Parashat Shelah: Scavenger Hunt
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Devash: Scavenger Hunt

Parashah Scavenger Hunt שְׁאֵלוֹת הַשָּׁבוּעַ

Welcome to Devash's Parashah Scavenger Hunt for Parashat Shelah!
  1. What fruits were just ripe when the מְרַגְּלִים (meraglim, spies) went to check out the land? Look for the answer in Aliyah #1 (Bemidbar 13:1-20)
  2. What were the names of the three famous giants? Look for the answer in Aliyah #2 (Bemidbar 13:21-14:7)
  3. Who had רוּחַ אַחֶרֶת (ru’ah aheret, a different spirit)? Look for the answer in Aliyah #3 (Bemidbar 14:8-25)
  4. Why do Benei Yisrael have to wander specifically for 40 years? Look for the answer in Aliyah #4 (Bemidbar 14:26-15:7)
  5. How much oil is brought with a sacrifice of בָּקָר (bakar, large cattle)? Look for the answer in Aliyah #5 (Bemidbar 15:8-16)
  6. What root appears in three words in a row in this aliyah? Look for the answer in Aliyah #6 (Bemidbar 15:17-26)
  7. Where are צִיצִת (tzitzit) placed on a garment? Look for the answer in Aliyah #7 (Bemidbar 15:27-41)
  8. Which former enemy returns to attack Benei Yisrael in this parashah?
  9. What two similar words appear at the very beginning and the very end of our parashah, tying it all together?
  10. The root ק.שׁ.שׁ appears in just one other story in the Torah. Can you find it? (Hint: Think back to slavery!)
Scroll down to see the answers!
Answers: 
  1. Grapes (13:20)
  2. Ahiman, Sheishai, and Talmai (13:21)
  3. Calev (14:24)
  4. The meraglim spent 40 days in the land, and Benei Yisrael are punished one year for each day (14:34)
  5. Half a הִין (hin, a measurement that’s approximately three quarts) (15:9)
  6. The shoresh ר.ו.ם in תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה כִּתְרוּמַת (tarimu terumah k’terumat, you shall set aside a gift as a gift like a gift of…) (15:20)
  7. On the corners (15:38)
  8. Amalek (14:43,45)
  9. וְיָתֻרוּ (ve-yaturu, let them scout; 13:2) and תָתוּרוּ (taturu, go astray; 15:39)—both words mean to check something out, but the second one suggests that maybe the mission to check out the land was problematic from the beginning
  10. It’s in Shemot chapter 5, which talks about how Pharaoh ordered the people לְקֹשֵׁשׁ קַשׁ לַתֶּבֶן (lekosheish kash lateven, to gather straw to make mortar). Now you can see one reason why it was so upsetting that the man in our parashah was a מְקֹשֵׁשׁ (mekosheish, gatherer)—what he did must have reminded the people of slavery!