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[Harry greenspan]

Parshas Breishis and Q&A
Saturday, October 6, 2012 6:11 PM
From: 
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א:א "בראשית"
Until and including the words " "בראשית ברא" – "ראשית תבואתה
"ברא אלקים"
א:ב "ורוח אלקים מרחפת"
א:ד
א:ה
א:ז "מעל לרקיע"
א:יא "עץ פרי"
א:טז "המארת הגדלים"
א:כא "התנינם"
Both of them - " א:כו "נעשה אדם
"כדמותנו"
א:כח
א:לא
ב:ב
ב:ג "ויברך ויקדש"
ב:ד "תולדות השמים...בהבראם ביום...ד'"
ב:ה "כי...המטיר"
"ד' אלקים"
ב:ז
ב:יח
ב:כ- כא "ולאדם לא...עזר. ויפל ד' אלקים תרדמה"
"ויישן ויקח"
ב:כג "לזאת יקרא...כי מאיש וגו'"
ב:כה
ג:ג
ג:ז "וידעו...עירמים הם"
"עלה התאנה"
The 1st one – " ג:ח "וישמעו
ג:ט
ג:יב
ד:ז "ואליך תשוקתו"
"ואתה...בו"
ד:ח
ד:ט "אי...אחיך"
"לא ידעתי"
ד:יט "שתי נשים"
ד:כב "נעמה"
ד:כה
ד:כו
ה:כד
ה:לב "את שם...חם ואת..."
ו:ב "כני האלקים"
ו:ו "ויתעצב...לבו"
ו:ז "מאדם...בהמה"
פרשת בראשית - Questions
© 2009 LearnRashi
1. With which section of the Torah would it have made sense to begin the Torah and why? Why
then does the Torah specifically begin with the story of Creation?
2. To what two things does the word " ראשית " refer in the word " ?"בראשית
3. Why doesn’t the Torah mention the words " כי טוב " at the end of the second day of Creation?
4. Why did Hashem “ask” the angels for their input in the creation of man?
5. Why would the Torah state " נעשה אדם ", if this language could give heretics the opportunity to
claim that Hashem had help in creating man? How does the Torah refute the claim of heretics that
Hashem had help in creating man?
6. Why is the sixth day of Creation referred to as " 2) ?"יום הששי )
7. Why hadn’t any vegetation grown before the sixth day? Why did it begin to grow specifically on
the sixth day of creation?
8. In what way do humans differ from animals even though both are called " ?"נפש חיה
9. Why isn’t it good for man to be alone?
10. Before they sinned, why weren’t Adam and Chava embarrassed to be unclothed?
11. If Hashem knew where Adam was after he sinned, why did Hashem ask Adam where he was
?("איכה")
12. Where do we see that Adam was ungrateful for the good that Hashem had bestowed upon him?
ואליך תשוקתו" . 13 " - To whom is this referring?
14. Why was it customary to have two wives at the time of the Flood?
15. Who is Na’amoh?
16. What is the root of the word " הוחל " in בראשית ד:כו ? What happened during this time that led the
Torah to specifically use the word " ?"הוחל
17. Why did Hashem cause Chanoch to die early?
18. If Yofes is the oldest of Noach’s three sons, why is Sheim mentioned first?
19. If Hashem knew that mankind would sin and have to be destroyed, why did He create the world
in the first place?
20. Why were the animals to be destroyed along with man in the Flood? (2)
פרשת בראשית - Answers
© 2009 LearnRashi Page 1
1. Rashi suggests that the Torah should have begun in פרשת בא with the section of
“Hachodesh hazeh lachem…,” the mitzvah of קדוש החדש . Since the Torah is ultimately a
book of mitzvos, it would seem logical that the Torah would begin with קדוש החדש , the
first mitzvah that was given to Bnei Yisroel as a nation.
However, the Torah begins with the story of Creation to prove to the nations of the world
that Bnei Yisroel’s claim to ארץ ישראל is legitimate. Hashem is the Owner of the world;
He created it and decided to give ארץ ישראל to the people whom He chose i.e. Bnei
Yisroel. Therefore, Bnei Yisroel later rightfully captured ארץ ישראל from the seven nations
of .כנען
(א:א - "בראשית")
2. The word " ראשית " refers to:
a. Torah
b. Bnei Yisroel
(א:א - "בראשית ברא")
3. The Torah only writes " כי טוב " after a day of creation if all the work for that day was
completed. The work of the second day, the creation of the water, was not completed
until the third day. Therefore, the phrase " כי טוב " does not appear at the end of the 2nd day.
However, the Torah writes, " כי טוב " twice on the third day; once for the completion of the
work originally started on the second day and a second time for the completion of the
work related to the third day.
(א:ז - "מעל לרקיע")
4. Hashem “asked” the angels for their input when creating man because man is similar to
the angels (in his ability to understand and learn). If Hashem had created man without
asking the angels, they would have become jealous and therefore, Hashem asked for their
input.
כדמותנו") " ,The 1st one - " (א:כו - "נעשה אדם
5. Even though the angels didn’t help Hashem in the creation of man, the Torah states that
Hashem said, " נעשה אדם ". This was done in order to teach us דרך ארץ and the character
trait of humility. A great person should be willing to ask the advice of people not as great
as himself. This lesson is so important that it was worth the risk that heretics would
misunderstand and believe that Hashem did not create man alone but had help from the
angels.
However, the Torah writes in the next posuk, " ויברא אלקים את האדם " and not ויבראו in the
plural. This makes it clear that it was Hashem alone, without help from angels, who
created man. This way heretics would not be able to claim that it was Hashem and the
angels who together created man.
(The 2nd one - " (א:כו - "נעשה אדם
פרשת בראשית - Answers
© 2009 LearnRashi Page 2
6. The sixth day of creation is called " :"יום הששי
a. To teach us that Hashem made a deal with creation that they were brought into
existence on condition that Bnei Yisroel would accept the חמשה חומשי תורה . The
emphasis on the " ה" at the beginning of the word corresponds to the 5 books of
the Torah.
b. To emphasize a specific sixth day. All of creation was waiting anxiously until the
sixth day of Sivan when Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah. At that moment of קבלת
התורה , the creation of the world became solidified (because if Bnei Yisroel had
not accepted the Torah, the world would have reverted back to .(תהו ובהו
(א:לא)
7. Vegetation did not grow until the sixth day because there was no one to work the land
since man had not yet been created. Once man was created and was able to work the land,
he recognized that the world needed rain for vegetation. Adam then davened for rain and
plant life began to grow.
(ב:ה – "כי...המטיר")
8. Humans are different from animals in that man was given the power of the intellect and
speech ( .(דעה ודבור
(ב:ז – "לנפש חיה")
9. If man was alone on the earth people would be able to say that there are two ruling
entities in this world; Hashem is the single Ruling Entity in the עליונים and He has no
partner and man is the single ruling entity in the תחתונים and he also has no partner. To
prevent people from saying this, Hashem decided that it was not good for man to be alone
in this world.
(ב:יח – "לא...היות וגו'")
10. Adam and Chava were not embarrassed to be unclothed because they had no יצר הרע and
therefore, no knowledge to discern between good and bad. The shame of being unclothed
only materialized after they had sinned by eating from the עץ הדעת and they were then
subject to the .יצר הרע
(ב:כה)
11. Even though Hashem knew where Adam was, Hashem asked Adam where he was in
order to engage him in conversation. This way Adam wouldn’t be afraid to speak to
Hashem (and admit his sin).
(ג:ט)
12. Adam was ungrateful to Hashem for providing him with Chava when he claimed that it
was the woman whom Hashem had given him that had caused him to sin.
(ג:יב)
פרשת בראשית - Answers
© 2009 LearnRashi Page 3------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------similarly for ramban--H greenspan  0527650492