Riddles of the Week

1. Towards the beginning of this week’s parsha, we learn about the kiyor [wash basin]. The pasuk says: ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם – “Aharon and his sons would wash their hands and feet from it”(30:19). The Teshuvas HaRashbah (1:191) explains that the reason we wash our hands every morning, is because it is fitting for one to sanctify his hands before serving the Ribbono Shel Olam, similar to the way kohanim would wash their hands from the kiyor before performing avodah.
   The question is, the kohanim would wash both their hands and feet, so why is it that we only wash our hands in the morning, surely we should wash our feet as well?
2. The Ohr HaChaim (31:16) writes on the pasuk which this week’s sheet was based on: ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת לעשות את השבת, that we are only mechalel Shabbos to save someone’s life if he will be able to keep another Shabbos. If, however, he won’t make it till next Shabbos, even if the refuah will help for a few hours or even a few days, we still aren’t mechalel Shabbos to save him.
   This seems to directly contradict the Gemara in Yoma (85a). The Mishnah says that if rubble falls on someone and he is still alive, we remove the rubble on Shabbos. The Gemara asks: It’s obvious, and the Gemara answers, the novelty is, that even if he will only live for: חיי שעה – “a short while”, we still do it. We see that we are mechalel Shabbos even for a few mintutes?
3. Which three items mentioned in this week’s parsha got broken?
4. The Medrash (Tanchuma 30) says that as long as the letters were on the first set of Luchos, Moshe carried them without any difficulty. When he saw the golden calf, the letters flew off the Luchos, and they became so heavy that he could no longer carry them, so he threw them down and they broke (32:19). Rashi writes (Devorim 34:12) that Hashem praised Moshe for his decision to smash the Luchos in response to the sin of the golden calf. How could Moshe be commended for shattering the Luchos if he was compelled to do so because they became too heavy for him to carry?
5. The Gemara in Beitzah (16a) learns from the pasuk in this week’s parsha: ביום השביעי שבת וינפש - ”Hashem ceased from work and was refreshed” (31:17), that Hashem gives us a neshomah yeseirah on Shabbos. The Yesod Veshoresh HoAvodah (Shaar HaElyon, Perek 1) famously writes, that there is a big mitzbah to go to mikveh on erev Shabbos, as tevilah on erev Shabbos brings the neshomah yeseira, and without it won’t feel it. If one doesn’t go to mikveh does he still get a neshomah yeseira? And is there any need for him to smell besomim on motzei Shabbos?
6. The Torah records (32:3) that the entire nation donated their gold earrings to Aharon for the purpose of making the golden calf. Klal Yisroel alone were at least 600,000, and the eruv rav were at least double that, which means we are talking about a tremendous amount of gold. To make one golden calf, there was no need for so much, what did they do with it?

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