[Par-reg] CHAYA SARA - questions for self study

Sun Nov 13 21:31:34 EST 2011

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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          PARSHAT  CHAYEI SARA  - Questions
for self study

PART I - QUESTIONS FOR THE 'SHABBOS TABLE'

YITZCHAK & YISHMAEL

1.  Have you ever heard of a place in Israel
called 'Be'er

Lachai Ro'i'?  If so, in what area of Israel
is it located,

and to the best of your recollection, what
Biblical events

took place there.

  If not, review Breishit 24:62 and 25:11 (in
their context),

noting how this seems to be an area where
Yitzchak was living.

Can you explain why he chose this site?

  Has this same site ever been mentioned
earlier in Chumash?

In case you don't recall, review the story in
16:5-16.  Based

on that story, in what manner may it be
significant that

Yitzchak chose to live there?  In your
answer, relate to the

relationship between Yitzchak and Yishmael,
as can be implied

in 25:9.  Note as well 25:12-18.

  Finally, see Ramban, Seforno, and Radak on
24:62 in relation

to this question.  Note how each opinion is
quite different.

2.  Towards the end of the Parsha, Avraham
sends away all of

his children (except Yitzchak) to "Kedma, el
eretz kedem"

(25:6), while Yitzchak remains in Eretz
Canaan.  Relate this

Biblical 'direction' of 'kedem' to Breishit
3:24, 4:16, 11:2,

& 13:11 (note Rashi)!  Based on those
sources, why do you

think that the Torah found it necessary to
tell us this

'direction' in relation to where Avraham
sends his other

children?

'LASUACH BA-SADEH'

3.  In 24:63, we are told that Yitzchak had
gone 'lasuach ba-

sadeh'.  In your opinion, what does this
phrase mean?

     Can you remember an earlier usage of a
similar word in

Sefer Breishit?  If so, can you explain how
this may be

related?

4. Next, study the classic commentators on
this pasuk, noting

the 'pshat' interpretations as presented by
Ibn Ezra and

Rashbam; as well as (what appears to be) the
'drash' approach

of Rashi (and Rabbeinu Chananel).  [Note also
Seforno.]

  Can you explain how these interpretations
relate to Breishit

2:5?   Be sure that you find the connection
between Rashi on

24:63 and Rashi on 2:5.

     Finally, see Chizkuni on 25:63.  Can you
explain why he

relates this pasuk to Gan Eden?  Based on
2:5, can you explain

why this 'drash' may be 'pshat'?

'EVED AVRAHAM' & RIVKA

5.  Note that throughout the entire Parsha,
we are never told

the name of the 'eved Avraham'!  Chazal
explain that the eved

was Eliezer, and that Avraham feared that
Eliezer wanted

Yitzchak to marry his own daughter.  Can you
support this

based on 15:1-4?

6.  Even though Avraham's servant comes from
far away, Rivka's

family readily agrees to send her back with
him.  Review the

story in 24:48-52, especially their stated
reason for agreeing

in 24:50!      Use this pasuk to explain why
they agree, and

why it was necessary for Eliezer to repeat
the entire story of

how he met Rivka (i.e. from 24:33-50) . [Note
how 24:53

provides an additional reason.]

7.  Note the bracha that Rivka receives from
her family:

"achoteinu, at hayi le-alfei revava,
ve-yirash zar'ech et

sha'ar son'av" (24:60).  Compare this to
God's earlier promise

to Avraham at the Akeida: "ve-yirash zar'acha
et sha'ar oyvav"

(22:17).  What is the significance of this
parallel?

     See Rashi & Rashbam.

PART II- QUESTIONS FOR SHIUR PREPARATION

For shiur on the topic - AVRAHAM & BNEI CHET

1.  Avraham introduces his wish to buy a
burial plot from Bnei

Chet with the phrase "ger ve-toshav anochi
imachem" (see

23:4).

     How did you understand the words 'ger'
and 'toshav'?

     Are these two different reasons, or do
both words

together explain one reason?  [See the
commentators, noting

how most of them provide more or less the
same interpretations

[e.g. Rashbam, Ramban, Ibn Ezra.]

     Then, as you study Rashi's
interpretation, note how he

explains"pshat and then drash.  In your
opinion, why does

Rashi find it necessary to quote this Midrash
Agadda?  Can you

suggest a deeper meaning?

     Next, review Vayikra chapter 25, noting
its primary

topics as well as the phrase 'ger ve-toshav'
in 25:23, 35, &

47.  What is the meaning of this phrase in
25:23, and its

significance in the context of 25:23-24?

     Finally, note the Torah's use of the
word 'achuza' in

25:24.  How does this relate back to Breishit
23:4 and the

phrase 'achuzat kever'.

2.  Let's return to Avraham's request to buy
an achuzat kever

from Bnei Chet in 23:4.  What does the word
achuza mean?

     What 'shoresh' does it stem from?  What
other words share

the same shoresh?  (See for example Breishit
22:13, 25:26,

47:27, Shmot 4:4.)

     Compare this with other uses of achuza
as in: Breishit

47:11, Vayikra 14:34, Bamidbar 27:7, 32:5,22.

     Can you explain why we often find the
verb 'natan' [to

give / grant] associated with the word
achuza, as in the above

examples?

     Based on your answer to the above
question, explain the

meaning of achuza in Breishit 17:7-8 (in
relation to God's

promise of Eretz Canaan in brit mila).
Compare this to the

Torah's use of the word 'yerusha' when it
describes how the

land is being given to Avraham Avinu in brit
bein ha-btarim

(note Breishit 15:3-8,18.)

3.  To understand more precisely what the
word yerusha

implies, see Bamidbar 33:50-53, and also
Vayikra 20:24.  In

these examples, what type of 'ownership' does
the word yerusha

imply?  Based on these sources, what in your
opinion is the

difference between the acquisition of land
based on achuza or

yerusha?

     Attempt to relate this to the
differences in the nature

of the two covenants that God made with
Avraham - i.e. in

relation to the land: brit mila (see 17:3-8);
and in relation

to how Yisrael will become a nation in brit
bein ha-btarim

(see 15:1-20).

4.  Based on these sources, does 'Eretz
Yisrael' belong to Am

Yisrael or to God?  Relate this to the first
Rashi in Chumash

(read that Rashi carefully, noting its
parallel in Yirmiyahu

27:5-6).  Relate also to Shmot 19:4-6 ('ki li
kol ha-aretz')

and Vayikra 25:23-24.  How does this relate
to the primary

theme of Sefer Breishit?

For Shiur on the topic - A WIFE FROM 'TOLDOT
TERACH'

1.  Note that both Avraham and Yitzchak
insist that their

[chosen] children take wives from the family
of Nachor (see

24:3-4,10 and 28:2).

     Note also who Avraham and Nachor married
- see 11:29 and

20:12, and Rashi on those psukim.  (Relate
this also to

Breishit 28:9.)  What do you think is the
significance of this

phenomenon?

2.  Based on the above, it would seem that
there is something

special about the children of Terach ('toldot
Terach').  What

do you think is the nature of this special
quality?  Relate

your answer to 11:27-32.  See also Seforno &
Chizkuni on

11:31-32.

     Relate this to the fact that the Torah
specifies 'eileh

toldot Terach' (11:27) at the conclusion of
the series which

began with 'eileh toldot Shem' (11:10), yet
for some reason

never introduces in a similar manner 'eileh
toldot Avraham',

even though we do later find 'eileh toldot
Yitzchak' (25:19),

and 'eileh toldot Yaakov' (37:2)!

     Why do you think that toldot Avraham are
'missing', while

we seem to have toldot Terach instead?

3.  Where does the unit which began with
toldot Terach end?

(In other words, where is the next time that
we find 'eileh

toldot...'?)

     What would you consider the primary
topic of this unit?

     Note that this unit contains not only
the story of

Avraham, but also includes the story of
Haran's and Nachor's

children (see 19:30-38, 22:20-24 & 25:1-9.)
Can you explain

why these stories are included?

4.  In your opinion, how does Sefer Breishit
use the

progression of the series of eileh toldot...
to help develop

its theme?

PART III - PARSHANUT

1.  Read 24:1.  What ambiguity is present in
the Torah's use

of the word ba-kol'?

     a)  What does the word ba-kol mean?
Note how almost

every parshan offers a different explanation.
See Rashi, Ibn

Ezra, Rashbam and Radak.  Try to explain the
differences

between the explanations.

     b)  Explain, according to each parshan,
how this pasuk

relates to the parshia that follows
afterward.

     c)  Now, see Ramban.  (The Ramban is
quite long, but see

at least the first section of his peirush.)
How is Ramban's

peirush different than the others?  Why do
you think Ramban

enters into such detail here?

     d)  As you study these commentaries,
attempt to notice

what is typical of the style of each
commentator?

2.  Before Avraham sends Eliezer on his
mission, he makes him

take an oath - see 24:3.  Read this pasuk
carefully, noting

what is difficult about the manner how
Avraham describes God

in this pasuk - "Elokei ha-shamayim ve-Elokei
ha-aretz".

Compare this to Avraham's own statement in
24:7!

     First, note how Rashi understands 24:3,
and what he

learns from it!   [See also the related
Gemara in Mo'ed Katan

18b.]

     Then see Ramban on 24:3.  In what manner
is his

explanation of 'Elokei ha-aretz' totally
different than

Rashi's?  Can you explain why?  (Note that
Ramban himself

explains why!)

     Next, see Seforno on 24:3.  Explain how
his

interpretation is totally different than
Rashi or Ramban.

     Finally, see Radak on 24:3.  Is his
peirush most similar

to Seforno?

     Try to explain why.

     How does Radak resolve the parallel in
24:7?

          See also Rashi on 24:7.

     How did Ramban deal with this problem in
his peirush to

24:3?

     [Note as well the very interesting (&
philosophical)

manner in which Chizkuni (on 24:7) relates to
Rashi's

peirush.]

3.  At the middle of 24:7, we also find that
Avraham says that

God had 'spoken to him' and 'sworn to him'
that he will give

this land to his offspring.  In your opinion,
what specific

incidents is Avraham Avinu referring to?  In
other words, when

did God 'speak' [diber] to him, and when did
God 'swear'

[nishba] to him about the land for his
offspring [zera va-

aretz].

     After you do (or don't) find an answer,
see how Rashi,

Radak, and Seforno related to this question.
[Note also how

Ramban argues with Rashi's explanation of
'diber li'.]

     Which of these two interpretations
relates primarily to

the previous use of the word 'shevu'a', and
which

interpretation relates to the phrase that
follows 'le-zar'acha

eten et ha-aretz ha-zot'?

     Use this distinction to explain the
reason for this

'machloket'.

4.  At the end of the Parsha (25:1-4), we are
told of

Avraham's children from a wife named Ketura.
Chazal say that

Ketura was actually Hagar, and that Avraham
remarried her in

his old age.

     a) Do you think this idea is pshat?

     b) Now see Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra,
Chizkuni and Radak.

Again, note how and why each parshan offers a
different

opinion.  Note also the reasons given for
each interpretation.

5.  Read 24:6-9, noting how Avraham's
instructions to Eliezer

include a 'promise'(?) that Hashem will send
a 'guardian

angel' to assure that Eliezer will be
successful (read 24:7

carefully).

     In your opinion, is Avraham's statement
that God will

send His angel to help a 'prayer' or a
'prophecy'?  In your

answer, relate to the entire set of psukim
from 24:1-10.

     After you have thought out the
possibilities, see the

commentaries of Ibn Ezra, Rashbam, Chizkuni
and Radak on this

phrase.

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