5756; 26 & 27 July 1996

Contents:
  • Parsha Questions
  • Bonus Question
  • I Did Not Know That!
  • Recommended Reading List
  • Answers to Parsha Questions
  • Answer to Bonus Question
  • Back issues of Parsha Q&A
  • Subscription Information
  • Ohr Somayach Home Page

    This publication is also available in the following formats: [Text] [Word] [PDF] Explanation of these symbols


  • Parsha Questions

    1. "And I prayed to Hashem at that time..." Why 'at that time?'
    2. What is Ha'Levanon?
    3. Part of Moshe's request was granted. Which part?
    4. What did Hashem tell Yehoshua after the battle of Ai?
    5. When do the nations view the Jews as a wise people?
    6. How did the decree that Moshe not enter the Land affect him even in death?
    7. What is hinted by the word V'noshantem?
    8. "You'll serve man-made gods..." Is this literal?
    9. Why is East called Mizrach?
    10. How often is Mitzraim mentioned in the 10 commandments?
    11. 'Keep the Shabbos day as I have commanded you.' When did Hashem command us to keep Shabbos.
    12. What is meant by 'Hashem, our G-d, Hashem is One?'
    13. What are two meanings of loving Hashem 'with all your might?'
    14. How well-versed must one be in Torah?
    15. 'And teach them to your children...' Your children refers to whom?
    16. Where does the word Totafos come from?
    17. Who is fit to swear in Hashem's name?
    18. What does it mean that the Jews are the 'smallest nation.'
    19. When someone serves Hashem with love, how many generations receive reward?
    20. Why are evil-doers rewarded in this world?

    Bonus Question
    Answer
    Contents
    Moshe thought perhaps the vow against his entering the Land had been annulled (see question#1 and answer). If so, why did he need to pray to enter the Land?

    I Did Not Know That!

    "And you will be careful to do (the mitzvot) ... a land flowing with milk and honey." (6:3)
    If we carefully observe the mitzvos, then it is a land flowing with milk and honey. If not, it is transformed into a barren wasteland.
    Moznaim LaTorah


    Recommended Reading List

    Ramban
    4:2
    Adding or Subtracting
    4:9
    Mt. Sinai
    4:27
    Dispersion
    6:5
    Love and Fear
    6:18
    Spirit of the Law
    6:20
    Significance of the Mitzvos
    7:6
    Hashem's People

    Sforno
    4:3
    Baal-Peor
    4:9
    Philosophy
    4:39
    Aleinu
    6:4
    Shema Yisrael

    Sefer Hachinuch
    416
    Coveting Property
    418
    Loving Hashem
    419
    Learning Torah
    420
    Reading the Shema
    421
    Tefillin of the Hand
    422
    Tefillin of the Head
    423
    Mezuza
    427
    Intermarriage

    Answers to this Week's Questions

    Questions | Contents

    All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated

    1. 3:23 - Defeating Sichon and Og, whose lands were part of Eretz Canaan, Moshe thought perhaps Hashem had annulled the vow against his entering the Land.
    2. 3:25 - Ha'Levanon means the Beis Hamikdash, which 'whitens' (lavan), i.e., atones for, the Jewish People.
    3. 3:27 - Moshe was allowed to see the Land.
    4. 3:28 - Joshua must lead the army into battle.
    5. 4:6 - When we study Torah and do mitzvos.
    6. 4:22 - Even his bones weren't buried in the Land.
    7. 4:25 - The gematria of V'noshantem, 852, hints at the number of years until the first exile.
    8. 4:28 - No. It means you'll serve others who serve idols.
    9. 4:41 - It's the direction from which the sun shines (Mizrach means shining).
    10. 5:6, 5:15 - Twice.
    11. 5:13 - Before Matan Torah, at Marah. (Shmos 15:25)
    12. 6:4 - Hashem, who is now our G-d, but not [accepted as] G-d of the other nations, will eventually be [accepted as] the one and only G-d.
    13. 6:5 - 1) With everything you own 2) Whether Hashem treats you with kindness or harshness.
    14. 6:7 - If asked a Torah question, one should be able to reply quickly and clearly.
    15. 6:7 - Your students
    16. 6:8 - Tot means two in Caspi. Fos means two in Afriki. Together they allude to the four sections of tefillin.
    17. 6:13 - One who serves Hashem and reveres His name.
    18. 7:7 - The B'nei Yisrael are the humblest nation.
    19. 7:9 - 2,000
    20. 7:10 - So that they get no reward in the next world.

    Bonus Question
    Question
    Contents
    There were two separate aspects: (1) Hashem's Decree that he not enter, and (2) Hashem's Vow that he not enter. Only after Moshe thought the Vow had been annulled was he able to pray for the rescinding of the Decree.
    In the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Ze'ev Solevetchik

    Written and Compiled by Rabbi Eliyahu Kane
    General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
    Production Design: Lev Seltzer
    HTML Design: Michael Treblow
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