1) In this week’s parsha, Moshe was told “Go to Pharaoh early in the morning, when he goes out to the waters” (7:15). Rashi explains, Pharoah would go out to the waters every morning to excuse himself, as he made out as if he was a God, and God’s don’t need to be excused. To cover this up, he would go out and excuse himself early in the morning and then hold himself back the rest of the day. The question is, if this was the purpose, surely he could have arranged something in his palace - perhaps a private swimming pool, why did Pharaoh have to go out to the river, surely it would be easier to hide it by excusing himself in private at home? Is there an answer to the above, and is there perhaps an alternative explanation?
The Tur HaAruch cites the above question in the name of the Rashbam and offers an alternative explanation for why Pharoah went down to the river, he writes: “היה יוצא בבוקר לטייל אל הנהר לקבל האויר – He went out in the morning for a walk next to the river, to get some fresh air.”
The Abarbanel explains that Pharoah went to the river for a health walk, he writes: הוא יוצא המימה בדרך הטיול להנהגת הבריות – להרגיל התנועה בבקר קודם האכילה כדי לחמם את הגוף וכ"ש על שפת היאר שראיית המים תועיל לראות העינים ולזככם – “He went out the waters to go on a health walk – to get his body warmed up before he started to eat, especially by the waters as looking at water helps clean and clear up one’s eyesight.” The Ramban writes something similar: היה בעת צאת המלכים על המים להשתעשע – “It was the time when the kings go out to play by the water.”
The Abarbanel cites a second explanation from the Even Kaspi, “There is a minhag that the king of Egypt until today – twice a week on Tuesday and Shabbos goes out from his palace with his servants to a certain place and plays with them football, and he plays there until it’s time to eat”.
The Chizkuni also offers two explanations as to why Pharoah went to the waters. He writes either he went to wash his eyes with the river water which is good for the eyes, or he went there to hunt.
2) In regard to the plague of dam, blood, the pasuk says “The fish in the river died and the river began to smell” (Shemos 7:21). The question is, in Parshas Noach when we learn about the mabul, the big flood, we find that even though everyone was punished, since the fish never sinned they were saved, if so, why did they get punished during the plague of dam, what sin did they commit?
The Eidus B’Yosef cites the Yalkut Shimoni who says that the fish did in fact sin, and when the babies were thrown in the river the fish ate them, since they sinned they were ultimately punished.
Another answer I saw in the sefer Pikudecha Dorashti is that if the fish wouldn’t have died the magicians would have said that river didn’t really turn into blood, rather, it’s water just became the color of red. However, when the fish died, they showed to everyone that it was real blood. By dying they created a kiddush Hashem, when one dies al pi kiddush Hashem, it’s not a punishment, on the contrary it’s a special zechus. We find this idea by the plague of the frogs, the frogs jumped into hot ovens and gave up their lives al pi kiddush Hashem.
3) What critical role did the octopus play in the plagues in Egypt?
The Seder HaDoros writes that when the fourth plague – wild beasts – began, the Egyptians ran to their homes and locked the doors to protect themselves from the animals. Hashem sent octopi with tentacles that were 10 cubits long on to their roofs, where they extended their lengthy tentacles into the homes and unlocked the doors from the inside, thereby permitting all of the other animals to enter.
4) The Gemara in Pesochim (53b) says that Chananya, Mishoel and Azariyah learnt to be moser nefesh and give up their lives by jumping into a fire from the frogs. If the frogs who weren’t commanded to jump in the fire were willing to do so, how much more so us (Chananya, Mishoel and Azariyah) who are commanded to do so, must do so.
There is a machlokes Rishonim if apart from the three cardinal sins, one is allowed to give up his life in order not to sin, and to die al pi kiddush Hashem. Some maintain that it’s forbidden to do so, yet others maintain, even though one isn’t obligated to do so, if he wants to, he may.
The question is, according to the Rishonim that allow one to do so, why is there no problem of lifnei iver [placing a stumbling block] on the person who is making one give up his life, a non-Jew is forbidden to kill a Yid, if a Yid is machmir and allows the non-Jew to kill him, surely he transgresses on lifnei iver?
The Madanay Asher answers: דוקא להכשיל לחבירו איסור עובר לפני עור אבל כאן כיון שעושה משורת הדין ליכא איסור ועוד הלעיטהו לרשע וימות.
5) If one is forced to give up his life in order to avoid transgressing one of the three cardinal sins, there is special halachos if he does it in front of ten people. What happens if there are nine Jews and the one who is giving up his life, does he count towards the ten?
The above is a machlokes in the Achronim. The Shu”t Devar Shmuel (63) maintains that he doesn’t, the Shu”t Zera Emes (Yoreh Deah 52) maintains that he does, and the Minchas Chinuch (296:10) is in doubt. The machlokes seems to depend on when exactly the mitzvah is fulfilled, if the mitzvah is only fulfilled once the person is dead, then he can’t make up the minyan, if however, the mitzvah is fulfilled once he shows that he is happy to be killed, then he is alive and can join in to make the minyan.
6) Which seven parts of the body are mentioned in Parshas Vaeira?
Hashem informed Moshe that He would redeem the Jewish people with an outstretched arm (6:6). Moshe expressed his fear that Pharaoh would not listen to him due to his sealed lips (6:12). Hashem told Moshe that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart (7:3), after which He would place His hand upon Egypt (7:4). When Pharaoh’s sorcerers were unable to replicate the plague of lice, they acknowledged that it was the finger of G-d (8:15). For the plague of boils, Hashem instructed Moshe to hurl handfuls of soot heavenward before Pharaoh’s eyes (9:8). When Pharaoh asked Moshe to beseech Hashem to end the plague of hail, Moshe said that he would exit the city and spread out his palms in prayer (9:29).