Parashat Vayechi - Questions
1. Why did Ya'akov ask Yosef, and not one of the other brothers, to take care of his burial,?
2. Why did Ya'akov bury Rachel at Bethlehem and not in the cave of Machpelah?
3. Why was Ya'akov not able, at first, to bless Menashe and Ephraim?
4. Ya'akov blessed Ephraim before Menashe, as a result Ephraim preceded Menashe in which two places?
5. What are the "sword and bow" with which Ya'akov conquered Shechem?
6. To which two cases does Ya'akov refer in the phrase "Shimon and Levy are brothers"?
7. How was Ya'akov's wish not to be included in Korach's dispute fulfilled?
8. "Judah is a lion's whelp" who does Ya'akov hint to in the words "lion's whelp"?
9. Who does Ya'akov hint to in the words "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel"?
10. Why are the blessings that received by Ya'akov greater than those received by Avraham and Yitzhak?
11. "Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth the spoil" to whom does Ya'akov hint in these words?
12. Why did the Egyptians mourn the death of Ya'akov?
13. Why did Pharaoh allow Yosef to bury Ya'akov in Israel?

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Answers

1. Because Yosef's position gave him the power to make sure he will not be buried in Egypt.
2. So that she could ask for mercy when the people of Israel will be taken to Bavel by Nevuzaradan.
3. He saw Yerovam and Achav who will descend from Ephraim and Yehu and his sons who will decend from Menashe, and the Shchina separated from him.
4. The encampment in the desert and at the offering of the Nesi'im at the inauguration of the Mishkan.
5. Wisdom and prayer.
6. The conquering of Shchem and the selling of yosef.
7. Korach is said to be son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levy but not "son of Israel".
8. King David who was a whelp at first, when Shaul was king, and later became a lion when he became king himself.
9. Shimshon who will take revenge on the Philistines, and the whole of Israel will be as united under him.
10. Avraham was promised all the land that he can see and he was only shown the land of Israel, Yitzhak too was only promised he will receive "all these lands", Ya'akov however was given a blessing without boundaries, that he shall expand and grow in all directions.
11. Ya'akov hints to Mordechay and Esther who will decend from Binyamin and divide the spoils of Haman in the darkness of exile.
12. Because in his merit the hunger stopped and the Nile was overflowing with water.
13. Yosef vowed to Pharaoh that he will not reveal that he speaks one more language than him and Pharaoh was afraid that if he makes Yosef violate the oath he gave his father he will also violate the oath he gave him.
Shabbat Shalom!