Parashat Shoftim: Scavenger Hunt
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Devash: Scavenger Hunt

Parashah Scavenger Hunt שְׁאֵלוֹת הַשָּׁבוּעַ

Welcome to Devash's Parashah Scavenger Hunt for Parashat Shoftim!
  1. What does our parashah say that God hates? Look for the answer in Aliyah #1 (Devarim 16:18-17:13)
  2. Why shouldn’t a king have a lot of horses? Look for the answer in Aliyah #2 (Devarim 17:14-20)
  3. Which three parts of an animal does the כֹּהֵן (kohen, priest) get when someone slaughters meat to eat? Look for the answer in Aliyah #3 (Devarim 18:1-5)
  4. In this aliyah, what are the problematic practices of the people living in Eretz Canaan? Look for the answer in Aliyah #4 (Devarim 18:6-13)
  5. Our parashah gives a specific example of how a person might kill someone else accidentally, with a tool. What is it? Look for the answer in Aliyah #5 (Devarim 18:14-19:13)
  6. What four groups of people are allowed to go home when the people go to war? Look for the answer in Aliyah #6 (Devarim 19:14-20:9)
  7. When an army is attacking a city, what are they not allowed to cut down? Look for the answer in Aliyah #7 (Devarim 20:10-21:9)
  8. What are all the leadership positions mentioned in our parashah?
  9. What word appears in identical form twice in a row in our parashah?
  10. What two numbers of witnesses does the Torah explicitly approve of?
Scroll down to see the answers!
Answers: 
  1. Putting up a מַצֵּבָה (matzeivah, stone monument) for idolatry (16:22)
  2. Because they might lead him to bring the people back to Egypt (17:16)
  3. Shank, cheeks, stomach (18:3)
  4. Different kinds of magic and sorcery (18:10-11)
  5. Someone might be chopping wood in a forest and the blade might fly off the handle of the ax—וְנָשַׁל הַבַּרְזֶל מִן־הָעֵץ (though this could also mean that the ax might cause a wood chip to fly out of the tree!) (19:5)
  6. 1) Someone who has built a house but not yet dedicated it; 2) Someone who has planted a vineyard but not yet tasted of it; 3) Someone who is engaged but not yet married; 4) Someone who is afraid (20:5-8)
  7. Trees with edible fruit (20:19-20)
  8. שֹׁפְטִים (shoftim, judges) (16:18, 17:9, 17:12, 19:17-18, 21:2); שֹׁטְרִים (shotrim, officers) (16:18, 20:5-9); כֹּהֲנִים (kohanim, priests) (17:9, 17:12, 17:18, 18:1, 18:3, 19:17, 20:2, 21:5); מֶלֶךְ (melekh, king) (17:14); לְוִיִּם (Levi’im, members of the tribe of Levi) (18:1, 18:6-7); נָבִיא (navi, prophet) (18:15-22); זִקְנֵי הָעִיר (ziknei ha-ir, the elders of the city) (19:12, 21:2-4, 21:6)
  9. צֶדֶק צֶדֶק (tzedek tzedek, justice justice) (16:20)
  10. Two and three (17:6, 19:15)