Torah Trivia for Parshah 8: Vayishlach

Torah Trivia for Parshah Vayishlach

1.) Where does Yaakov send his messengers to meet Esau, and how many men does Esau bring to meet Yaakov?

Answer: Yaakov sends messengers to meet Esau in the country of Edom’s, in the land of Seir (Bereshit 32:4); and Esau brings 400 men (Bereshit 32:7, 33:1).

2.) What gifts does Yaakov send with his servants, before him, to Esau?

Answer: Yaakov sends 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 lambs, 20 rams, 30 nursing camels with young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys; Bereshit 32:14 – 16.

3.) Into how many divisions does Yaakov separate all the living beings who are with him:

a.) 2 divisions;

b.) presumably at least 5 divisions;

c.) perhaps 6 or 10 divisions;

d.) presumably, temporarily at least 6 divisions;

e.) technically, presumably, temporarily at least 7 divisions; and/or

f.) finally, presumably 5 divisions?

Answer: It may actually be a complex answer of “g.)”: all the above; an initial answer is a.) 2 divisions: Yaakov is described as dividing his “people, sheep, cattle, and camels” into 2 camps, with the rationale that at least 1 camp may be able to escape an attack (Bereshit 32:8 – 9);

however, after praying to Adonai, Yaakov provides Esau with gifts from his herd, with these gifts being divided into “droves” or “groups” consisting of presumably at least 4 different “droves” or “groups, ” in addition to the camp that stays behind with Yaakov and his family, making that: b.) presumably at least 5 divisions (Bereshit 32:20);

and with only a modest amount of agricultural acumen, it may be considered that each of the different types of animals may walk at a different pace, and therefore, according to the 5 basic types of animals described (goats, lambs, camels, cows, and donkeys) or according to the 9 total types of animals described (female goats, male goats, lambs, rams, nursing camels with young, cows, bulls, female donkeys, and male donkeys), in addition to Yaakov’s family’s camp, that is: c.) perhaps 6 or 10 divisions (Bereshit 32:14 – 17);

however, after sending the gifts of the herds to Esau, Yaakov rests with his family’s camp and temporarily further separates his family from the rest of the 2^nd major camp, and thus (simply relying upon the explicitly inferred number of “droves” or “groups” of preceding gifts) that equates to: d.) presumably, temporarily at least 6 divisions: a minimum of 4 droves, the 2^nd camp that remains behind, and Yaakov’s immediate family (Bereshit 32:22 – 24);

although, technically, Yaakov also sends the rest of the 2^nd camp to join his immediate family and thus that equates to 3 sub-divisions within the 2^nd camp that stays behind: Yaakov’s immediate family, the remainder of the 2^nd camp as it approaches Yaakov’s immediate family, and Yaakov himself, who stays by himself, making the answer: e.) technically, presumably, temporarily at least 7 divisions (Bereshit 32:25);

and in the morning, presumably after Esau receives all the gifts and as Yaakov approaches him, Yaakov separates his family into 3 groups: Bilhah and Zilpah and each woman’s children, Leah and her children, and Yaakov with Rachel together, and in addition to the previous gift droves that may be united within Esau’s camp and the remainder of Yaakov’s herds, that makes a total of: f.) finally, presumably 5 divisions (Bereshit 33:1 – 2).

4.) How many times does Yaakov bow before Esau?

Answer: Yaakov initially bows 7 times before Esau (Bereshit 33:3); however, soon after this description (with Yaakov and Esau subsequently hugging and weeping), there is another description of a formal presentation of Yaakov’s family to Esau, where he is described as bowing again (Bereshit 33:4 – 7).

5.) What does Yaakov name the location where he wrestles with the Angel and what metaphor does Yaakov utilise to describe his joy in reuniting with Esau?

Answer: Yaakov names the location, “Peniel” (“Divine Face”), later inference as, “Penuel,” and Yaakov states that seeing Esau’s face is like seeing the face of Elohim; Bereshit 33:10.

6.) Where does Yaakov go after Esau leaves for Seir?

Answer: Yaakov moves to Sukkot and builds a house for himself and his livestock (Bereshit 33:16 – 17); Yaakov arrives and camps outside of the city of Shechem in Canaan (Bereshit 33:18); and Yaakov purchases a nearby area of open land, from Hamor’s sons, and names the land, “El Elohey Yisrael” (“God, God of Israel”) (Bereshit 33:19 – 20).

7.) After Shechem rapes Dinah, what condition do the sons of Yaakov give to Hamor and Shechem in order for Shechem to marry Dinah; and how do Yaakov’s sons respond once this agreement is made?

Answer: Yaakov’s sons demand that Hamor, Shechem, and all the men of the city of Hamor become circumcised (Bereshit 34:11 – 17); and after all the men are circumcised, Simeon and Levi kill all the men of the city, and the sons of Yaakov capture all the treasure, herds, women, and children from the city (Bereshit 34:25 – 29).

8.) Where do Hamor and Shechem speak with the men of the city of Hamor?

Answer: Hamor and Shechem speak to the men of the city of Hamor at the city gates; Bereshit 34:20, 24.

9.) After the incidents with Hamor and Shechem, to what location does Adonai command Yaakov to travel?

Answer: Adonai commands Yaakov to travel to Beth El; Bereshit 35:1

10.) Who is buried in the valley of Beth El, at Alon Bakhuth (Weeping Oak)?

Answer: Deborah, Rivkah’s nurse, is buried at Alon Bakhuth in Beth El (Bereshit 35:8); after giving birth to Benyamin (Son of My Strong Right Hand), Rachel later passes away and is buried on the path to Ephrath (Bereshit 35:19 – 20).

11.) In what location does Yaakov reunite with Yitzak and how old is Yitzak when he passes away?

Answer: After camping in Migdal Eder, Yaakov reunites with Yitzak in Mamre, at Kiryath Arba, also known as Hebron (Bereshit 35:27); and Yitzak is 180 years old when he passes away (Bereshit 35:28 – 29).

12.) There are four parts to this question:

1.) After Yaakov returns, where does Esau relocate;

2.) between Esau and Seir, who has the increased number of sons (immediate sons only);

3.) out of all the eventual tribes of Esau that are subsequently described at the end of this Parshah, which is apparently named after Esau’s wife: a.) Timna, b.) Alvah, c.) Yetheth, d.) Oholibamah, e.) Elah, f.) Pinon, g.) Kenaz, h.) Teman, i.) Mibtzar, j.) Magdiel, and/or k.) Iram;

4.) and what metaphor does Yaakov utilise in describing the numerous progeny that Adonai promises to him: a.) drops of water in the Ocean, b.) sands of the desert, c.) grass in the field, d.) leaves on a tree, e.) Stars in the Sky, f.) dust of the Earth, and/or g.) sands of the Sea?

Answer:

1.) Esau travels to the hill country of Seir (Bereshit 36:8);

2.) Seir has an increased number of sons, 7 (Lotan, Shoval, Ziv’on, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan) (Bereshit 36:20 – 21), compared to the 5 sons of Esau (Eliphaz, Reuel, Yeush, Yalam, and Korach) (Bereshit 36:4 – 5);

3.) The tribe is: d.) Oholibamah is the name of Esau’s 3^rd wife (Bereshit 36:2, 41);

Timna is the name of one of Esau’s daughters in law (Bereshit 36:12, 40);

Kenaz is the name of one of Esau’s grandsons (Bereshit 36:15, 42);

Teman is the name of one of Esau’s grandsons (Bereshit 36:11, 42);

There is an apparent absence of any previous, specific reference to the names of Alvah, Yetheth, Elah, Pinon, Mibtzar, Magdiel, Iram (Bereshit 36:40 – 43); (corrections and further explanations to this answer are very welcome).

4.) Yakov utilises the metaphor: a.) sands of the Sea; (Bereshit 32:13).

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Discussion Questions:

What is/are appropriate English translations for Yisrael: wrestling with God? Struggling with God? Prevailing against God? Struggling and prevailing with God? And/or something else?

After violating Dinah, Shechem and Hamor offer to Yaakov and his family the opportunity to settle in the city of Hamor. What is the nature of tribal relations, during that time, particularly between nomadic herdspeople and city dwellers; and what are the implications, and preferences, for a nomadic herdspeople being invited to settle within a city?

How do idols re-emerge within the House of Yaakov, and what are those implications, considering Yaakov’s transformation?

Is there any connexion between the passing of Deborah and the passing of Rachel? Is there any previous, specific description of Deborah, and what is the significance of her passing?

Amidst Yaakov’s tremendous affection for Rachel, it seems that there is little evidence of Rachel’s reciprocal affection towards Yaakov (particularly compared with Rivkah’s willingness to leave and marry Yitzak); instead, Rachel experiences a certain amount of infertility, desperation to the point of offering her servant to have children with Yaakov, purchases the duda’im from Leah only to have Leah conceive 3 additional children by Yaakov, and then, in futility, names her child, “Ben Oni” (“Son of My Sorrow”) immediately before she passes away whilst in transit to another residence; what relief from sorrow (“Yosef”), what joy, does Rachel experience since meeting Yaakov at the well? Bereshit 35:16 – 20 (and additionally).

What is the connexion between the respective lineages of Esau and Seir, and what are the circumstances regarding the names of the tribes of Esau being seemingly derived from women? Bereshit 36:1 – 43.