Parshas Toldos

Pesukim: 106 [Siman:עלו ]

Haftorah: Malachi 1 1:1-2:7

Number of Mitzvos:

There are no Positive or Negative commands mentioned in Parshas Toldos.

The birth of Yaakov and Eisav:

1. Why does the verse repeat that Avraham was the father of Yitzchak?
2. How old was Yitzchak when he got married to Rivka?
3. Why did Yitzchak wait so long to marry Rivka if a person is supposed to get married at age 18?
4. Why did you Yitzchak not marry another wife like his father Avraham?
5. What was the source of the pain of Rivka’s pregnancy?
6. Who did Rivka go to consult regarding her difficult pregnancy?
7. Did Rivka regret becoming pregnant due to the pain?
8. Why did with Rivka not consult with her husband or father-in-law regarding her pregnancy?
9. What two special people came out of Yaakov and Eisav that are referred to in the verse describing the prophecy that she will give birth to two nations?
10. What did the prophet tell Rivka? Which son will become a slave to the other son?
11. What color hair was the first son born with?
12. Was Eisav circumcised?
13. How do we know that Yaakov was born without hair ?
14. What is the source of the names Eisav and Yaakov?
15. How old was Yitzhak when he fathered Eisav and Yaakov?
16. Why did Yitzchak wait so long to Daven for his wife to have children?
17. What was the occupation of Eisav and Yaakov?
18. Which son did Yitzchak love and which did Rivka love and why?
19. Did Avraham keep the entire Torah?

Eisav sells his birthright:

20. Why did Yaakov cook the lentils?
21. Why was Eisav tired when he returned from the field?
22. What color was the food that Yaakov was cooking?
23. Why was Eisav also called Edom?
24. At what age did Avraham pass away?
25. What was the significance of the firstborn right that Eisav sold to Yaakov? What was actually sold?
26. How did Yaakov know that Eisav would really sell his firstborn rights to him?
27. What food did Yaakov feed Eisav in exchange for buying the firstborn rights?
28. To which animal was Eisav compared to and why?

Avimelech:

29. To which city did Yitzhak travel to in the time of the famine?
30. Why didn’t Yitzhak go to Egypt due to the famine just like his father?
31. Who visited Yitzhak while he was by Avimelech?
32. Who was Avimelech and was he the same person as the one in the times of Avraham?
33. Did Yitzhak ever tell a lie?
34. Riddle humor: Why when Yitzhak would walk the streets of Gerar would everyone go to the other side?
35. What famous neighborhood is mentioned in this week’s Parsha?
36. What happened to the wells that Avraham had dug?
37. Why was Yitzchak kicked out of Gerar?
38. After Yitzchak was kicked out of Gerar, where did he move to?
39. What was the name of the first and second well that Yitzhak re-dug?
40. Which two well-known Israeli cities have their names mentioned in this week’s Parsha?
41. How many times did Hashem visit Yitzhak in this week’s Parsha?
42. What was the name of the general of Avimelech?

The wives of Eisav:

43. How old was Eisav when he got married and why?
44. What were the names of the two wives of Eisav?
45. Personal family: Who in our families name is mentioned in this week’s Parsha?
46. Riddle humor: How do we know that Basmas the wife of Eisav, was very lonely?
47. The wives of Eisav, greatly bothered Rivka but not Yitzhak.
48. How did Yitzchak become blind and why did Rivka not become blind?

The blessings-Yitzchak blesses Yaakov who impersonates Eisav:

49. How old was Yitzhak when he gave the blessings to Yaakov?
50. What happened to Yitzhak’s eyes?
51. Whose idea was it for Yaakov to steal the blessings?
52. Why did Yitzchak desire to bless Eisav who was wicked?
53. Which animals and how many did Rivka tell Yaakov to prepare for his father?
54. Why was it not considered stealing for Yaakov to take the animals from his father’s farm?
55. Who cooked the meat that Yaakov brought to his father?
56. Why didn’t Yaakov want to steal the blessings?
57. How old was Yaakov at the time that he got blessed?
58. On which day of the year did the blessings take place?
59. Riddle humor: How do we know that Rivka would still mommy Yaakov even when he was much older?
60. How did Yaakov make himself hairy?
61. On what area of the body did Yaakov have the goatskin placed on?
62. What foods did Yaakov bring to his father?
63. How many people lied in this week’s Parsha?
64. How was Yaakov’s lie not considered a true lie when he said that he is Eisav?
65. Why did Yitzhak request from Yaakov that he should come forth so he can touch him?
66. How many times did Yitzchak ask Yaakov as to who he was, if he was really Eisav?
67. What happened first, the blessings or the eating of the meal?
68. How many times does the verse state that Yitzhak blessed that Yaakov?
69. What did Yitzhak ask Yaakov to do to him at the end of the meal and blessing?
70. What did Yaakov smell like?
71. In what famous prayer is the blessing that Yitzhak gave Yaakov written in?
72. If you were a consultant for Eisav, what would you advise him to do after he discovered that Yaakov stole the blessings, in order so that he too be blessed?
73. How long after the blessings to Yaakov did Eisav arrive?
74. How did Eisav speak disrespectfully to his father?
75. Why did Yitzhak become so fearful when he discovered that Yaakov stole the blessings?
76. What commentary of Eisav on the Torah is recorded in the Parsha.
77. Riddle humor: How do we know that Eisav was a big crybaby?
78. How many times did Eisav cry?
79. How many times did Eisav asked his father for a blessing?
80. What blessing did Yitzchak give Eisav in the end and what’s the difference between that blessing and the blessing that he gave Yaakov?

Yaakov is sent to Padan Aram:

81. Who told Rivka that Eisav wanted to kill Yaakov?
82. Who was Lavan and where did he live
83. Who was Eisav’s third wife?

Answers

1. To negate the scoffers of the generation who said he was born from Avimelech
2. 40 years old
3. As he knew that Rivka would be his future wife had to wait for to be of age. Alternatively, because he was busy learning Torah until that age.
4. He could not marry a maidservant because he was considered like a sacrifice to God with extra holiness. He did not desire to marry another equal wife due to his love for Rivka.
5. The twins kicking at their mom’s stomach every time she passed an area of worship. Eisav would kick when she passed by a house of idolatry, while Yaakov would kick whenever she passed by a house of Torah learning.
6. The Yeshiva of Sheim.
7. Yes according to Rashi, no according to Ramban.
8. She did not want to pain them by revealing her predicament.
9. Rebbe Yehuda Hannasi and Antoninus
10. The older will be a slave to the younger
11. Red
12. Some say that he was not circumcised being that he had a reddish color to his skin of which Jewish law mandates to delay the circumcision until his skin returns to normal color. By that time, Eisav was already an adult and refused to get circumcised.
13. It says it later on in the verse discussing Yaakov’s impersonation of his brother that he was smooth skinned without hair
14. Eisav is rooted in the fact that he was hairy, and Yaakovs name is rooted in the fact that he grabbed onto Eisav’s heel.
15. 60 years old
16. He waited the first 10 years until Rivka turned 13 years of age old enough to have children. He waited another 10 years as that is the amount of time you wait prior to divorcing if you don’t have children.
17. Eisav was a hunter of the field and a farmer while Yaakov was a Torah learner
18. Yitzchak loved Eisva while Rivka loved Yaakov
19. This matter is debated in the commentators
20. As his grandfather Avraham passed away.
21. As he had finished killing Nimrod
22. Red
23. Due to the food which he ate that was red
24. 175
25. he sold the rights of the firstborn to serve in the temple and receive the blessings
26. he made a swear
27. Bread lentils and wine
28. The pig
29. Gerar
30. Because he was considered like a sacrifice to God with extra holiness and thus could not leave Israel.
31. God
32. He was the king of Gerar, and some commentators say that he was not the same one as the time of Avraham
33. Yes, he did, he said that his wife was really his sister
34. As the king said whoever touches him is put to death so everyone was afraid of touching him.
35. Meiah Shearim
36. The Philistines filled them up with earth
37. As he became too rich and they became jealous
38. Nachal Gerar.
39. Eisek and sitna
40. Ber Shiva and Rechovot
41. ???
42. Pichol
43. 40 as he wanted to get married the same age as his father to replicate him as a holy man
44. Yehudis and Basmas
45. Options: Yehudis, Basmas, Machlas, Yaakov, Yitzchak, Avimelech
46. As she was the daughter of alone.
47. False
48. He became blind due to the incense of idolatry prepared by the wives of the son Eisav, however his wife Rivka was used to it from home already.
49. 122
50. Became blind
51. Rivka
52. To assist him and help him become better
53. Two goats
54. As Rivka was allotted two goats daily in her Kesuba
55. Rivka
56. He was afraid of being discovered as an impersonator and then being cursed by his father
57. 63
58. The night of Passover
59. The verse states that she got him dressed
60. Using goatskin
61. Hands and neck
62. Bread and meat and wine
63. Three, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and Eisav
64. As he meant to say I am [who I am and] Eisav is your firstborn
65. As he suspected that he was an impersonator
66. ??
67. First he blessed, then he ate, and then he blessed again
68. Three
69. To kiss him
70. the garden of Eden
71. Vayiten Lecha
72. To bless Yaakov, and as a result he too will be blessed, as was promised to Yaakov that whoever blesses him is blessed.
73. As Yaakov left the room he arrived
74. he told him to get up
75. three reasons: 1) he feared that he gave the blessings to the wrong son; 2) he feared that he sinned against the firstborn right 3) he saw the gates of purgatory open in front of him
76. Eisav explained why Yaakov’s name was Yaakov, and that is because he tricked him twice.
77. As he asked for something and father said no and he cried and he asked again and father said no and he cried again.
78. ????
79. 4
80. The order, he gave Yaakov first the dew from heaven and then the fat of the earth
81. Ruach Hakodesh
82. brother of Rivka and he lived in Haran
83. Machlas, the daughter of Ishmael.

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