BS”D
Parashas Chukas Trivia 5778
R' Yehudah bar R' Chiya taught: G-d is not like a human doctor. When a human doctor prescribes a medicine, it will help one part of the patient's body, yet it may be harmful to another part. But G-d gave the Torah, which is a medicine that gives life to the whole body -- as it says, "And they heal his whole body." (Eruvin 54a)
FOR THE TEACHINGS OF THE TORAH ARE LIFE FOR SOMEONE WHO FINDS THEM, AND THEY HEAL HIS WHOLE BODY. (Avos 6:7)
This week’s Parasha Trivia is dedicated to the refuah of all Cholei Yisrael and in the merit of Devorah Brown, עמו"שׁ, who inspires us with her Torah Game on Facebook.
1. Where was the Parah Adumah slaughtered in the midbar and in the times of the Bais HaMikdash?
2. Which avodah of the Parah Adumah was permissible to be performed by one who was not a Kohen?
3. Why was the mitzvah of Parah Adumah assigned to Elazar ben Aharon instead of Aharon haKohen?
4. Which tzadikim’s death and death decrees are mentioned in this parsha?
5. Why is Miriam’s death taught after the laws of the Parah Adumah?
6. Which 3 mountains are not leveled by the Clouds of Glory?
7. Loshon hora was spoken against something in this parasha. What happened as a result?
8. Because Moshe reproved Bney Yisrael by saying, “Listen now, you fools, “ he incurred death. What lesson do we learn from this about the expected behavior of a leader of the Jewish nation? Name two prophets who reproved the Jewish nation and were punished for it. (Requires some research in Nach.)
9. What miraculous event took place at the streams of Arnon?
10. Why was Moshe afraid of Og?
IY”H, answers will be provided Motzaei Shabbos! Thank you for your participation on FB’s Virtual Beis Midrash for Women
1. Where was the Parah Adumah slaughtered in the midbar and in the times of the Bais HaMikdash?
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Answer: In the midbar, the Parah Adumah was slaughtered outside of the three camps. In the times of the Bais HaMikdash, it was slaughtered on Har Ha'zeisim, which was outside the walls of the city. See Rashi on verse 19:3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the kohen, and he shall take it outside the camp and slaughter it in his presence. outside the camp: Outside all three camps. — [Yoma 68a] See Rashi on verse 19:4 Eleazar the kohen shall take from its blood with his finger and sprinkle it toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. toward the front of the Tent of Meeting: [In later generations, when this rite will be performed outside the Temple in Jerusalem,] he is to stand to the east of Jerusalem and to direct his gaze toward the entrance to the Temple while sprinkling the blood. — [Sifrei Chukath 14] See Mishna Middos 1:3 Mount of Olives, called Har HaMishkah (Mount of Anointing) since this mountain is considered “outside Yerushalayim.” See Rashi on verse 12:9 and place them outside the camp: He divided it into three parts; one was put on the Mount of Olives, one was divided among all the watches, and one who put on the rampart surrounding the Temple area. The one given to the watches was outside the courtyard, allowing access to it for the inhabitants of outlying cities, whoever needed to purify himself. The one on the Mount of Olives was for the kohanim gedolim to sanctify themselves from it for use with other [red] cows. The one put on the rampart was kept as a keepsake by Scriptural ruling, as it says,"It shall be as a keepsake for the congregation of Israel. — [Sifrei Chukath 30, Parah 3:11 Tosefta Parah 3:8] |
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2. Which avodah of the Parah Adumah was permissible to be performed by one who was not a Kohen? Answer: Slaughtering See Rashi on verse 19:3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the kohen, and he shall take it outside the camp and slaughter it in his presence. and slaughter it in his presence: A non- kohen slaughters it while Eleazar watches. — [Yoma 42a] 3. Why was the mitzvah of Parah Adumah assigned to Elazar ben Aharon instead of Aharon haKohen? Answer: Because Aharon was involved in the chet haEgel (sin of the Golden Calf). See Rashi on verse 19:22 to Eleazar the kohen: just as they assembled against Aharon, who was a kohen, to make the calf, but because Aharon made the calf, this service was not performed through him, for the prosecution cannot serve as the defense. — [Midrash Aggadah] [5] 4. Which tzadikim’s death and death decrees are mentioned in this parsha? Answer: Miriam (verse 20:1) and Aharon haKohen (verse 20:24) passed away and Moshe’s death decree is hinted in verse 20:13 according to Rashi. Rashi on verse 20:13 and He was sanctified through them: For Moses and Aaron died because of them. When God judges His holy ones, He is feared and sanctified by mankind. Similarly, it says, “You are awesome, O God, because of Your holy ones” (Ps. 68:36). And likewise it says, “I am sanctified by those close to Me” (Lev. 10:3) - [Zev. 115b] |
5. Why is Miriam’s death taught after the laws of the Parah Adumah?
Answer: To teach that just as korbanos bring atonement, so does the death of the righteous atones.
See Rashi on verse 20:1 Miriam died there: Why is the passage relating Miriam’s death juxtaposed with the passage of the Red Cow? To teach you that just as sacrifices bring atonement, so the death of the righteous secure atonement. — [M.K. 28a].
6. Which 3 mountains are not leveled by the Clouds of Glory?
Answer: Har Sinai, Hor haHar and Har Nevo
See Rashi on verse 20:22 Mount Hor: A mountain atop a mountain, [appearing like] a small apple atop of big apple. Although the cloud went in front of them and leveled out mountains, three of them remained: Mount Sinai for [the giving of] the Torah, Mount Nebo for the burial of Moses, and Mount Hor, for the burial of Aaron. — [Midrash Tanchuma Chukath 14, Num. Rabbah 19:16]
7. Loshon hora was spoken against something in this parasha. What happened as a result?
Answer: Bney Yisrael spoke loshon hora against the mann and consequently, Hashem sent deadly snakes to attack them.
See Rashi on verse 21:5 with this rotten bread: Since the manna was absorbed into their limbs [and not excreted from their bowels], they called it rotten (Mizrachi , or cursed , according to Gur Aryeh.) They said,“This manna will eventually swell up in our stomachs.” Is there any mortal who ingests but does not excrete?- [Yoma 75b, see Rashi there]
See Rashi on verse 21:6 and they bit the people: Let the snake, which was smitten for speaking evil [to Chava] come and punish those who spread slander [about the manna]. Let the snake, for which all types of food taste the same, come and punish those ingrates, for whom one thing [the manna] changes into various tastes. — [Midrash Tanchuma Chukkath 19, Num. Rabbah 19:22]
8. Because Moshe reproved Bney Yisrael by saying, “Listen now, you fools, “ he incurred death. What lesson do we learn from this about the expected behavior of a leader of the Jewish nation? Name two prophets who accused the Jewish nation and were punished for it. (Requires some research in Nach.)
Answer: K’lal Yisrael’s leaders are in a precarious position, because if they denounce the Jewish people in any way, they are punished.
Because Yeshayahu haNavi complained, “I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips” (Yeshayahu 6:5), he was not saved from execution at the hands of King Menashe. (Pesikta Rabbasi 1)
When Eliyahu haNavi was zealous for Hashem and denounced the Jewish people, saying, “They have forsaken Your covenant, “ the Almighty responded, “Go, anoint Elisha ben Shafat as a prophet in your stead. Rather than accusing My sons, travel to the city of Damascus and accuse it.” There were 365 idolatrous temples in Damascus, and its inhabitants worshiped a different deity every day, except for one day a year which they consecrated to all the deities. (Yalkut Shimoni)
R. Abbahu and Resh Lakish were traveling to the city of Caeseria, and R. Abbahu commented to this colleague, “Rather than visiting that neighborhood, whose Jews blaspheme the Almighty, we ought to flee from there.” Resh Lakish picked up sand from the ground, stuffed his mouth, and replied, “Hashem does not want a Jew to accuse Klal Yisrael.” (Yalkut Shimoni)
9. What miraculous event took place at the streams of Arnon?
Answer: The Emorim hid in caves in the mountain on the Moavi side of the valley in order to ambush the Jews. When the Jews approached, the mountain on the Eretz Canaan side of the valley moved close to the other mountain and the Emorim were crushed. Their blood colored the river Arnon red. Meanwhile, Bney Yisrael traveled on, oblivious to the death trap from which they had been miraculously saved.
See Rashi on verse 21:14 and the streams of Arnon: Just as we recount the miracles of the Red Sea, so should we recount the miracles that happened at the streams of Arnon, for here too, many great miracles were performed. What were those miracles?…- [Midrash Tanchuma Chukkath 20, Bamidbar Rabbah 19:25]
See Rashi on verse 21:15 The spilling of the streams: The Aramaic translation of שֶׁפֶךְ,“spilling,” is אֶשֶׁד -the spilling of the streams, for [there] the blood of the Amorites who were hidden there was spilled. The mountains were high and the gorge deep and narrow, and the mountains were so close to each other, that a man standing on the mountain on one side [of the gorge] could speak to his fellow standing on the mountain on the other side. A road passed along [the floor of] the gorge. The Emorim said, “When the Bney Yisrael enter the land by passing through the gorge, we will come out of the caves in the mountains above them and kill them with arrows and stones shot from catapults.” There were clefts in the rock on the Moavi side [of the canyon], and directly opposite those clefts, on the mountain on the Emori side, there were protrusions, [appearing] like horns and breasts. When Bney Yisrael prepared to pass through, the mountain of the Land of Israel trembled, like a maidservant going out to greet her mistress, and moved toward the mountain of Moav. Then those breastlike protrusions entered the clefts, killing them [the Emorim ]. This is the meaning of, “that turned to settle at Ar.” The mountain swung from its place and moved toward the side of the Moavi border, and attached itself to it. Thus, “[it] leaned on the border of Moav.” - [Midrash Tanchuma Chukkas 20, Bamidbar Rabbah 19:25]
10. Why was Moshe afraid of Og?
Answer: Og had once been of service to Avraham. Moshe was afraid that this merit would assist Og in battle.
See Rashi on verse 21:34 Do not fear him: Moshe was afraid to fight [against him] lest the merit of Avraham advocate for him, as it says, “The refugee came” (Gen. 14:13) -this was Og who had escaped from the Rephaim, who were smitten by Chedorlaomer and his allies at Ashteros Karnaim, as it says, “only Og, the king of Bashan, was left of the remnant of the Rephaim” (Deut. 3:11). - [Midrash Tanchuma Chukkath 24, Bamidbar Rabbah 19:32]