Our Parsha Questions are crafted to be challenging even to Talmidei Chachamim but answerable by anyone who pays careful attention to the Krias HaTorah. I saw this practiced in Marlboro, NJ. They are meant to be presented before Krias HaTorah and answered afterwards, giving everyone the chance to show the answer chapter and verse. I usually include some that are simple so that everyone can participate. I find that it increases attention to Krias HaTorah and is mentally stimulating both for the audience and for me.
1. Arguments mushroom. What starts as a simple disagreement tends to draw in otherwise trivial differences and inflates their significance so that arguments become virulent, bitter, battles. Where do we see this in the words used to describe the differences between the shepherds of Lot and Avram.
In 13:7, it starts with a Riv. In 13:8, Avram says "Let's not allow this to become a Meriva." Riv is one argument. Meriva is far worse. Avram said "We need to deal with this, or the Riv is going to become a Meriva."
וַיְהִי רִיב בֵּין רֹעֵי מִקְנֵה אַבְרָם וּבֵין רֹעֵי מִקְנֵה לוֹט וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי אָז יֹשֵׁב בָּאָרֶץ.
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל לוֹט אַל נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין רֹעַי וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ כִּי אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ.
(Rav Avraham Bukspan from the Shela Hakadosh, and Ben Yehoyada Sanhedrin 7a in the name of the Alshich)
2. Avram called Lot his brother.
13:8
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל לוֹט אַל נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיךָ וּבֵין רֹעַי וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ כִּי אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ.
Did he call him a brother because he was his nephew or because he was his brother in law, Sarah's brother.
Because he was his nephew. He called Sara his sister because she was his niece- 20:12,
וְגַם אׇמְנָה אֲחֹתִי בַת אָבִי הִוא אַךְ לֹא בַת אִמִּי וַתְּהִי לִי לְאִשָּׁה.
so apparently that was their way of speaking.
3. Long before the Chashmonaim who were kohanim declared themselves kings, Moshe Rabbeinu was a kohen and king, (Zevahim 102a). Who else was both a kohen and a king.
Malkitzedek. 14:2
וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מֶלֶךְ שָׁלֵם הוֹצִיא לֶחֶם וָיָיִן וְהוּא כֹהֵן לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן
4. Chazal interpret the names of the kings as descriptions of how wicked they were. How do we know that were adjectives, and not just the names on their birth certificates?
Because one of them is not named, he is just referred to as the king of Tzoar. It must be that he wasn’t a rasha like the rest of them, so there is no benefit or mussar in knowing his name.
14:2
עָשׂוּ מִלְחָמָה אֶת בֶּרַע מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם וְאֶת בִּרְשַׁע מֶלֶךְ עֲמֹרָה שִׁנְאָב מֶלֶךְ אַדְמָה וְשֶׁמְאֵבֶר מֶלֶךְ צביים [צְבוֹיִים] וּמֶלֶךְ בֶּלַע הִיא צֹעַר.
5. A territory named for someone who was not born yet.
14:7 (Rashi.)
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל עֵין מִשְׁפָּט הִוא קָדֵשׁ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת כָּל שְׂדֵה הָעֲמָלֵקִי וְגַם אֶת הָאֱמֹרִי הַיֹּשֵׁב בְּחַצְצֹן תָּמָר.
5. Assuming that if you find a valuable item you have to give Maaser, what if you find a lost object that you are allowed to keep. Example: Loose cash in a public marketplace. But you investigate and find out who lost it, and lifnim mishuras hadin you decide to return it. Do you have to give maaser?
Apparently, yes. Avram chose to give the spoils of war back to the king of Sedom, but he gave maaser from everything to Malkitzedek. (See Taama d'Kra.)
6. The word fish in English can be singular or plural. What about the word Tzipor in Hebrew?
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו קְחָה לִי עֶגְלָה מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת וְעֵז מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת וְאַיִל מְשֻׁלָּשׁ וְתֹר וְגוֹזָל.See 15:9-10
וַיִּקַּח לוֹ אֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה וַיְבַתֵּר אֹתָם בַּתָּוֶךְ וַיִּתֵּן אִישׁ בִּתְרוֹ לִקְרַאת רֵעֵהוּ וְאֶת הַצִפֹּר לֹא בָתָר.
Which tzipor? Apparently, tzipor can be plural. (ibn Ezra. But PdRE 28 says tzipor here refers to the ben yonah.)
7. According to the Ramban and the Radak, in our parsha we see Avram sinning twice and Sara once. What are the cases?
Ramban:
"ודע כי אברהם אבינו חטא חטא גדול בשגגה שהביא אשתו הצדקת במכשול עון מפני פחדו פן יהרגוהו, והיה לו לבטוח בשם שיציל אותו ואת אשתו ואת כל אשר לו, כי יש באלוקים כח לעזור ולהציל. גם יציאתו מן הארץ, שנצטוה עליה בתחילה, עון אשר חטא, כי האלוקים ברעב יפדנו ממות. ועל המעשה הזה נגזר על זרעו הגלות בארץ מצרים ביד פרעה. במקום המשפט שמה הרשע והחטא".
"חטאה אמנו בעינוי הזה, וגם אברהם בהניחו לעשות כן, ושמע ה' אל עניה ונתן לה בן שיהא פרא אדם לענות זרע אברהם ושרה בכל מיני העינוי".
Many many achronim, including the Maharal and people of our generation say that either the Ramban is wrong or that this was not written by the Ramban or that the Ramban found some Medrash that we do not have that says this, because without clear proof, you don't say that the Avos sinned.
But Chazal do say (Nedrarim 32a) that the galus Mitzrayim was a punishment for something Avram did, and offers three possibilities:
אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מִפְּנֵי מָה נֶעֱנַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ וְנִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּ בָּנָיו לְמִצְרַיִם מָאתַיִם וְעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים — מִפְּנֵי שֶׁעָשָׂה אַנְגַּרְיָיא בְּתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ״. וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִפְרִיז עַל מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה״. וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: שֶׁהִפְרִישׁ בְּנֵי אָדָם מִלְּהִכָּנֵס תַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תֶּן לִי הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻשׁ קַח לָךְ״.
So Parshas Lech Lecha is full of examples of what is called a sin if you live with Middas HaDin.
8. Four people in the Parsha who were given names min hashamayim.
Avraham and Sarah, and Yishmael and Yitzchak.
16:11
וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ ה’ הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל כִּי שָׁמַע ה’ אֶל עָנְיֵךְ.
7:19
ויאמר אלהים אבל שרה אשתך ילדת לך בן וקראת את שמו יצחק
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