Riddles of the Week

(For answers see above)

1. When Yisro observed Moshe judging the Jewish people the entire day, he questioned why Moshe needed to do so. Moshe responded that the people come to him to rule on their disputes (Shemos 18:13-16). How could Moshe judge the people when his speech impediment was considered a disfigurement (4:10), and the Gemara rules (Sanhedrin 36b) that a person with a disfigurement is ineligible to serve as a judge?
2. In this week’s parsha we have the Aseres HaDibros, and one of the ten commandments is kibbud av v’eim [the mitzvah of honoring parents]. Is a son required to let his mother violate the prohibition of ba’al teshaktzu [the prohibition against doing a disgusting act] in order to fulfil kibbud eim?
3. The Rambam (Hilchos Geneivah 1:3) explains that while there are two words to describe a thief, a גנב steals without the knowledge of the owner while a גזלן brazenly steals in the presence of the owner. Rashi writes (Shemos 20:13) that the prohibition in the Aseres HaDibros against stealing refers to the theft of another person. As kidnapping is generally done with the knowledge of the person being taken, wouldn’t it have been more accurate to write לא תגזול instead of לא תגנוב?
4. What do both the Yidden and Har Sinai do in this week’s parsha?