Parashat Vayetze - Questions
1. Why does the torah mention Ya'akov leaving Be'er Sheva and not simply tell us he headed for Haran?
2. What do we learn from the statement "וישכב במקום ההוא" "and he lay down in that place to sleep"?
3. Why did all the shepherds have to convene before they could give water to their sheep?
4. Why were Leah's eyes weak?
5. What do we learn from the statement "ויהי בבוקר והנה היא לאה" " And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah"?
6. "And Rachel envied her sister" what did she envy?
7. What was Rachel's punishment for giving Ya'akov away for the mandrakes?
8. Why did the birth of Yosef make Ya'akov want to return to Eretz Israel?
9. What is the blessing that came to Lavan because of Ya'akov?
10. Why did Rachel and Leah say that they were considered strangers to their father?
11. Why did Rachel steal Lavan's idols?
12. What do we learn from G-d telling Lavan not to speak to Ya'akov either good or bad?
13. "And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee" who will be the witness?
14. Who were the angels who met Ya'akov at Machanayim?

Answers

1. To teach us that when a Tzadik is in the city he represents all that is good in the city, and when he leaves it is as if all the good in the city leaves with him.
2. We learn that in that place he lay down to sleep, however in the 14 years that he was at Ever's house he did not lay to sleep at night because he was learning Torah.
3. They had to wait for all the shepherds to help them remove the big rock that covered the well.
4. Because she thought she would marry Eisav as everyone said "Rivkah has two sons and Lavan has two daughters, the older to the older and the younger to the younger".
5. We learn that at night she was allegedly not Leah because Ya'akov gave Rachel signs to make sure that she won't be switched, however, when she saw that Leah was going to be embarrassed she gave her the signs.
6. Rachel envied Leah's good deeds and thought "she would not have received the blessing of children if it had not been for the fact that she was more righteous than I".
7. Her punishment was not to be buried with him.
8. Yosef is the adversary of Eisav and the one destined to destroy him and once he was born Ya'akov was ready to face Eisav again.
9. Before Ya'akov came Lavan did not have any sons as we see that he sent hi sheep with Rachel, his daughter, and now he had sons.
10. Usually when a man marries off his daughter he gives her away with a dowry however Lavan sold them for Ya'akov's labor.
11. She wanted to turn him away from idolatry.
12. We learn that even the good of the evil is bad to the righteous.
13. G-d will be the witness.
14. They were the angels of Eretz Israel coming towards him to accompany him to Eretz Israel.
Shabbat Shalom!