Riddles of the Week
(For answers see inside)
1) The Gemara in Kiddushin (39b) teaches us: שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא – “Hashem does not give a person reward in this world for the mitzvos that he does”. How can Parshas Bechukosai begin by stating (26:3-12) that if the Jews study Torah and perform the mitzvos properly, Hashem will bless them in this world?
2) Rashi at the beginning of this week’s parsha writes that one is supposed to toil in Torah. However, the Gemara in Chagigah (5b) teaches:הקב''ה בוכה על שאי אפשר לו לעסוק בתורה ועוסק - “Hakodosh Boruch Hu cries if someone who is unable to learn tries to toil in Torah”. The question is, why would Hashem cry? Surely Hashem should be overjoyed about such a person – what could be better than someone sitting and trying to learn, even when he struggles to do so? Isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing?
3) If we study Torah and perform mitzvos properly, the pasuk says: והשיג לכם דיש את בציר ובציר ישיג את זרע - “And the threshing will overtake vintage for you, and the vintage will last until the sowing”. Rashi explains, there will be a special blessing, and there will be so much crop, that we will have to work literally non- stop from one season to the next, just to be able to gather it all in. The question is: If Klal Yisroel are busy all day long gathering in produce, when will they have time to learn – what kind of berachah is this?
4) Rashi writes (Vayikra 26:25) that because it is forbidden to leave a corpse overnight in Yerusholayim, when people die from the pestilence that Hashem will send, they will have no choice but to carry the bodies outside to be buried, even though they will be walking into the hands of the enemy who is besieging the city. Given that the prohibition involved is only Rabbinic in nature, and even Torah commandments are pushed aside when their performance endangers one’s life, why would they risk taking the bodies outside of the city walls?
