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REVIEW QUESTIONS ON GEMARA AND RASHI

prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem

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Sotah 35

SOTAH 31-35 - These Dafim have been dedicated by Mrs. Estanne Abraham-Fauer in honor of the first Yahrzeit (18 Teves 5761) of her father, Reb Mordechai ben Eliezer Zvi (Weiner). May the merit of supporting and advancing the study of the Talmud be l'Iluy Nishmaso.

1)

(a) The Pasuk writes "Va'yashuvu mi'Tur ha'Aretz ... Va'yelchu Va'yavo'u". Why does the Torah add the word "Va'yelchu, which appears superfluous?

(b) "Efes Ki Az ha'Am" (implying that the land is unconquerable) was a lie. Why did the spies precede this with the statement that the land does indeed flow with milk and honey, which is true?

(c) On what grounds did the people stop Yehoshua from speaking?

(d) How did Kalev cunningly get them to listen to him without stopping him?

2)
(a) What did Kalev subsequently say?

(b) What did he mean when he said "Aloh Na'aleh Ve'yarashnu Osah"?

(c) The other spies insisted however, that it was impossible to capture the land.
What did they mean when they said "Ki Chazak Hu Mimenu"?

(d) What did Hashem comment when they called Eretz Yisrael "Eretz Ocheles Yoshvehah"?

3)
(a) Some say that a great man had just died and it was when the spies saw the size of the Hesped, they perhaps thought that many people had died and expressed the above comment.
What was the name of the person?

(b) The spies said "Va'nehi be'Eineinu ka'Chagavim, *ve'Chein Hayinu be'Einehem"*.
What does Rav Mesharshaya comment on this?

(c) What was his mistake?

4)
(a) On what date did the spies return? What was Hashem's response to Yisrael's tears?

(b) How does Rebbi Chiya bar Aba explain the juxtaposition of the two phrases "Va'yomru Kol ha'Eidah Li'rgom Osam ba'Avanim, u'Chevod Hashem Nir'ah be'Ohel Mo'ed"?

(c) According to Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, the spies died of croup (an illness in the throat which fits the crime of Lashon ha'Ra.
How does he Darshen this from the Pasuk "Va'yamusu ha'Anashim ... *ba'Mageifah* Lifnei Hashem"?

(d) How did they die, according to Resh Lakish?

5)
(a) When did the wall of water (of the Yarden) return to its course?

(b) What happened then to the Kohanim?

(c) Why can the Pasuk in Divrei Hayamim "Va'yehi Ka'asher Tam Kol ha'Am La'avor, Va'ya'avor Aron Hashem ve'ha'Kohanim" (suggesting that the Kohanim crossed to the west bank of the Yarden immediately, together with the rest of the people) not be in its correct place?

6)
(a) How did the above episode cause Uza's death, many years later? Who was Uza?

(b) Rebbi Yochanan and Rebbi Elazar argue over this. One of them learns that Uza died for the reason that we just explained, and "Va'yakeihu Sham *al ha'Shal*" [Shmuel] means because of his mistake.
How does the other one explain "Va'yakeihu Sham *al ha'Shal*"?

(c) What does Rebbi Yochanan learn from the Pasuk "Va'yamas Sham Im Aron ha'Elokim"?

7)
(a) How does Rebbi Elazar explain the Pasuk "*Va'yichar* le'David al Asher Paratz Hashem be'Uza"?

(b) Why can we not explain every "Va'yichar" in T'nach in this way?

8)
(a) What does the Pasuk in Tehilim "Zemiros Hayu Li Chukecha be'Veis Megurai" have to do with this episode? When did David make this statement?

(b) Hashem's response to David's statement lies in the Pesukim "Ha'sa'if Einecha Bo ve'Einenu" (Mishlei) and "ve'Livnei Kehos Lo Nasan ... " (Naso). What was Hashem's response?

(c) When the Aron returned from the P'lishtim (in the time of Shmuel), the people of Beis Shemesh died because they looked at (or inside) the Aron. What is the problem with this?

(d) Rebbi Avahu and Rebbi Elazar argue over the real reason for their death. One of them ascribes it to the fact that they carried on reaping even as they bowed down to the Aron.
To what does the other one ascribe it? What did they say?

Answers to questions

35b---------------------------------------35b

9)

(a) The Pasuk in Shmuel gives the number of those who died as seventy men and fifty thousand men. Rebbi Avahu and Rebbi Elazar argue over its interpretation. One of them explains that each of the seventy men who died was equal to fifty thousand.
How does the other one explain it?

(b) How does Rav Papa bar Shmuel reconcile the Pasuk in Shmuel which describes how, when David transported the Aron to the house of Oved Edom ha'Giti, they sacrificed an ox and a fat ox with every six steps with the Pasuk in Divrei Hayamim, where it writes seven bulls and seven rams?

(c) Rav Chisda objects to this explanation, on the grounds that this would have entailed filling the land with Bamos.
So how does *he* reconcile the two Pesukim?

10)
(a) How does Rebbi Yochanan reconcile the Pasuk in Divrei Hayamim which refers to the granary where the incident with Uza occurred as "Goren Kidon", with the Pasuk in Shmuel, which calls it "Goren Nachon"?

(b) According to Rebbi Menachem b'Rebbi Chelbo's interpretation of Rebbi Yochanan, the granary under discussion is that of Aravna ha'Yevusi, which was the location on which the Beis Hamikdash was later built.
How will we then explain 'Mit'chilah Nachon, ve'li'Besof Kidon'?

11)
(a) We learned earlier that after demolishing the Mizbe'ach that they had constructed from the twelve stones which they took from the Yarden, they set them up in Gilgal.
How many groups of stones did they set-up altogether, according to the Seifa of that Beraisa (which is quoted here)?

(b) The Pasuk explicitly obligates the setting-up of the stones in the Yarden and in Gilgal.
But from where do we learn that they did likewise already in the plains of Mo'av on the east-bank?

(c) What did Rebbi Yehudah say that elicited Rebbi Shimon's response 'According to you, how did the nations study them'?

(d) What did Rebbi Yehudah reply?

12)
(a) What does Rebbi Shimon learn from the Pasuk in Yeshayah "Ve'hayu Amim le'Misrefos Sid"?

(b) What was the significance of the words ...

  1. ... "Hacharem Tacharimem' that was written on top of the stones"?
  2. ... "Lema'an Asher Lo Yelamdu Eschem Od ... " that was written at the bottom (both of which were written there according to Rebbi Shimon)?
(c) Why would Teshuvah not help the Cana'anim who had not left Eretz Cana'an?
13)
(a) How does Rebbi Yehudah interpret the Pasuk in Yeshayah "Ve'hayu Amim le'Misrefos Sid"?

(b) Who is the author of the Beraisa which includes Cana'anim who lived in Chutz la'Aretz in the Pasuk in Ki Seitzei "Va'shaviso Shevyo"?

Answers to questions

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