Riddles of the Week

(For answers see inside)

1. What special name does the Yerushalmi give to this week’s parsha? And why?
2. How old was Betzalel when he built the Mishkan?
3. In this week’s parsha the pasuk says:ויעש את השלחן עצי שטים אמתים ארכו ואמה רחבו ואמה וחצי קמתו – “They made the shulchan from shittim wood, it’s length was two amos, its width was an amah, and its height was one and a half amos”(36:10). The Gemara says that the shulchan was made of many parts, the proof being that the height of the shulchan was one and a half amos, and the mikveh in the Mishkan was only one amah deep. The only way it could be immersed in the mikveh must have been because it was made of parts. The question is, why does the Gemara only talk about the shulchan, surely the same proof can be brought in regard to all the other keilim of the Mishkan?
4. The pasuk says: את בגדי הקדש לאהרן הכהן ואת בגדי בניו לכהן – “The holy clothes for Aharon HaKohen, and the clothes for his sons, to serve as Kohen” (39:41). Why is it that when describing the clothes worn by Aharon’s son’s it says לכהן, however, when it talks about the clothes worn by Aharon the Kohen Gadol himself it doesn’t add the word לכהן, surely both clothes were made to wear when serving as a Kohen?
5. When talking about the kiyor [wash basin] in this week’s parsha the pasuk says: ורחצו ממנו משה ואהרן ובניו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם – “Moshe, Aharon and his sons shall wash their hands and feet from it.” (40:31) The question is, Moshe wasn’t a Kohen and we don’t find anywhere that he washed his hands and feet from the kiyor, so why does the pasuk mention his name?