Dvar Torah
How far to go not to embarrass others?!
וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם־גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם־אֲדֹנִי:
(בראשית כד:יד)
We find in this week’s Parasha that Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, is sent on this extremely challenging mission to find a wife for Yitzchak. As he arrives at the well outside the city he realized that the only way he could successfully complete his task was with the help of Hashem (this is true for all that we do). Eliezer said a Tefilah to Hashem and asked that he be able to find the right girl. He Davened and asked Hashem for a sign; if I ask her for a drink and she gives me and also my camels, I will know that she is the one for Yitzchak.
Why did Eliezer choose this to be the sign?
Eliezer knew that the jug that the girls would carry down toward evening time was the drinking water for the family. He expected that anyone who he would ask for a drink from, would agree to give him, but being that he was a stranger, would dispose of the remaining water. Eliezer’s test to the wife of Yitzchak was to see how caring she was about his feelings; by not spilling the water out that he had just drunk from. In doing this the nicest, and most respectful thing to do would be to feed the camels. Although Eliezer had 10 camels with him, Rivka nevertheless refilled her pitcher many times to make sure the camels would have enough to drink, not just emptying the pitcher once to rid the water of a stranger, making him comfortable.
From here we see how important it is for us to go out of our way so that others should not feel bad.
Shabbat Shalom!
Parsha Questions
1) How old was שרה when she died? (בראשית כג:א)
2) Why does the תורה write her age in a peculiar way? (see רש"י בראשית כג:א)
3) What can we see from the small כ in the word ולבכתה? (see בראשית כג:בalso see R’ Hirsch and the בעל הטורים)
4) What did אברהם ask from the בני חת? (see בראשית כג:ד)
5) Why did אברהם present himself to the בני חת as גר ותשב? (see רש"י בראשית כג:ד)
6) Ultimately, how much money did עפרון want from אברהם? (see בראשית כג:טז)
7) What contrast of מידות can we see from אברהם and עפרון? (see רש"י בראשית כג:טז)
8) In what city is the מערת המכפלה? (see בראשית כג:יט)
9) What did אברהם ask of his עבד זקן ביתו? (see בראשית כד:ב-ד)
10) Why was יצחק not allowed to leave ארץ ישראל? (see רש"י בראשית כו:ב)
11) To which land did אברהם ‘s chief servant go? (see בראשית כד:ד)
12) How were אברהם’s camels distinguished? (see רש"י בראשית כד:י)
13) Where did אברהם ‘s chief servant stop his journey? (see בראשית כד:יא)
14) What special character trait did אליעזר seek when choosing a wife for יצחק?
(see בראשית כד:יב-יד)
15) Who was רבקה? (see בראשית כד:טו)
16) What was the first thing thatאברהם ‘s chief servant ask רבקה? (see בראשית כד:יז)
17) How did she reply to this request? (see בראשית כד:יח-כ)
18) What did אברהם ‘s chief servant give to רבקה? (see בראשית כד:כב)
19) What did these each represent? (see רש"י בראשית כד:כב)
20) Why didאברהם ‘s chief servant giveרבקה these things before asking her who she was?
(see רש"י בראשית כד:כג)
21) לבן answered אליעזר before his father, בתואל, had a chance. What does this indicate about לבן’s character? (see רש"י בראשית כד:נ)
22) Why is בתואל not mentioned again in the story? (see רש"י בראשית כד:נה)
23) What special ברכה did רבקה’s family give to רבקה? (see רש"י בראשית כד:ס)
24) Explain ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה. (see רש"י בראשית כד:סג)
25) Where did יצחק bring רבקה? Why does the תורה tell us where she was brought?
(see רש"י בראשית כד:סז)
26) How old was אברהם when he died? (see רש"י בראשית כה:ז)
27) Who buried אברהם? Where? (see רש"י בראשית כה:ט)
Classroom Check-in!
Questions about what we are learning in class
1) How was there a king of Kena’a, Did Yehoshua not destroy them?
2) Who was Sisra? What Middah did he display?
3) What 2 differences where there between Devorah and other Shoftim? (Not that she was a woman.)
4) Who did Devorah imply would be the hero of the war? Why?
5) What is אמונה פשוטה?
Torah Math
When Avraham tells his trusted servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Yitzchak, the Torah tells us that Eliezer was concerned. Eliezer wanted to know what to do if the girl he finds does not want to go along to live in Eretz Kina’an. Avraham tells him even if she does not want to come back here you may not find a different girl from Kina’an, rather go to the children of Yishmael or Lot (Amon and Moav). This can be seen in the words of the Pasuk (but look really carefully).
על ימין או על שמאל - עיאעש = ישמעאל
על ימין או = בעמון ומואב
Go ahead and check the numbers!
TORAH TRIVIA!
Super Stumper Question:
This a question to ask others and discuss the answers.
Answer to last week’s Question:
Q: In the upcoming Parsha Avraham says a eulogy for Sarah, what did he say?
A: The eulogy that Avraham said about his wife Sarah was Aishet Chayil that we say every Friday night.
Question of the week:
Q: What is the ONLY B’racha made on a B’racha???
A: Coming soon!
Kollel Quiz
#1 Who Am I?
1. I am very Ogly.
2. Don’t confuse me with Damascus.
3. Hashem helper.
4. I meant 318 soldiers.
#2 Who Am I?
1. I was the mother’s.
2. I was the wife’s.
3. Cloud and light.
4. I was doughy.
FOOD Section!
Can you guess what this recipe connects to this week’s Parsha?
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 sticks or 1 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 package Oreo cookies
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream margarine and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
Take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo cookie, take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.
Place onto a parchment baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
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