Review questions Spring 2020
Aggada
What were Achashverosh’s origins?
What were Vashti’s origins?
In what way does Vashti impact the Purim story?
What psychological profile can be used to analyze the behavior of Vashti?
Why did Vashti drink?
What do we see from the various parties which Achashverosh made?
What psychological profile can be used to analyze the behavior of Achashverosh?
What insult did Vashti hurl at Achashverosh?
Why were Achashverosh’s advisors so scared about the response of the other women?
What was the psychological profile of Haman? What evidence can you bring to support this?
What was the psychological profile of Achashverosh? What evidence can you bring to support this?
How does Esther exploit the weaknesses of Haman and Achashverosh?
What was the mood of each of the participants at Esther's first party?
What was the mood of each of the participants at Esther's second party?
How far was Esther willing to go when Achashverosh went out to clear his head?
What did we learn from seeing different pictures of the wicked son?
What was the most common depiction of the wicked son in art in the middle ages? 20thcentury?
In Kibbutz Haggadah who was depicted as the wicked son?
In the text of the Torah what made the question of the wicked son different from the other sons?
In the text of the Torah what was the question of the wise son?
In the text of the Torah, how did the parents respond to the news of the son who asked the question ascribed to the wicked son?
How did the question of the wicked son differ in the Jerusalem Talmud compared to the Mechilta?
Who was the Jerusalem Talmud most likely responding to in its treatment of the “wicked son”?
Why does Lot serve Matzah?
Did Avraham serve Matzah? Why would the Midrash relate Matzah to Avraham?
In what way was Lot imperfect?
What are the elements in the Lot narrative which are reminiscent of the Exodus story?
What does the Midrash mean when it says that “David was found in Sodom”?
Who did Rabbi Akiva imagine was/or could be the messiah?
Who argued with Rabbi Akiva regarding the messianic age?
Why is it surprising that the Rambam rules like Rabbi Akiva regarding the messianic age?
Which famous teaching was authored by Rabbi Yochanan be Torta?
What does the phrase “Grass will grow from your cheeks” mean? Who said it? To whom? Why? How did the Rambam understand it?
What earlier biographical episode may have impacted the messianic vision of Rabbi Yochanan be Torta?
What earlier biographical episode may have impacted the messianic vision of Rabbi Akiva?
Which three rabbis discussed the contributions of the Romans to the quality of life in Judea? What were their responses?
Where did Rashbi (Rav Shimon Bar Yochai) hide when the Romans? First hiding place? Second hiding place?
Who did the Rashbi take with him when he hid from the Romans?
What happened when the Rashbi went to the cave? What made the situation “Eden-like”?
What happened when the Rashbi left to the cave? First time? Second time?
Who was the greatest student of Hillel? What does the Gemara say about him?
Who was the “least” of the students of Hillel? What does the Gemara say about him?
What did the Kotzker Rebbe say about Hillel? How did this apply to the Rashbi (according to the Imray Shammai)?
What did the angel tell the Rashbi was his purpose in visiting the world? What did the Rashbi respond? First time? Second time?
In what way did Rashbi change from student to teacher?
Who came to visit Rabbi Akiva when he was in prison?
Why is it difficult to discern the conversation between Rabbi Akiva and Rav Shimon Bar Yochai?
What was the response of Rabbi Akiva to the Roman decree?
What was the threat of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai to Rabbi Akiva? What did he really mean to convey?
What was the content of the last speech of Rabbi Akiva?
What did Rabbi Akiva mean when he said “If you are going to be killed- be hung by a big tree”?
Who was Rabbi Elazar ben Dordia?
What does the prostitute tell Elazar? How does he respond?
How was the second story which contained a prostitute different from the first? In what way was it similar?
What did the sun and moon tell Elazar? What was the theological significance of this interchange?
What is Elazar’s eventual conclusion?
In what position do we find Elazar when he cries? What is the significance?
In what way was Elazar ben Dordia a Rabbi?
What made Rebbe say that there are 7 books of the Torah? what are the Seven bools?
What made Moshe seem suicidal?
Why did Resh Lakish jump into the Jordan river?
What were the first words that Rav Yochanan said to Resh Lakish? What was Rav Yochanan thinking?
What were the most painful words that Rav Yochanan said to Resh Lakish? What was Rav Yochanan thinking?
What did Resh Lakish do when Rav Issi was kidnapped?
What did Rav Yochanan do when Rav Issi was kidnapped?
What act of Resh Lakish indicated that Teshuva motivated by love – could turn a sin into merit? How does that work?
Parasha
How does the building make sense according to the Ramban in terms of the Torah sequence?
How does the building of the Mishkan make sense according to Rashi?
How are the Ark and Tablets related to Sinai?
What is strange about the choice of the Keruvim?
What are the Keruvim?
What do the Keruvim represent?
In what way were the Keruvim “cheapened”? By whom were they cheapened”?
What is strange about the Keruvim embracing at the time of the destruction?
Where is the first time the Keruvim are mentioned?
In what way are Adam and Eve parallel to the Tablets of Stone?
Which date appears in real-time in three of the books of the Torah?
What is tumah?
What is tahara?
Why does a new mother bring the sin offering?
Why does a nazir bring a sin offering?
How is a nazir like and not like a kohen? Kohen Gadol?
Is a sin offering always for sin?
What is the most severe tumah?
What is the overarching issue in Parashat Emor?
In what way is a vow creating an abode for God? How does this connection work in Hebrew? Who was the first that made a vow which supports this association?
In what way do Jews declare the Holidays holy?
In what way do Jews declare the Shabbat holy?
In what way is the holiness different from Shabbat as opposed to holidays (in terms of the direction of the holiness?
In what way is counting the Omer a declaration of holiness?
What are the two narratives in the Book of Vayikra? How are they polar opposites?
How is the story of the blasphemer thematically connected to Parashat Emor?
Which sins are highlighted in the Gemara as a cause of exile and destruction?
Which sins are highlighted in the tochecha in Bechukotai as a cause of exile and destruction?
What did the Ramban consider to be one of the great secrets of the Torah?
How is the Sabbatical cycle related to the age of the world?
How did Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz respond to the news that fossils and dinosaurs were found?
What did Rabbi Yitzchak from Acco add to the teaching of the Ramban?
How would the Ramban understand the verse “In the Beginning, God created- the world was desolate and empty”?
According to the Vilna Gaon who is an essential character in the messianic drama?
When the war against Amalek was waged - who was chosen to lead the battle? Why? What tribe was he from?
Which place is Yosef compared to?
Where do we see the psychological condition of projection in the story of the spies?
Why did Yehoshua initially not respond to the report of the spies? Who did respond?
What is the Aramaic word for “grasshopper”? what is the significance?
What was the content of the murmurings in the tents when the people heard the report of the spies?
In the Korach episode, how many groups were there?
What was the punishment of the 250 men? What was this reminiscent of?
What was the punishment of Datan and Aviram? What was this reminiscent of?
Who was the first to say to Moshe “who made you judge”? What was this reminiscent of?
What happened to Ohn ben Pelet?
What was the significance of the behavior of the wife of Ohn?
What was Moshe accused of during the Korach episode? why?
Law and Ethics
What was the story cited in the Shvut Yakov?
How is Esther connected to the ruling of the Shvut Yakov?
What was the story cited in the Maharik?
How is Esther connected to the ruling of the Maharik?
What was the precedent cited in the Shvut Yakov from the Maharik?
Is culpability of a crime completely correlated with ramifications of one’s actions?
Why did the Noda Beyehuda object to the ruling of the Shvut Yakov?
How did the Noda Beyehuda “save” Esther?
What complication do the rabbis read into the relationship between Mordechai and Esther?
Is the sale of the land of Israel during shemita (the sabbatical year) a legal fiction?
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 Beyehudah?
Can a person execute a marriage using cake? On Pesach?
In what way are Chametz on Pesach and a pit in a public area similar?
When did the mourning customs of the Sefira begin? Which earlier episode is mentioned as a reason?
What were the original elements of mourning during the Sefira?
Why would/ and why wouldn’t recorded music be included in the mourning of the Sefira?
Which four obligations exist between children and parents?
If a parent tells a child to desecrate Shabbat should they listen? How do we know?
Can a parent lose their privileges of filial responsibilities?
If apparent does “teshuva” does it do anything to the child’s responsibility?
If a parent is abusive to a child can the child stay away from the parent?
Does a child have to obey the parents' wishes?
What constitutes honor of parents?
What constitutes reverence of parents?
What was the first thing Rav Assi’s mother asked for? How did he respond?
What was the second thing Rav Assi’s mother asked for? How did he respond?
What was the third thing Rav Assi’s mother said? How did he respond?
What did the Rambam learn from the narrative of Rav Assi? Did he see the story primarily speaking about Zionism or filial responsibility?
What is the Rambam’s conclusion regarding a child’s responsibility to a parent with dementia? What is the best-case scenario? What is acceptable?
Could one argue in favor of the suicide of King Saul?
What is complex- or even contradictory about the response (or responses) of Rabbi Chanaya Ben Tradyon to the executioner?
What is strange about the argument which Rabbe Tam makes in terms of martyrdom? Which 2 leaps of logic does he make?
What was the case of the 400 kids?
Which same question was asked of multiple rabbis independently?
What was the analysis used by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein for cosmetic surgery?
What did Rabbi Waldenberg say about cosmetic surgery?
Is the International dateline a physical reality or a man-made construct?
When was the International date line created?
Who wrote “Three Sundays in a week”?
Where do rabbis posit should be the “center of the world”?
