- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Va'era
Parashat Va'era - Questions
Parsha and Rashi Q & A for the Shabbos Table.
1. What did G-d mean in the phrase "and by my name Y-H-W-H I did not reveal myself to them"?
2. What was G-d response for Moshe's claim that he cannot speak because he is "of uncircumcised lips"?
3. Why does the Torah mention the age at which Levi died?
4. What do we learn from the Torah mentioning that Elisheva, Aharon's wife, was sister of Nachson?
5. Why did G-d harden Pharaoh's heart?
6. Why did Pharaoh go to the Nile?
7. Why was the first plague directed at the Nile?
8. Why was Aharon the one to perform the act of turning the Nile to blood and not Moshe?
9. Why did the frogs come first to Pharaoh's house and only then to his slaves' houses?
10. Why was Aharon the one to perform the act of turning the sand to Lice and not Moshe?
11. Why did the animals of the Arov run away and not simply die like the frogs?
12. What were the two miracles involved in the throwing of the shoot of the furnace that brought on the boils?
13. How come there were still animals left after the murrain to be hurt by the boils?
14. What was the big miracle in the hail?
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Answers
1. That he had not fulfilled his promises to them.
2. He had Aharon join Moshe and speak on his behalf.
3. The enslavement of Israel did not start until all of that generation died and Levi lived the longest of them all. From his age at death we can calculate the duration of the enslavement.
4. We learn that when one marries a woman he should check that her brothers are good people.
5. Pharaoh went out in public against G-d and since G-d knew that he will not repent, he used him to show his might in order to put the fear of G-d in the hearts of all.
6. He claimed that he was a god and needs not evacuate himself so he would sneak out to the Nile at dawn for that purpose.
7. In Egypt there was no rain and the Nile would supply all the water they needed therefore the Egyptians worshiped the Nile. G-d, therefore, struck the god first and the people later.
8. Since the Nile protected Moshe when he was an infant.
9. Pharaoh was the one who started harming the Jews when he told his people to kill all the newborns therefore he was the first to get punished.
10. Since the sand protected Moshe when he killed the Egyptian man.
11. So that the Egyptians would not have the benefit of their skins.
12. That Moshe's fingers held two handfuls of ashes and that the ash spread all across Egypt.
13. The murrain only affected those who were in the fields.
14. That fire and water made peace between themselves and came down together to serve the will of G-d.
Shabbat Shalom!
2. What was G-d response for Moshe's claim that he cannot speak because he is "of uncircumcised lips"?
3. Why does the Torah mention the age at which Levi died?
4. What do we learn from the Torah mentioning that Elisheva, Aharon's wife, was sister of Nachson?
5. Why did G-d harden Pharaoh's heart?
6. Why did Pharaoh go to the Nile?
7. Why was the first plague directed at the Nile?
8. Why was Aharon the one to perform the act of turning the Nile to blood and not Moshe?
9. Why did the frogs come first to Pharaoh's house and only then to his slaves' houses?
10. Why was Aharon the one to perform the act of turning the sand to Lice and not Moshe?
11. Why did the animals of the Arov run away and not simply die like the frogs?
12. What were the two miracles involved in the throwing of the shoot of the furnace that brought on the boils?
13. How come there were still animals left after the murrain to be hurt by the boils?
14. What was the big miracle in the hail?
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Answers
1. That he had not fulfilled his promises to them.
2. He had Aharon join Moshe and speak on his behalf.
3. The enslavement of Israel did not start until all of that generation died and Levi lived the longest of them all. From his age at death we can calculate the duration of the enslavement.
4. We learn that when one marries a woman he should check that her brothers are good people.
5. Pharaoh went out in public against G-d and since G-d knew that he will not repent, he used him to show his might in order to put the fear of G-d in the hearts of all.
6. He claimed that he was a god and needs not evacuate himself so he would sneak out to the Nile at dawn for that purpose.
7. In Egypt there was no rain and the Nile would supply all the water they needed therefore the Egyptians worshiped the Nile. G-d, therefore, struck the god first and the people later.
8. Since the Nile protected Moshe when he was an infant.
9. Pharaoh was the one who started harming the Jews when he told his people to kill all the newborns therefore he was the first to get punished.
10. Since the sand protected Moshe when he killed the Egyptian man.
11. So that the Egyptians would not have the benefit of their skins.
12. That Moshe's fingers held two handfuls of ashes and that the ash spread all across Egypt.
13. The murrain only affected those who were in the fields.
14. That fire and water made peace between themselves and came down together to serve the will of G-d.
Shabbat Shalom!

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