Torah Teasers
Parshas Lech Lecha
1. To describe Yaakov’s departure from Be’er Sheva, the Torah uses the word VaYetzei. Rashi comments that a tzaddik’s departure makes an impact as he takes with him the beauty, glory, and luster of the place. When Avrohom left his father’s house it says, “Lech Licha”. Why did it not say, VaYeitzei? Ans…The Chassam Sofer answers that Yaakov left a city steeped in Torah and Yiras Shamayim that was reflected on all those that came far and wide to be under the influence of Avrohom and Yitzchok. These good people appreciated Yaakov, and therefore, his departure was a blow to the entire atmosphere of the city. However, when Avrohom left his city, it was almost entirely under the influence of Nimrod and his heretical beliefs. Avrohom was a pariah. Therefore, his leaving did not impact anyone in the city.
2. “VaYikach Avraham … ViEs Kol HaNefesh Asher Asu Bi Charan; Avraham took all the souls that he made in Charan to the Land of Canaan.” Rashi explans that Avraham converted the men, and Sarah converted the women. All these Geirim were brought to Eretz Yisrael. Pirkei Drabbi Elazar asks, “What happened to the descendents of these Geirim? Ans….He answers that when Avraham died, these Geirim went “off the derech” and back to their old ways. Pardas Yosef explains that this was because they did not respect Yitzchok as much as Avraham and, therefore, “cooled off” in their Yiddishkeit.
3. Kidorlaomer and his allies invaded Eretz Yisroel and quickly defeated the local kingdoms. Avrohom then took a few men and decided to fight the mighty forces. Rav Yechiel Michel Feinstein points out that Avrohom initially didn’t have a problem with the war since Kidorlaomer was from Shem. He only became involved when Lot was captured. Chazal tell us that the entire campaign planned and executed by the four kings was for one reason only, to capture Lot. Why was this so important to them? Ans … A that time, the world’s ideology was one of kefira. The only one to challenge this was Avrohom who started a movement to rally the people towards a single Hashem. These four Milachim, one of which was Avrohom’s old nemesis Nimrod, wanted to stem the success of Avrohom. Lot was a perfect vehicle for this. Lot had drifted away from Avrohom’s ideology and moved to the sin city of Sedom. We also know (Rashi 13:8) that Lot looked like Avrohom. The four kings wanted to kidnap Lot and have him admit that Avrohom’s ideology is flawed, and claim the kings were right. They would claim that Lot was Avrohom and put an end to his ideology. Although Avrohom didn’t get involved over the possibility of the four kings ruling over Eretz Yisroel, the Chilul Hashem that their stunt would have caused was worth him going to war over.
4. When Lot departed from Avraham and chose to live in the cities of the Kikar HaYarden, the pasuk says, “VaYisa Lot MiKedem; And Lot traveled from East to West.” If one looks at a map of Eretz Yisrael, one will notice that the Yarden is the eastern border of Eretz Yisrael. If so, how was Lot traveling to cities of Kikar HaYarden in a direction from east to west? He should have been traveling from West to East? Ans … The Taz answers that Lot was embarrassed to show Avraham that he wanted to live among the evil people of Sdom. He therefore tried to fool Avraham into thinking that he was headed in the opposite direction (westward). When Avraham was out of sight, he turned around and headed eastward towards the Kikar HaYarden!
5. When giving Avrohom the mitzva of Mila, Hashem said (Lech Licha 17:1), “Hishalech Lifanai Veyai Samim; Go before me and be Tamim (innocent and complete).” Why did Hashem ask Avrohom to summon his Mida of Temimus for the Mitzva of Mila? Ans … The Iturei Torah brings from the Avnei Nezer that Avrohom’s life mission was to bring people Tachas Kanfei HaShechina. That required showing them he was an ordinary person just like them and they could be like him too. He showed them that living a life with Hashem is the better way. But after undergoing circumcision, Avrohom would no longer be one of the boys, and he might very well lose his power of persuasion. Hashem reminds him that service of Hashem means first and foremost listening to Hashem’s command and not disobeying it because we feel it will help us serve Him better. “Leave the world to me,” says Hashem. “You just do what you are told, regardless of the expected outcome.”
6. “Vinivrichu Vicha Kol Mishpichos HoAdamah; And they will bless in you all the families of the earth.” Rashi tells us, that this means that a man will bless his son that he should be like Avraham. And the following proves this is so. “Bicha Yivarech Yisrael Laymor, Yisimcha Elokim KiEphraim UchMenashe – By you Yisrael shall bless, saying, may Hashem make you like Ephraim and Menashe.” The question arises, “If Hashem blessed Avraham and Ephraim and Menashe that Klal Yisrael will bless in them, why do we bless our children with the bracha that they should be like Ephraim and Menashe and not they they should be like Avraham? Wasn’t Avraham the first to have received this bracha?” Ans … The Meforshim answer that Ephraim and Menashe had a special quality that caused them to merit that future generations will bless in them. This quality was the fact that they remained Tzadikim, even through a difficult Galus. Ephraim and Menashe were born in Mitzrayim, among people who were of the most immoral to ever live. Still, they were able to overcome and remain Tzadikim in the Galus. We bless our children that they too should be like Ephraim and Menashe , to be able to be strong in the Galus and serve Hashem without being influenced from immoral conduct of the Goyim.

Late one night, Rav Chaim of Volozhin was giving over a shiur to his talmidim on the subject of bitachon. “Does anyone know what time it is?” asked Rav Chaim. None of the talmidim answered since none of them owned a watch, so Rav Chaim continued his shiur. Suddenly, Rav Chaim interrupted his shiur and said, “You should know that I feel as if we have not yet acquired true bitachon in our hearts. If we had the proper bitachon, Shamayim would have sent us a watch, even a gold watch.”
Just then, a knock was heard on the door, and a Russian soldier entered the room. The soldier looked hesitantly around the room, and then turned to Rav Chaim and said, “Rebbi, I’m a Jew, a lone Jew among many non-Jewish soldiers. I’m afraid that the soldiers will steal my valuable watch which I received as a present from my father.”
The soldier approached Rav Chaim, and handed him the watch. “I prefer to give my watch as a present to a Jewish Rav, rather than have it stolen by a non-Jew. (Ukarasa Leshabbos Oneg)

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Rav Yitzchak Weiss was a Holocaust survivor who passed away recently in Eretz Yisrael. When Rav Weiss was a young man living in Europe, World War II broke out and like all Jews, he quickly became aware of the dismal fate which awaited him at the hands of the Nazis. However, he was lucky enough to receive a visa which would enable him to escape to a safe country. As soon as possible, he hired a non-Jew with a wagon, who knew a safe route to the other side of the border.
The day arrived for his departure, and the clock was quickly ticking toward the hour that Rav Weiss would leave his house to meet the wagon driver. It was his last chance to escape his city which had become a valley of death, and to escape Europe, where rivers of blood of his fellow Jews had already been spilled. He was about to leave, when suddenly, a voice stopped him – it was the voice of his mother. At the last moment, it had finally dawned on Yitzchak’s mother what his departure meant – that she would remain alone. She began to weep, and speaking through her tears, she said, “Do you really intend to leave me alone at a time like this?”
Her question was enough to convince Yitzchak that he was not departing that day after all. He informed the non-Jew that he was not traveling with him, and he stayed in Europe. He suffered all of the travails of the Holocaust in the worst of the camps, Auschwitz, and all because of kibbud eim.
Throughout his life, Rav Weiss told his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren that despite all he endured during the Holocaust, he never once regretted fulfilling the great mitzvah of kibbud eim. (Barchi Nafshi)

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An important Rosh Yeshivah and tzaddik in Yerushalayim once traveled to the United States. On the airplane, he asked the people sitting around him if they would be willing to forego watching the movie in their section. The passengers in his section immediately agreed to his request, and one person approached the head steward to request that the movie not be shown in their section. However, the steward refused to fulfill their request, and instead began making all the preparations for beginning the movie. He switched on the proper equipment, and …nothing happened; the machine was not operating.
The steward turned white. Whenever any part of a plane’s equipment is not operating properly, even something as trivial as the movie equipment, there’s a suspicion that something is wrong with the functioning of the entire plane. In such a case, preparation is made for landing the plane as soon as possible.
The steward understood immediately that the problem was connected to the Rosh Yeshivah. He immediately approached the Rosh Yeshivah and apologized to him. He then told him that he agrees to his request for the movie not to be shown in his section. However, he wants to test whether the equipment is working, and then he will immediately shut it down and disconnect the Rosh Yeshivah’s section from the general equipment. The Rosh Yeshivah agreed, and the steward switched on the equipment again, and this time it began operating immediately. This caused a tremendous Kiddush Hashem. This story was told over by the gabbai of the Rosh Yeshivah, who accompanied him on this trip. (Shaal Avicha Veyegadcha)

Who Knows One
Q. In what situation will two people in the same place be obligated to make Kiddush on different nights? That is, the night the first one is obligated, the second one is not, and the night the second one is obligated, the first one is not. Answer: The two people are in the desert, both having forgotten what day of the week it is. Someone traveling in the desert who forgets what day it is counts seven days starting the day he realizes that he lost count. He sanctifies the seventh day by making Kiddush and Havdalah. So, if two separate travelers come to the same place in the desert, each having forgotten what day it is – but each having realized his mistake on a different day – they will be obligated to make Kiddush on different nights! (Aruch Hashulchan Orach Chaim 342)
Q. Who was the first person to study Chumash with Rashi ?
Answer: Rashi’s father!
Q. Which four people’s names from the Chumash also appear (as names) in Megillas Esther?
Answer: Kush (Bereishes 10:6, Esther 1:1) / Madai (Bereishes 10:2, Esther 1:3) / Yair (Bamidbar 32:41) (Esther 2:5) / Yehuda (Bereishes 29:35) (Esther 2:6)
Q. Women light two Shabbos candles every Friday afternoon before sunset. The Mishnah Berurah (263:7) says that if a woman forgets to light Shabbos candles, she has to light an extra Shabbos candle for the rest of her life. So, if she forgot to light candles the first week, she would have to light three candles the next week. If she forgot the next week as well, then she would need to light four candles the third week. If this continues over a period of 10 weeks, what is the total number of candles she will have used during this 10 week period?
Answer: NONE!
Know Your Gedolim…

Who Is This?

Talk the Talk — Walk the Walk
A man walked into a curio shop in the shuk in Yerushalayim. Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very life like, life-sized bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so striking he decided he must have it.
He took it to the owner: “How much for the bronze rat?”
“Twelve shekels for the rat, one hundred shekels for the story,” said the owner.
The man gave the man twelve shekels. “I’ll just take the rat, you can keep the story.”
As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, he noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and began following him down the street. This was so disconcerting that he began walking faster.
But within a couple blocks, the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.
He began to trot toward the Bay, looking around to see that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster. Concerned, even scared, he ran to the edge of the Bay, and threw the bronze rat as far out into the Bay as he could. Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after it, and were all drowned.
The man walked back to the curio shop. “Ah ha,” said the owner, “you have come back for the story?”
“No,” said the man, I came back to see if you have a bronze Ahmadinejad.”
The Geula — What to Expect
Eretz Yisroel – The Head Of The Table
Eretz Yisroel is a land that has been claimed and coveted by many nations and religions. It is the focal point of world history. Why has Hashem granted this holy land to the Jews and placed other nations elsewhere?
We can understand this with a Mashal. There once lived a man who was blessed with a son of fine character. The young man married, and in time, he too became a father. As he was preparing for his new son’s Seudas Bris Milah, he came to his father for advice. “How should I seat the guests?” he asked. “If I am forced to seat the rich guests in places of honor and leave the poor in positions at the end of the table, I will feel upset because I don’t want to embarrass the poor. Wouldn’t it be better if I placed the poor up front and place the rich at the far end of the table?”
“Your intentions are most noble, my son”, replied the father. “However, if you carry out your plan, none of your guests will be very happy. You see, the custom of placing the rich at the head and the poor at the end of the table is based on common sense. After all, the poor are hungry, and they care more for the food at the end of the table than the honor at the head. The rich, on the other hand, have their own delicious meal at home. When they come to a banquet, they are not seeking nourishment, but honor. This is why it is best to seat them at the head of the table, where they can receive the recognition they crave. So, my son, let the poor sit at the foot of the table, where they can eat undisturbed and out of the limelight. Let the rich sit at the head of the table, where they can receive honor.
The same differentiation can be made between Klal Yisroel and other nations. The Goyim, like the poor at the banquet, seek only to satisfy their bodily needs. They could accomplish this in any part of the world, not only in the holy land of Eretz Yisroel. Klal Yisroel does not place its emphasis on materialistic satisfaction. Klal Yisroel has always sought the higher spiritual aspects of life. They are to be honored by the other nations of the world. Therefore they have been placed in Eretz Yisroel where the eyes of the world are fixed upon them. In this way their good deeds can be observed by all!
The Secret Of Tiny Little Eretz Yisroel
The gemara (Beitza 16a) says that Hashem did not reveal the reward for keeping Shabbos to the rest of the nations. Rav Yehonoson Eibushitz (Yaaros Devash – Drush 10) explains why. He asks why it is that the other nations did not want the Torah. We know that “Deracheha Darkei Noam”, the ways of the torah are sweet. Each of the other nations had their own laws, and many of them contained inhumane human sacrifice and other cruel rituals. Why did they reject the Torah?

He answers that one of the conditions of keeping the whole torah is living in Eretz Yisroel. There are many mitzvos that are only done in Eretz Yisroel. We also see that the Avos only kept the Torah in Eretz Yisroel. The nations of the world took one look at the tiny size of Eretz Yisroel and felt claustrophobic. There was no way they were willing to make due with a mere speck on the map. The notion of limiting their growth and their wealth to the size of Eretz Yisroel coupled with the potential for overcrowding, disgusted them.

However Chazal tell us (Shabbos 118a) that whoever keeps Shabbos will receive a land without any boundaries. What does that mean? The gemara in Kesubos (112a) says that Eretz Yisroel is called Eretz HaTzvi, the land of the deer. A deer’s skin once removed cannot fit back on the deer again. The reason is because the deer’s hide stretches to fit the deer, regardless of the hide’s small size. Similarly, Eretz Yisroel’s small natural area, can fit as many people as need be. The miracle of Eretz Yisroel is that it may be small, but it can comfortably hold an unlimited amount of people. Had the other nations known the true capacity of Eretz Yisroel, when offered, they would have grabbed the Torah in a heartbeat. That is why Hashem did not reveal to them the potential that is unlocked through Shmiras Shabbos.

Eretz Yisroel’s Border Patrol And The Leaders Of The Free World
In Parshas Lech Licha, Hashem tells Avrohom that he will give his children Eretz Yisroel, “LaAchuzas Olam” (17:8). Rashi says that Hashem will be our Hashem in Eretz Yisroel. The Sifsei Chachomim brings the Maharal in Gur Aryeh, that says that each nation has a Sar, a minister in heaven that oversees the needs of that country. Eretz Yisroel has no Sar. Hashem’s directly oversees all that goes on within its borders. A person who crosses the border out of Eretz Yisroel is leaving the direct control of Hashem and subjecting himself to a Sar.
Of course a Sar has no power other than is allocated to him by Hashem. The ministers all line up at the border of Eretz Yisroel and wait for the spillover of Shefa Bracha that Hashem sends down to the world through Eretz Yisroel. They then take it back to their nation. A country’s prosperity depends on the power of its Sar in Shamayim. When Hashem wants to topple a nation, he topples its Sar in Shamayim. The earthly leader of the nation is in the same mold as their Sar above. (The Minchas Eluzer of Munktach, in the 1930’s, said of Czechslovakia that they are not a legitimate nation, since he knows they have no Sar in Shamayim. This angered the government to no end.)
As you can imagine, the Yedin of each nation are not first on the distribution list when the Sar divides up its allocation. We must wait our turn to get the leftovers from what the Sar has obtained. So while in Eretz Yisroel the Yedin get their bracha directly from Hashem. In Chutz LaAretz, we must subsist on leftovers of the leftovers. Im Kol Zeh Achakeh Lo B’Chol Yom SheYavo!

This week’s Torah is B’Zchus: the Kollel avreichim who “lech lecha m’artzecha” to be mechazik this great community.
Distributed by the Chevre Marbitz Torah D’NMB

Created By Rov Allen Sherman
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