Riddles of the Week
The Parshas Derochim writes that Rochel died just as Yaakov prepared to enter Eretz Yisroel (48:7) because he was only permitted to be married to two sisters outside Eretz Yisroel. Tosfos writes (Yevamos 20b) that a regular Kohen who marries a widow and is then anointed as the Kohen Gadol (who is forbidden to marry a widow) is allowed to remain married to her since she was permissible to him at the time of their marriage. Why wasn’t Yaakov similarly allowed to remain married to Rochel and Leah even in Eretz Yisroel since they were both permitted to him at the time he married them outside of Eretz Yisroel?
The pasuk says: וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה. ויאמר יוסף אל בניו בני הם אשר נתן לי אלקים בזה – “Yisroel saw the sons of Yosef and he asked, ‘who are these children’. Yosef replied ‘these are my children, children that Hashem gave me’” (Bereishis 48:8-9). Rashi writes that to prove that he was married, Yosef pulled out his shtar erusin and shtar kesubah (the documents one gives to his wife when getting married). The question is, why did Yosef have these documents to hand so that he was able to show his father? Moreover, generally the kesubah is kept by the woman, what was it doing by Yosef? Another thing we must ask is, what did it help to show them to Yaakov, the Torah tells us “Yaakov’s eyes became heavy from old age, and he was unable to see”?
Another question on the above Rashi is, the shtar erusin and shtar kesubah requires two kosher witnesses, how was Yosef able to find two kosher witnesses in Mitzrayim? Additionally, the shtar erusin needs to be given over in front of two kosher witnesses (Even HaEzer 32), again, how was Yosef able to find two such witnesses?
Besides krias shema al hamita and tefillas haderech, when should one say: לישועתך קויתי ה' – “await Your salvation, Hashem”, part of Yaakov’s berachah to Dan?
Four different people were buried in Parshas Vayechi. How many of them can you identify?
Please send your answers to [email protected] and be entered into a special raffle which takes place every Rosh Chodesh.
