1. How do you know that borei pri haadama is an acceptable bracha on tree fruit?
2. Where do we find in the parsha a Haggada that is the matrix for our Haggada shel Pesach.
3. Our parsha begins with two recitations involving agricultural mattanos. The first is called Mikra Bikkurim and the second Chazal call Viduy Maaser. The Gemara in Sotah says that one should be declaimed, loud and clear, and the other recited in a soft voice. Which and why.
4. The Mishna in Sotah lists those recitations that can be in any language and those that must be in Hebrew. (For example: Krias Shema, any language. Birkas Kohahim- only in Lashon HaKodesh, to the extent that some poskim say that a person who speaks Ashkenazi should try to hear duchening from Ashkenazim.) In our Parsha, we find the three such recitals: Mikra Bikurim, Viduy Maaser, and the national oration at Har Grizim and Har Eival. Chazal say that two of these must be said in Lashon HaKodesh, and one can be said in any language. This halacha is based purely on drashos. פשוטו של מקרא, the simple reading, does not show anything. Can you suggest a סברא that would explain why two of these are different than the third? Bikkurim, Maaser, and Grizim v’Eival.
5. The UAE, the United Arab Emirates, is so named for the seven emirates that formed a federation. An Emirate is synonymous with a Sheikdom, and refers to an area ruled by a Sheik, or an Emir. Where do we find this term used in our Parsha.
7. The Gemara in Megilla says that a person who wears Kosher Tefillin with the right Kavana will cause fear in his enemies who see him.
תניא רבי אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפלין שבראש (מגילה טז:)
(This is only true where the person does the mitzva perfectly without exception, and that the tefillin and his head form one indivisible unit, such as was the case with the Vilner Gaon.) Where do we see this idea in the parsha?
8. Is a person allowed to marry a centaur or a mermaid.
9. Just as humility is closely related to empathy, so too arrogance goes hand in hand with cruelty. Where do we see the connection of arrogance with cruelty in this parsha.
10. An object mentioned four times in our parsha and nowhere else in Tanach. According to some, it is the same Gematria as the number of masechtos in Shas.
1. How do you know that borei pri haadama is an acceptable bracha on tree fruit?
Because Bikkurim were brought from the Shivas Haminim, most of which are tree fruit, and the Torah calls them (26:2) מראשית כל פרי האדמה
2. Where do we find in the parsha a Haggada that is the matrix for our Haggada shel Pesach.
26:3
גוּבָאתָ אֶל הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִגַּדְתִּי הַיּוֹם לַה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי בָאתִי אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהֹוָה לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ לָתֶת לָנוּ.
The fact that the majority of the Hagada is based on the parsha of Bikkurim is in Pesachim 116a, Mishnayos 10:4, מַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת וּמְסַיֵּם בְּשֶׁבַח, וְדוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֲרַמִּי אוֹבֵד אָבִי, עַד שֶׁיִּגְמֹר כֹּל הַפָּרָשָׁה כֻלָּהּ. The parsha of Bikkurim also says וענית ואמרת לפני ה' אלהיך ארמי אבד אבי, which the Yerushalmi learns to mean literally responsively, that the Kohen speaks and you respond, which is like the responsive character of the Hagada shel Pesach.
3. Our parsha begins with two recitations involving agricultural mattanos. The first is called Mikra Bikkurim and the second Chazal call Viduy Maaser. The Gemara in Sotah says that one should be declaimed, loud and clear, and the other recited in a soft voice. Which and why.
26:5, Bikkurim, וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ, loud.
26:13, Maaser, וְאָמַרְתָּ, soft.
Sota 32b
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמֵר: אָדָם אוֹמֵר שִׁבְחוֹ בְּקוֹל נָמוּךְ וּגְנוּתוֹ בְּקוֹל רָם. שִׁבְחוֹ בְּקוֹל נָמוּךְ — מִן וִידּוּי הַמַּעֲשֵׂר. גְּנוּתוֹ בְּקוֹל רָם — מִמִּקְרָא בִּיכּוּרִים
4. The Mishna in Sotah lists those recitations that can be in any language and those that must be in Hebrew. (For example: Krias Shema, any language. Birkas Kohahim- only in Lashon HaKodesh, to the extent that some poskim say that a person who speaks Ashkenazi should try to hear duchening from Ashkenazim.) In our Parsha, we find the three such recitals: Mikra Bikurim, Viduy Maaser, and the national oration at Har Grizim and Har Eival. Chazal say that two of these must be said in Lashon HaKodesh, and one can be said in any language. This halacha is based purely on drashos. פשוטו של מקרא, the simple reading, does not show anything. Can you suggest a סברא that would explain why two of these are different than the third? Bikkurim, Maaser, and Grizim v’Eival.
Bikkurim and Har Grizim ve'Har Eival are davka in Hebrew. Maaser is in any language.
The simplest explanation is that Har Grizim ve'Har Eival is a national event, and Mikra Bikkurim is the Jewish People speaking through individuals in a recap of the nation's history. Viduy Maaser, on the other hand, is purely personal. לשון הקודש may not be the language of the individual, but when Klal Yisrael speaks, it speaks in לשון הקודש.
26:17-18
את ה' האמרת היום להיות לך לאלהים וללכת בדרכיו ולשמר חקיו ומצותיו ומשפטיו ולשמע בקלו
וה' האמירך היום להיות לו לעם סגלה כאשר דבר לך ולשמר כל מצותיו
27:15, אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה even if he plans to do it. All the others are lashon hoveh, if he does it or if he did it.
7. The Gemara in Megilla says that a person who wears Kosher Tefillin with the right Kavana will cause fear in his enemies who see him.
תניא רבי אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפלין שבראש (מגילה טז:)
(This is only true where the person does the mitzva perfectly without exception, and that the tefillin and his head form one indivisible unit, such as was the case with the Vilner Gaon.) Where do we see this idea in the parsha?
28:9-10
יְקִימְךָ ה' לוֹ לְעַם קָדוֹשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לָךְ כִּי תִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו: וְרָאוּ כָּל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי שֵׁם ה' נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ וְיָרְאוּ מִמֶּךָּ
Tosfos in Brachos 6a says this is the Shel Rosh and the letter Shin on it. The Maharshal says the letter is both a reference to the Sheim Shakkai and also the number of days in the year that we wear tefillin (If and only If you wear tefillin on Chol Hamoed.)
Story, as written by Ozer Alport in his Parsha Potpourri:
The Vilna Gaon was once lodging at an inn when he heard loud cries and screams for help coming from the innkeeper’s room. Although the Gaon was in the middle of the morning prayers, he quickly ran to the aid of a fellow Jew. He threw open the innkeeper’s door and discovered a non-Jew mercilessly beating him. The attacked looked up at the door, and upon seeing the Gaon wearing his tallis and tefillin, was overcome with terror and promptly fainted.
After pulling himself together and recovering from the shock of the incident, the innkeeper expressed his tremendous gratitude to the Gaon for coming to his rescue. He added that while he was certainly appreciative, he was also curious as to the Gaon’s “magic weapon” which had inspired such fear in the heart of his attacker. The Gaon replied by citing the aforementioned Gemora and explaining that the sight of him adorned in his tefillin had caused the non-Jew to faint. The innkeeper asked for clarification, as he himself had been wearing his tefillin prior to the attack, but they had clearly proven ineffective.
The Gaon pointed out that the Gemora uses a peculiar expression. It doesn’t interpret the verse as referring to the tefillin which are on one’s head but rather to the tefillin which are in one’s head. He explained that merely placing the tefillin on one’s body is insufficient. Rather, one must contemplate the message of the portions contained therein until they are internalized. While the innkeeper had not yet done so, the Vilna Gaon was clearly on such a level, and when the non-Jew perceived his spiritual loftiness, he was overcome with dread to the point of fainting – exactly as promised by the Gemora!
(Also- they say that Reb Chaim Brisker said that the ability to know if tefillin are kosher by looking at them is easily attained and that he himself already possessed it at the age of 6 or 7.)
8. Is a person allowed to marry a centaur or a mermaid.
No, sorry. 28:21,
אָרוּר שֹׁכֵב עִם כׇּל בְּהֵמָה וְאָמַר כׇּל הָעָם אָמֵן.
even half human-half animal is assur. (Taama d'Kra. I am not making this up.)
Lechoira you shouldn't need this passuk because we would know it is assur from the fact that a half eved can not marry a half shifcha, because their ben chorin side is prohibited from the eved side of the other, אתי צד עבדות ומשמש בצד חירות.
On the other hand, when it comes to issurim in the Kilayim family, we look at it as a whole, and there is no issur of אתי צד.
This see this in Tosfos BB 13a dh Kofin
דהשתא נמי אתי צד עבדות ומשתמש בצד חירות ולא דמי לפרדה דאמר בפרק אותו ואת בנו (חולין דף עט. ושם) דמרביעין עליה מינה ולא אמר דאתי צד חמור ומשתמש בצד סוס דהתם כלאים כתיב דמשמע שני מינים דומיא דשור וחמור דחרישה ופרדה מין אחד בפני עצמו ומטעם זה מותר לרכוב עליה
מהו דתימא אתי צד סוס ומשתמש כו' קמ"ל - לא דמי לחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין (חגיגה דף ב:) דאסור בחציה שפחה וחציה בת חורין משום דאתי צד עבדות ומשמש בצד חירות דהכא כלאים אמר רחמנא דוקא תרי מיני וכל פרדות הבאין מסוס וחמור מין אחד הוא:
9. Just as humility is closely related to empathy, so too arrogance goes hand in hand with cruelty. Where do we see the connection of arrogance with cruelty in this parsha.
28:50-51
גּוֹי עַז פָּנִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים לְזָקֵן וְנַעַר לֹא יָחֹן. וְאָכַל פְּרִי בְהֶמְתְּךָ וּפְרִי אַדְמָתְךָ עַד הִשָּׁמְדָךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יַשְׁאִיר לְךָ דָּגָן תִּירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר שְׁגַר אֲלָפֶיךָ וְעַשְׁתְּרֹת צֹאנֶךָ עַד הַאֲבִידוֹ אֹתָךְ
10. An object mentioned four times in our parsha and nowhere else in Tanach. According to some, it is the same Gematria as the number of masechtos in Shas.
Teneh. 26:2 and 4 by Bikkurim, and 28:5 and 17 by the Brachos and Klalos.
Shas stands for ששה סדרי משנה. But the Ohr Hachaim in 26:5 uses it as a a remez for the original sixty masechtos in Shas, until they were redivided into 63, by separating the Bavos and separating Sanhedrin from Makkos. טנא בגימטריא ס.
After pointing out that the Torah is called ראשית, the Ohr HaChaim says
ואומרו ושמת בטנא. ירמוז שצריך כל מפעלות הטובות שעשה יהיו על פי דבריהם, כאומרו (לעיל י"ז י"א) על פי התורה אשר יורוך ועל המשפט וגו', והתורה והמשפטים ביארו אותם חכמים בס' מסכתות כמנין טנא, שזולת זה הגם שיעשה כל מצות שבעולם ישרף הוא והם.
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