Riddles of the Week

(For answers see above)

1. Where is there greater love, a parents love towards a child, or a child’s love towards his parents? Bring proof from this week’s parsha. Why do you think it should be like this?
2. If one does something to honor his father, and his father doesn’t know about it, does he fulfill the mitzvah of kibbud av? Bring a rayah from this week’s parsha?
3. In this week’s parsha we learn: ויבך על צואריו עוד – “That Yosef fell on to the neck of Yaakov, crying” (46:29). Rashi explains that Yosef fell onto Yaakov, but not vice versa as Yaakov was busy reciting shema. The Be’er Heitev (talmid of Maharshal) asks: Why didn’t Yosef need to recite shema? And he answers: Yaakov recited shema with a minyan of ten, therefore, he needed to repeat the words ה' אלקיכם אמת, however, Yosef read it by himself without a minyan, therefore, he didn’t need to reciteה' אלקיכם אמת, therefore, Yosef finished first, and at that time he fell onto his father and hugged and kissed him, whilst Yaakov was still in the middle of shema.
   The question is, if Yosef was reading shema by himself, surely, he needed to add at the beginning קל מלך נאמן, which would mean that once again both Yosef and Yaakov’s shema were as long as each others and they should have finished together?
4. The shortest pasuk in the Torah is in this week’s parsha. Which pasuk is it?
5. In this week’s parsha we learn: ויברך יעקב את פרעה – “Yaakov blessed Pharaoh” (47:7). Does this mean that Yaakov blessed Pharaoh? If yes, how was he allowed to: The Magen Avraham (siman 189) writes that when there is a non-Jew in one’s house during birchas hamazon he should recite כלנו יחד בני ברית – all of us together, who have had a bris, however, the Taz argues and says, this nussach isn’t good, as כלנו יחד - all of us together, implies everyone even the non-Jew, therefore, it is better to recite אותנו בני ברית כולנו יחד – those of us who have had a bris, together. The reason for this is, that it is forbidden to bless a non-Jew, like it says לא תחנם – don’t give a non-Jew gifts. If, so, since Yaakov Avinu kept the entire Torah like he said about himselfתרי''ג מצות שמרתי – “I kept the 613 mitzvos”, why wasn’t he worried about violating the prohibition of לא תחנם ?
6. List four instances in the Torah where a prominent person prepared his transportation himself?