Torah
Trivia for Parshah 30. Kedoshim
(Questions Only)
1.)
Can you describe the 4 mitzvot, from the “10 Commandments,” that are
reiterated within the immediate opening of this Parshah?
2.)
Can you describe what portions of an agriculturalist’s (farmer’s)
harvest the agriculturalist is commanded to leave unharvested for the poor and
the stranger? (19:9 – 10)
3.)
Can you describe the 3 additional mitzvot, also from the “10
Commandments,” that are also reiterated, later within the first chapter of this
Parshah?
4.)
Can you describe upon whom a person is to show favour when judging a
dispute between 2 people: a.) the poor;
b.) the rich; c.) a
friend; d.) a family member; e.) a
stranger; f.) a kohen;
and/or, g.) a leper?
5.)
Can you describe which of these mitzvot are absent from the “1st
extended listing” of mitzvot within this Parshah:
a.) Providing expedient wages to a worker;
b.) Being courteous to the deaf and the blind;
c.) Being honest when dealing with one’s kinsfolk;
d.) Being dutiful in protecting the life of one’s
neighbour;
e.) Maintaining compassion for one’s kinsfolk;
f.)
Correcting one’s kinsfolk with kindness;
g.) Providing forgiveness towards one’s neighbour;
h.) Loving one’s neighbour as one’s self;
i.)
Mating a cattle only with the same species;
j.)
Sowing a field with only one type of seed;
k.) Wearing clothing with only one type of
material;
6.)
Can you describe the number of years children of Israel are commanded to
wait, when first entering Eretz Israel (“the Promised Land”), before eating
from newly planted fruit trees?
7.)
Can you describe which of these mitzvah are absent from the “2nd
extended listing” of mitzvot within this Parshah:
a.) Abstaining from the consumption of blood;
b.) Abstaining from divination and soothsaying;
c.) Allowing the corners of one’s hair to grow;
d.) Abstaining from cutting one’s self when in
mourning;
e.) Abstaining from tattoos;
f.)
Preventing one’s daughter from prostitution;
g.) Maintaining Shabbat and venerating Adonai’s
sanctuary;
h.) Abstaining from fortune-tellers and false
ghost-communicators;
i.)
Respecting the elderly; and/or,
j.)
Maintaining awe towards Adonai?
8.)
The mitzvah to “love the ger (stranger)” is included within Parshah
Kedoshim (Vayikra 19:33 – 34):
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you
shall not wrong him. The stranger who
resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt: I the
LORD am your God.”
Can you describe where else, within the
Torah, this mitzvot is similarly communicated?
9.)
Can you describe a.) the 3 types
of measurement that are specifically listed within the mitzvah for utilising
fair measurements; and b.) the specific measuring tools that are
explicitly described as an example of this?
10.)
Can you describe the punishment that Adonai commands upon a person who
sacrifies a child to Molekh?
11.)
Can you describe which of these offences, when committed by a man, are
prescribed the death penalty?
a.) Insulting his far or mor;
b.) Committing adultery with another man’s wife;
c.) Having sexual intercourse with the wife of his
far;
d.) Having sexual intercourse with his
daughter-in-law;
e.) Having sexual intercourse with another man;
f.)
Marrying a woman and her mor;
g.) Committing bestiality;
h.) Marrying his sister;
i.)
Having sexual intercourse with a woman amidst
the discharge of her menstrual flow;
j.)
Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his mor’s sister, or his far’s
sister;
k.) Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt), his oncle’s wife; and/or,
l.)
Marrying his brother’s wife?
12.)
Can you describe which of these offences, when committed by a man, are
prescribed either exile from the community, dying without children, and/or some
additional punishment?
a.) Insulting his far or mor;
b.) Committing adultery with another man’s wife;
c.) Having sexual intercourse with the wife of his
far;
d.) Having sexual intercourse with his
daughter-in-law;
e.) Having sexual intercourse with another man;
f.)
Marrying a woman and her mor;
g.) Committing bestiality;
h.) Marrying his sister;
i.)
Having sexual intercourse with a woman amidst
the discharge of her menstrual flow;
j.)
Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his mor’s sister, or his far’s
sister;
k.) Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his oncle’s wife; and/or,
l.)
Marrying his brother’s wife?
Torah
Trivia for Parshah 30. Kedoshim (with
Answers)
1.)
Can you describe the 4 mitzvot, from the “10 Commandments,” that are
reiterated within the immediate opening of this Parshah?
Answer: The
4 mitzvot are: 1.) praising Adonai; 2.)
honouring mor and far; 3.) maintaining Shabbat; and, 4.)
abstaining from idol worship:
“The
LORD spoke to (Moshe), saying: Speak to
the whole Israelite community and say to them:
“You
shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
“You shall each revere his mother and his father,
and keep My Sabbaths: I the LORD am your
God.
“Do
not turn to idols or make molten (deities) for yourselves: I the LORD am your God.”
(Vayikra 19:1 – 4); (respectively compared with Shmot 20:1 –
3; 20:12; 20:8 – 11; and,
20:4 – 6).
2.)
Can you describe what portions of an agriculturalist’s (farmer’s)
harvest the agriculturalist is commanded to leave unharvested for the poor and
the stranger? (19:9 – 10)
Answer:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way
to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or
gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard;
you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the LORD am your God.”
3.)
Can you describe the 3 additional mitzvot, also from the “10
Commandments,” that are also reiterated, later within the first chapter of this
Parshah?
Answer: The
3 additional mitzvot are: 1.) abstinence from stealing; 2.) abstinence
from lying; and, 3.) abstinence from swearing falsely by the name
of Adonai:
“You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely
with one another. You shall not swear
falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God; I am the LORD.” (Vayikra 19:11 – 12); (respectively compared with Shmot 20:13; 20:13;
and, 20:7).
4.)
Can you describe upon whom a person is to show favour when judging a
dispute between 2 people: a.) the poor;
b.) the rich; c.) a
friend; d.) a family member; e.) a
stranger; f.) a kohen;
and/or, g.) a leper?
Answer: The answer, presumably, is “h.)”: an absence of any one the above:
“You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favour the poor or show deference to
the rich; judge your kinsman
fairly.” (Vayikra 19:15).
5.)
Can you describe which of these mitzvot are absent from the “1st
extended listing” of mitzvot within this Parshah:
a.) Providing expedient wages to a worker;
b.) Being courteous to the deaf and the blind;
c.) Being honest when dealing with one’s kinsfolk;
d.) Being dutiful in protecting the life of one’s
neighbour;
e.) Maintaining compassion for one’s kinsfolk;
f.)
Correcting one’s kinsfolk with kindness;
g.) Providing
forgiveness towards one’s neighbour;
h.) Loving one’s neighbour as one’s self;
i.)
Mating a cattle only with the same species;
j.)
Sowing a field with only one type of seed;
k.) Wearing clothing with only one type of
material;
Answer: The
answer is: “l.)” all the above mitzvot are actually included
within the the “1st extended listing” within “Kedoshim”:
“You shall not defraud your fellow. You shall not commit robbery. The wages of a labourer shall not remain with
you until morning.
“You shall not insult the deaf, or place a
stumbling block before the blind. You
shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
“Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your
fellow: I am the LORD.
“You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your
heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no
guilt because of him. You shall not take
vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD.
“You
shall observe My laws.
“You shall not let your cattle mate with a
different kind; you shall not sow your
field with two kinds of seed; you shall
not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material.” (Vayikra 19:13 – 14, 17 – 19).
6.)
Can you describe the number of years children of Israel are commanded to
wait, when first entering Eretz Israel (“the Promised Land”), before eating
from newly planted fruit trees?
Answer:
“When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard
its fruit as forbidden. Three years it
shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten.
In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation
before the LORD; and only in the fifth
year may you use its fruit—that its yield to you may be increased: I the LORD am your God.” (Vayikra 19:23 – 25).
7.)
Can you describe which of these mitzvot are absent from the “2nd
extended listing” of mitzvot within this Parshah:
a.) Abstaining from the consumption of blood;
b.) Abstaining from divination and soothsaying;
c.) Allowing the corners of one’s hair to grow;
d.) Abstaining from cutting one’s self when in
mourning;
e.) Abstaining from tattoos;
f.)
Preventing one’s daughter from prostitution;
g.) Maintaining Shabbat and venerating Adonai’s
sanctuary;
h.) Abstaining from fortune-tellers and false
ghost-communicators;
i.)
Respecting the elderly; and/or,
j.)
Maintaining awe towards Adonai?
Answer: The
answer is: “k.)” all the above mitzvot are included within the
“2nd listing” within “Kedoshim”:
“You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not round off the side-growth on
your head, or destroy the side-growth of your beard. You shall not make gashes in your flesh for
the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves:
I am the LORD.
“Do not degrade your daughter and make her a
harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with
depravity. You shall keep My Sabbaths
and venerate My sanctuary: I am the
LORD.
“Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of
familiar spirits, to be defiled by them:
I the LORD am your God.
“You shall rise before the aged and show deference
to the old; you shall fear your
God: I am the LORD.” (Vayikra 19:26 – 32).
8.)
The mitzvah to “love the ger (stranger)” is included within Parshah
Kedoshim (Vayikra 19:33 – 34):
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you
shall not wrong him. The stranger who
resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt: I the
LORD am your God.”
Can you describe where else, within the
Torah, this mitzvot is similarly communicated?
Answer: The proceeding is a listing of some similar
passages:
“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for
you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
(Shmot 22:20);
“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the
feeling of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of
Egypt.” (Shmot 23:9);
“If a stranger who dwells with you would offer the
passer to the LORD, all his males must be circumcised; then he shall be admitted to offer it; he shall then be as a citizen of the
country. But no uncircumcised person may
eat of it. There shall be one law for
the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.” (Shmot 12:48 – 49);
“You shall have one standard for stranger and
citizen alike: for I the LORD am your
God.” (Vayikra 24:22);
“And when, throughout the ages, a stranger who has
taken up residence with you, or one who lives among you, would present a gift
of pleasing odor to the LORD—as you do, so shall it be done by the rest of the
congregation. There shall be one law for
you and for the resident stranger; it
shall be a law for all time throughout the ages. You and the stranger shall be alike before
the LORD; the same ritual and the same rule
shall apply to you and the stranger who resides among you.” (Bamidbar 15:14 – 16);
“I charged your magistrates at that time as
follows: ‘Hear out your fellow men, and
decide justly between any man and a fellow Israelite or a stranger. You shall not be partial in judgment: hear out low and high alike. Fear no man, for judgment is God’s.” (Devarim 1:16 – 17);
“For the LORD your God is God supreme and LORD
supreme, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favour and
takes no bribe, but upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and
befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing.—You too must
befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Devarim 10:17 – 19);
“You shall not abuse a needy and destitute
labourer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities
of your land.” (Devarim 24:14);
“You shall not subvert the rights of the stranger
or the fatherless; you shall not take a
widow’s garment in pawn. Remember that
you were a slave in Egypt and that the LORD your God redeemed you from
there; therefore do I enjoin you to
observe this commandment.” (Devarim
24:17 – 18);
“You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD,
your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of
Israel, your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from
woodchopper to water drawer—to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God,
which the LORD your God is concluding with you this day, with its sanctions; to the end that (Adonai) may establish you
this day as (Adonai’s) people and be your God, as (Adonai) promised you and as
(Adonai) swore to your fathers, (Avraham), (Yitzak), and (Yaakov). I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not
with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day
before the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here this day.” (Devarim 29:9 – 14).
9.)
Can you describe a.) the 3 types
of measurement that are specifically listed within the mitzvah for utilising
fair measurements; and b.) the specific measuring tools that are
explicitly described as an example of this?
Answer:
a.) The 3 types of measurement are length, weight,
and volume:
“You shall not falsify measures of
length, weight, or capacity.” (Vayikra
19:35);
b.) The measuring devices include balances and
scales, as well as containers for both dry products (an ephah = 1 bushel = 35
liters) and liquid products (a hin = 1.5 gallons = 6 liters):
“You shall have an honest balance, honest weights,
an honest ephah, and an honest hin.”
(Vayikra 19:36).
10.)
Can you describe the punishment that Adonai commands upon a person who
sacrifies a child to Molekh?
Answer: Adonai commands the death penalty for such an
offence:
“And
the LORD spoke to (Moshe): Say further
to the Israelite people:
“Anyone among the Israelites, or among the
strangers residing in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall
be put to death; the people of the land
shall pelt him with stones.” (Vayikra
20:1 – 2).
11.)
Can you describe which of these offences, when committed by a man, are
prescribed the death penalty?
a.) Insulting his far or mor;
b.) Committing adultery with another man’s wife;
c.) Having sexual intercourse with the wife of his
far;
d.) Having sexual intercourse with his
daughter-in-law;
e.) Having sexual intercourse with another man;
f.)
Marrying a woman and her mor;
g.) Committing bestiality;
h.) Marrying his sister;
i.)
Having sexual intercourse with a woman amidst
the discharge of her menstrual flow;
j.)
Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his mor’s sister, or his far’s
sister;
k.) Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt), his oncle’s wife; and/or,
l.)
Marrying his brother’s wife?
Answer: The
proceeding offences are prescribed the death penalty:
a.) Insulting his far or mor;
b.) Committing adultery with another man’s wife;
c.) Having sexual intercourse with the wife of his
far;
d.) Having sexual intercourse with his
daughter-in-law;
e.) Having sexual intercourse with another man;
f.)
Marrying a woman and her mor; and,
g.) Committing bestiality:
“You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I
the LORD am your God. You shall
faithfully observe My laws: I the LORD
make you holy.
“If anyone insults his father or his mother, he
shall be put to death; he has insulted
his father and his mother—his bloodguilt is upon him.
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife,
the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. If a man lies with his father’s wife, it is
the nakedness of his father that he has uncovered; the two shall be put to death—their bloodguilt
is upon them. If a man lies with his
daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed incest—their bloodguilt
is upon them. If a man lies with a male
as one lies with a woman, the tow of them have done an abhorrent thing; they shall be put to death—their bloodguilt
is upon them. If a man marries a woman
and her mother, it is depravity; both he
and they shall be put to the fire, that there be no depravity among you. If a man has carnal relations with a beast,
he shall be put to death; and you shall
kill the beast. If a woman approaches
any beast to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall be put to death—their bloodguilt
is upon them.” (Vayikra 20:1 – 16).
12.)
Can you describe which of these offences, when committed by a man, are
prescribed either exile from the community, dying without children, and/or some
additional punishment?
a.) Insulting his far or mor;
b.) Committing adultery with another man’s wife;
c.) Having sexual intercourse with the wife of his
far;
d.) Having sexual intercourse with his
daughter-in-law;
e.) Having sexual intercourse with another man;
f.)
Marrying a woman and her mor;
g.) Committing bestiality;
h.) Marrying his sister;
i.)
Having sexual intercourse with a woman amidst
the discharge of her menstrual flow;
j.)
Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his mor’s sister, or his far’s
sister;
k.) Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his oncle’s wife; and/or,
l.)
Marrying his brother’s wife?
Answer: The
proceeding offences are prescribed with exile from the community, dying without
children, and/or some additional punishment:
h.) Marry his sister;
i.)
Having sexual intercourse with a woman amidst
the discharge of her menstrual flow;
j.)
Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his mor’s sister, or his far’s
sister;
k.) Having sexual intercourse with his tante
(aunt): his oncle’s wife; and,
l.)
Marrying his brother’s wife:
“If a man marries his sister, the daughter of
either his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his
nakedness, it is a disgrace; they shall
be excommunicated in the sight of their kinsfolk. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister,
he shall bear his guilt. If a man lies
with a woman in her infirmity and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her
flow and she has exposed her blood flow;
both of them shall be cut off from among their people. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your
mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is laying bare one’s own
flesh; they shall bear their guilt. If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, it is
his uncle’s nakedness that he has uncovered.
They shall bear their guilt: they
shall die childless. If a man marries
the wife of his brother, it is indecency.
It is the nakedness of his brother that he has uncovered; they shall remain childless.” (Vayikra 20:17 – 21).
--
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
Adonai’s
command for a person to leave some of the harvest for the impoverished and the
stranger to reap seems to be a rather radical and intimate gesture for the
agriculturalist to maintain (essentially inviting people to enter unto one’s
land and detract from the livelihood of the agriculturalist); how might this mitzvah be practised within a
mercantilist economic system predicated substantially upon service? And, what are some contemporary examples of
this mitzvah being intentionally practised?
What
lessons are appropriately derived from the mitzvah to wait a number of years
before actually eating from a newly planted fruit tree? How does this connect with Adam and Chavah
and the Garden of Eden?
What
relevance does the mitzvah to “love the stranger ger (stranger)” have within
the context of “loving strangers” who live outside of Eretz Israel?
Kedoshim
includes a comparatively large listing of specific mitzvot; how may some of these mitzvot be adapted for
contemporary circumstances? Is there any
distinction within general dynamics of human behaviour that warrants additional
mitzvot to be similarly and specifically included?
The
mitzvah for utilising “fair weights and measures” seems to be very
appropriate; how do contemporary
commercial practise of subtly reducing the packaging size and weight of
products, whilst continuing to demand the same monetary price, factor within
the adherence to this mitzvah? How does
the phenomenon of inflation, itself, factor within this mitzvah? Is the “12 inches to a foot” standard or the
“100 centimeters to a meter” standard an appropriate “Universal” measurement
for humanity? What are the esoteric and
metaphysical lessons and significance within the immediacy, yet variance, of
the measure of the omer? Even amidst the
measurements of “kilowatts” and “calories,” how can the phenomenon of “energy”
(and particularly “kinetic energy”) be accurately measured, and even perceived?
How
does “Molekh” compare with “Azazel,” and how does sacrificing a child to Molekh
compare with Avraham preparing to sacrifice Yitzak to Elohim?
Amidst
all the offences for which “capital punishment” is prescribed, what is the
manner in which such punishment is to be instituted? Is there a durational and/or procedural
requirement for imposing such a punishment?
How does the phenomena of atonement, redemption, Teshuvah, and
forgiveness factor within this?
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