Riddles of the Week
(For answers see inside)
1) Parshas Behar begins (Vayikra 25:1-2) with Hashem teaching the laws of Shemittah to Moshe at Har Sinai. In addition to Mount Sinai, there are 12 other mountains mentioned in the Torah, two of which are referred to by multiple names. How many of them can you identify?
2) One of the berachos mentioned at the beginning of Bechukosai is: ועץ השדה יתן פריו – “The trees of the field will give off fruit.” (26:4). Rashi brings: “This refers to barren trees, which in the future will give off fruit”. We see that in the future barren trees will give off fruit. The question is, why do we find in Parshas Shoftim (20:20) that there is only an issur to destroy fruit trees which give off fruit, surely there should be an issur to destroy barren trees as well, as when the Beis HaMikdosh is rebuilt they will give off fruit and we should be concerned שמא מהרה יבנה בית המקדש – “perhaps the Beis HaMikdosh will speedily be rebuilt”?
3) In the future (may it be very soon) when barren trees give off fruit, will one have to wait three years due to the issur of orlah before eating from the fruit, or will one be able to eat the fruit straight away?
4) In the berachos at the beginning of Bechukosai we are told:ואכלתם לחמכם לשובע וישבתם לבטח בארצכם – “You will eat your bread to satiety and you will dwell securely in the land” (26:5). Rashi explains: “You will eat a little bit, and it will blessed in your stomach”, i.e. you will eat a little and you will be satisfied. The Shu”t Kesav Sofer (Orach Chaim 30) asks: At a time of berachah there will be a bounty of food so why do we need a berachah, that “one will eat a little bit and be satisfied”?
5) In this week’s parsha (Bechukosai) we have the parsha of eruchin. If one promises to give the value of his weight to Hekdesh, how to we determine his weight: Before he eats, or after he eats? And when is one heavier, before eating or after?
6) In this week’s parsha (Bechukosai) we learn about the prohibition against making a temurah (if one has a korban, he isn’t allowed to take another animal and to try and transfer kedusha from the first animal onto the second animal, if one does, it doesn’t work and both animals are now holy). The Tosefta (Perek 1, Temurah) and the Rambam (Hilchos Temurah 1:1) both say: הממיר אפילו בשבת הרי זה מומר וסופג את הארבעים – “If one makes a temurah even on Shabbos it works, and one receives forty lashes”.
The question is, what is the novelty that the prohibition of temurah applies on Shabbos, and that the second animal becomes holy, why would one think otherwise?
