Perasha Quiz
by Rabbi Dr. Ronnie Hasson
1) Q. On which date was the Mishkan established?
A. On the 1st of Nissan.
2) Q. When did Aharon bless the Jewish People with the Birkat Kohanim (the Beracha the Kohanim recite in the Hazara of Shaharit and Musaf and sometimes Minha)?
A. When he finished offering the Korbanot, before descending from the Altar. There is an opinion in the Jerusalem Talmud that although it is permissible to translate often every portion of the Torah, we do translate the birkat kohanim because it is a blessing that signifies that we do not merit God’s good graces yet he gives it to us regardless. In that sense it is derogatory to the people, and better left in Hebrew, a language that most do not understand.
3) Q. Why did Nadav and Avihu (2 of Aharon's sons) die?
A. Our Sages present us with various explanations as to what sin Nadav and Avihu committed, for which they incurred the punishment of being consumed by the heavenly fire. These include: (1) They entered the Mishkan either drunk, or without properly cutting their hair, or without the proper priestly garments; (2) They did not defer the honor of bringing this fire to their father Aharon; (3) They did not consult with Moshe, or with one another, prior to bringing the fire; (4) They did not marry; (5) They remarked, "When will these two old men [Moshe and Aharon] die, so that we can lead the generation?" (6) They did everything properly except that they brought a sacrifice that God did not request. This last explanation is the one that is most accurate in the reading of the text.
4) Q. How many non-kosher animals display only one out of two signs of Kashrut? What are they?
A. Four: Camel, Shafan, Arnevet (hare), and pig. Some people believe that these are the only 4 animals in the world that meet these criteria and that this shows the wisdom through which the Torah was written. However, other animals were found to have only one sign that are not listed in the Torah (the aardvark and the rhinoceros are 2 examples). The more accurate explanation is therefore that the Torah is only giving some examples but not all examples. It was suggested that these examples were chosen, since these animals were commonly eaten by the Israelites’ Middle Eastern neighbors.
5) Q. During the inauguration of the Mishkan, Aharon was commanded to bring an Egel - calf - for himself and a second Egel for the Jewish People. Both of these were offered to atone for the sin of the golden calf. Why did Aharon bring an Egel as a Chatat - sin offering - for himself, while for the Jewish People he offered an Egel as an Olah - burnt offering?
A. The Gur Aryeh explains that Aharon's transgression was one of action since he performed an action that resulted in the creation of the golden calf. The atonement for a sin done unintentionally through an action is a Chatat. The Jewish People's sin, on the other hand, was one of thought, in that their hearts were drawn after the Egel. The atonement for a sin committed by thought is an Olah.
6) Q. What miracle happened in translating this week's Perasha?
A. Tradition has it that when King Ptolmy of Egypt placed seventy-two elders into separate houses to translate the Torah into Greek, they each miraculously made certain changes in the translation. One of the changes all seventy-two made was in this Perasha. The Perasha (Vayikra 11:6) lists the Arnevet (hare) among the non-Kosher animals. The elders called it "the short-legged animal", because King Ptolmy's wife was named Arnevet. (Tractate Megilla 9)
7) Q. Why are we commanded to eat kosher?
A. There are many explanations given for the laws of Kashrut including: Maimonides is of the opinion that these laws are for health reasons. Non-kosher food is unhealthy and Hashem want us to stay healthy. Others disagree and explain that by observing these laws, the Jew can pull himself up the ladder of holiness. If he doesn't, he contaminates himself more and more. Although we see today that many non-kosher animals are extremely unhealthy (i.e. pork, clams, etc.), the Sefer Hachinuch (a book that explains the reasons for all the laws in the Torah) explains that harm caused by these foods is not physical, rather spiritual in that they impede the heart from attaining the higher values of the soul. According to the theory that the laws of Kashrut were given for our spiritual benefit the Gemara asks why these laws were only commanded to the Jews. Rabbi Tanchuma brings a parable of a doctor who visited two patients. The first patient he instructed to be on a very strict diet. The second he allowed to eat whatever he wanted. The doctor explained that he saw hope for the first patient so he placed him on the restrictive diet that would be beneficial to him. The second patient would not necessarily benefit from the special diet, so he let him do whatever he wanted. The same was with Bene Yisrael. Because the Jewish people have the capability of spiritual life by learning God’s ways and getting closer to God, Hashem "prescribed" foods that would be conducive to their spiritual growth. Any person can attain this closeness to God but they would first need to convert and accept all God’s laws.
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