Class reviews Spring 5779

Class reviews Spring 5779

WOS

According to the Ramban what does chapter 25 in Shmot follow chronologically?

According to the Rashi what does chapter 25 in Shmot follow chronologically?

Where is the first time the Keruvim (cherubs) are seen in the Torah?

According to our conclusion – what do the Keruvim represent?

What did the Keruvim look like?

What surprised the pagans when they destroyed the temple?

What did the pagan’s say when the saw the keruvim? 

What did the pagan’s do when the saw the keruvim? 

What were the Keruvim doing at the moment of the destruction of the Temple?

In what sense is clothing related to sin?

How was Moshe’s speech impediment viewed positively by the Maharal?

In which Parasha is Moshe missing? Why?

For which sin is the ketoret brought?

How is Yom Kippur related to the Golden Calf?

What was Aharon’s strategy regarding those who ultimately worshiped the Golden Calf? Which tactics did he use?

What was the core of the sin of the people who ultimately worshiped the Golden Calf?
When was the first time that people tried to understand that which they couldn’t?

How is the Golden Calf related to the sin in Eden?

Where did Eliyahu meet Rabbi Shimon?

What verse was discussed when Eliyahu met Rabbi Shimon? What was Rabbi Shimon’s explanation? What did Eliyahu say?

What was merged together at the time of creation (according to the teaching cited by Eliyahu)?

What was the contradiction in Rashi regarding interpreting the Red Heifer? How did we resolve the contradiction?

What is the relationship between the Golden Calf and the Red Heifer?

Why are the laws of Shabbat repeated in Parashat Vayakhel?

In what way are the laws of Mishkan and Shabbat interrelated?

Did God use strength to create?

In what way does man emulate God by resting on Shabbat?

Why is the law of fire singled out in Parashat Vayakhel?

Which for people were involved in the building of the Mishkan? Who was “unexpected”?

What is the Idea of Tzimzum?

Which biblical character whom we previously met was related to Betzalel?

Which later Biblical character is related to Betzalel?

What happened to Hur?

What was surprising about the age of Betzalel? 

What did Shlomo ask for in his dream?

What is the position of the Rambam vis a vis korbanot which is attacked by the Ramban?

What does Hoshea say regarding sacrifices?

What is the visceral (or cathartic) explanation of the Ramban of korbanot?

What is the mystical explanation of the Ramban of korbanot?

What does the Rambam say regrading korbanot in the 3^rdtemple?

How does the Rambam understand the verse which speaks of the lion and the lamb?

How does Rav Kook understand the verse which speaks of the lion and the lamb?

What does Rav Kook say regrading korbanot in the 3^rdtemple?

In what way was Rav Kook’s attitude to vegetarianism and korbanot complicated?

Which sin offering did Aharon bring on the day of the consecration of the Mishkan? Why?

Which burnt offering did Aharon bring on the day of the consecration of the Mishkan? Why?

Which sin offering did the Jewish people bring on the day of the consecration of the Mishkan?

Why would Nadav and Avihu have been motivated to take initiative on that particular day?

What didn’t happen which may have motivated Nadav and Avihu to act?

Which day is mentioned in present tense in three books of the Torah?

What are the two instances of narrative in the book of Vayikra?

How did we define Tumah?

What is the most severe type of Tumah?

What are the common denominator of the medium level of Tumah?

What was the explanation of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai for the sin offering of the mother who gave birth?

What was the sin offering of the new mother? Why is the identity of the offering instructive?

Did every "sin offering" indicate a sin had taken place? Give examples

To what did the Baal Haturim  compare the seven days after childbirth?

How could the seven days after childbirth be related to niddah?

Why would a new mother need to bring a sin offering for Eve?

Which two separate concepts are equated with the three major sins? What do we learn from this?

Why does the leper need to be in isolation?

Which two biblical passages suggest that leprosy is related to improper speech?

Who is the first biblical character to misuse speech?

How is God’s speaking to Moshe different in parashat Kedoshim in terms of intended audience?
In what way does parashat kedoshim restate the 10 commandments?
Which verse follows “love your neighbor “?
How did Shamai understand “one foot”?
How did Hillel understand “one foot”?
How does Hillel’s one principle include both interpersonal and man-God relationships?
How does shatnez relate to Cain and Abel?
What does the king say to the two friends?

What does the Ramban consider to be one of the greatest secrets of the Torah?

What is the connection between Shabbat, releasing the slave and the laws of Shemita?

What narrative does the Ramban say can NOT be understood from the actual text?

In the Ramban’s day what were the two prominent positions regarding the age of the world?

What is the idea of “Cosmic Jubilees”?

What is a “Tochecha”?

Contemporary Halacha

What is “consent by deception”?

What is consent under duress?

Why have states not legislated against “consent by deception”?

What was the case of the people travelling on the road who were attacked by pirates? 

What was the case adjudicated by the Sh’vut Yakov? What was his decision? What was his precedent?

What was the case adjudicated by the Maharik? What was his decision?

Can a person do anything to save their own lives?

What is the complication which the Rabbis read into the Book of Esther?

What was the objection of the Noda Beyehuda - to the ruling of the Sh’vut Yakov?

How did the Noda Beyehuda “save” Esther?

What was the case of the Binyan Zion?

Which precedent did the Binyan Zion try to establish? What conditions did he state? Were they fulfilled?

Is emotional “duress” the same as rape?

Does the law of Amalek indicate a racist attitude?

Can a person “leave” Amalek? How?

Can a person become a member of Amalek? How?

Who was Timna?

How many ways can we rid the world of Amalek?

What is  Ger Tzedek?

What is a Ger Toshav?

According to the Rambam do the “7 nations” exist today?

According to the Rambam does Amalek exist today?

According to the Rambam what must be done before going to war?

What was the content of the letter sent to 3 different rabbis which started the discussion about cosmetic surgery?

What is the difference between a rabbi and a “posek”?

How did Rabbi Briesch (Chelkat Yakov) rule regarding cosmetic surgery? What was his basis?

How did Rabbi Feinstein (Igrot Moshe) rule regarding cosmetic surgery? What was his basis?

How did Rabbi Klein (Mishne Halachot) rule regarding cosmetic surgery? What was his basis?

How did Rabbi Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer) rule regarding cosmetic surgery? What was his basis?

What was counter-intuitive with the rulings of Rabbi Waldenberg and Rabbi Feinstein regarding cosmetic surgery? What can we learn from this?

Is the sale of Chametz a “legal fiction”?

How does the sale of Chametz work according to Rav Moshe Feinstein?

How does the sale of Chametz work according to the Noda Beyehuda?

Is the prohibition to own Chametz on Pesach a Torah law or rabbinic law?

Is the prohibition to own Chametz after Pesach a Torah law or rabbinic law?

What is the first instance we saw of selling Chametz?

What are the 2 things which do not really belong to man?

What are the various ways to solve the prohibition of owning Chamtetz?

Give an example of a "Meta-Halacha" consideration.

What is "lifnie Iver"?

What is the Talmud's example of "lifnie Iver"?

If the person doesn’t care about law – can there be a "stumbling block"? 

What is "aiding and abetting" a sinner? (Torah law? Rabbininc law?...)

Is it a problem for a rabbi to perform a wedding for a "non-religious" couple? Explain.

What does the Talmud suggest should be the considerations of a person, and their behavior when traveling to a place which has different local customs?

In terms of the Shulchan Aruch what is the difference between the cases of a diaspora Jew traveling to Israel for a holiday, and the Israeli traveling to the diaspora for a holiday?

What is pruzbal?
Does pruzbal prove “when there is a rabbinic will there is a halachik way”?
How does the institution of pruzbal actually upkeep Torah law?
Which monetary debts does shimita not cancel?
What was the earliest source we found for selling the land of Israel during the Sabbatical year?
Why would Rav Yannai tell people to work the land in the sabbatical year?
What factors contribute to a lenient approach to shemita today?
What factors contribute to a strict approach to shemita today?

What does the Gemara say should be done if you are lost and do not know which day of the week it is?

What are the various halakhic solutions to the international dateline conundrum?

If an animal was abused in the steps leading up to slaughter is the animal still kosher?

In which case does the Talmud introduce “kifiat Yetzer” (forcing the inclination)?

Aggada

How many people went to Pardes?

What is Pardes?

What was the warning of Rabbi Akiva to the others who went to Pardes?

What was the unintended consequence of praying for the removal of the evil inclination?

Which prophecy is most useful to mystics?

What happened when the second temple was completed?

What did Aher see when he arrived in heaven?

Who was Metatron?

What is another name for "Aher"?

Who named Aher – Aher?

What two things relating to Aher were erased?

What sin did Aher commit in heaven?

What sins did Aher commit on earth?

Is there significance to Aher riding a horse?

What did Rabbi Meir do to try and counter the "Bat Kol"?

In what way did we see that Aher tried to engage Rabbi Meir in a discussion about dualism?

How many explanations did we see for "kotzetz benitiot" (cutting the plantings)? What were they?

Could Aher have done Teshuva?

How did the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov give us insight into Aher?

How did the teaching of the Vilna Gaon give us insight into Aher?

How did the teaching of Rabbi Soloveitchik give us insight into Aher?

According to our conclusion, if a person deliberately sinned intending to repent – will the repentance help? What caveat did we note? How does this help us understand the Aher story?

What does the Talmud say about Vashti?

What does the Talmud say about Haman?

What does the Talmud say about Ahashverosh?

In what way can one argue that Vashti was the hero of the Book of Ester? Is this justified?

Was Esther passive throughout the Book of Ester? Where do you see her passivity? Leadership?

What was the strategy employed by Esther?

What were the tactics employed by Esther?

What was Ahashverosh’s fatal (psychological) flaw?

What was Haman’s fatal (psychological) flaw?

Which four people does the Talmud as about (as far as being in the Torah)?

What is the common denominator regarding the four people whom the Talmud asks about?

What is the source of Haman in the Torah?

Which Biblical character is similar to Haman?

What were the personality disorders associated with Haman?

What were the personality disorders associated with Ahashverosh?

Which sense was not corrupted in the sin in Eden?

What does Mordechai represent?

What made Mordechai different from all the other people?

What is the significance of Mordechai being from Binyamin?

What is the significance of Mordechai being from Binyamin and Yehudah?

What is the verse related to Esther?

In what way is Esther hidden?

What was Esther’s real name? what is the significance?

With which character does the Zohar identify Esther?

How are Purim and Yom Kippur related (according to the Zohar)?

In what way has the face of the wicked son evolved?

In context (in the Torah) what was the question of the “wise son”?

In context (in the Torah) what was the answer to the “wise son”?

In context (in the Torah) what was the question of the “wicked son”?

In context (in the Torah) what was the response of the people to the question of the “wicked son”? why?

In context of the Haggada what was the answer to the question of the “wicked son”?

In context (in the Torah) what was the answer of the Torah to the question of the “wicked son”?

In context of the Haggada what was the answer to the question of the “wise son”?

How do we know that the problem with the wicked tone was tone and not content?

How did Rabbi Hiyya "update" the haggada?

Who was the wicked son in the Mechilta? What made him wicked? Whom did we relate him to historically? 

Whom was the wicked son in the Talmud Yerushalmi? What made him wicked? Who did we relate him to historically? 

What happened to the students of Rabbi Akiva – as described in the Bavli? As described by Rav Sherira Gaon? How did we reconcile these positions?

When Rabbi Akiva was young what was his attitude toward rabbis?

What contributed to the days of the omerbeing mournful?

Who was the author of the idea that the second temple was destroyed due to hatred?

Which two points did Rabbi Yochanan Ben Torta disagree with Rabbi Akiva? What were the precise words of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Torta?

What did Rabbi Akiva say when he saw “Ben Koziba”?

What earlier experience in his life may have impacted the messianic vision of Rabbi Akiva? 

What earlier experience in his life may have impacted the messianic vision of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Torta? 

What happened when Rabbi Shimon left the cave the first time?

What happened when Rabbi Shimon left the cave the second time?

What did Rabbi Shimon tell the destructive angel?

What was the metamorphosis of Rabbi Shimon?

What did the Kotzker Rebbe say about the greatness of Hillel?