Riddles of the Week

Riddles of the Week

(For answers see inside)

1. In this week’s parsha we have the pasuk: וש ננתם ל בניך וד בר ת בם בש ב תך בבית ך ובל כתך בד ר ך ובשכבך ו ב קומך – “You shall teach it to your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.”
   The Gemara in Kiddushin (29a) teaches: האב חייב בבנו ל מולו, ול פדותו ,ולל מ דו תור ה ול השיאו אש ,הולל מדו אומנות – “A father is obligated with regard to his son to circumcise him, to redeem him (if he is a firstborn), to teach him Torah, to marry him to a woman, and to teach him a trade.”
   The above Gemara seems to be contradictory, as if one teaches his son Torah and trains him to keep the mitzvah of learning Torah properly like it says: והגית בו יומם ולילה – “You shall toil in it day and night” then the son won’t have time for a trade. If, so, how can a father teach his son to learn day and night, and at the same time teach him a trade?
2. We mentioned above that we learn out from the pasuk: ושננתם לבניך – “You shall teach your sons”, that there is a mitzvah for a father to teach his son Torah. Is this mitzvah incumbent on the body of the father (מצוה שבגופו) and ideally, he should do it himself, just if he can’t then he may appoint a shliah [agent], or is the mitzvah simply for the father to ensure that his son learns, and using a rebbe/teacher is perfectly lechatchilah?
   If the mitzvah is incumbent upon the body of the father, why don’t we find all the gedolim teaching their sons Torah, how come many of them rely on using a shliach which is bedieved?
3. It’s well known that mezuzos provide protection for the house they are hung up in, is there anything wrong with hanging up mezuzos simply because they offer protection?
4. The Gemara in Berachos (13b) teaches: תנו ר ב נן שמ ע ישראל ה׳ א לקינו ה׳ אחד ע ד כ אן צריכ ה כ וונת ה ל ב - “The Chachomim taught: “Hear, Yisroel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One.” Intent of the heart is only required until this point.” We see that one should have special kavonah during the first pasuk of Krias Shema. When is there a time that one should shorten the amount of kavonah he has in the first pasuk of Shema?
5. Is there any difference between Eretz Yisroel and Chutz La’aretz in regard to how one should recite Krias Shema?
6. In this week’s parsha we learn about the mitzvah of Kibbud Av V’eim. Is there a mitzvah of Kibbud Av if one’s father is a rosha?