🐝 Parsha Bee – Q&A on Parshas Shoftim

📖 General Facts

1. Q: 📏 How many pesukim are in Parshas Shoftim?
   A: 97.
2. Q: 🔠 What is the siman for the number of pesukim?
   A: סלוא.
3. Q: 📜 What is the haftorah for Shoftim?
   A: Yeshayahu 51:12–52:12.
4. Q: 📊 How many mitzvos are in Shoftim?
   A: 41.
5. Q: ➕ How many are positive commands?
   A: 14.
6. Q: ➖ How many are negative commands?
   A: 27.

⚖️ Justice & Leadership

1. Q: 👮‍♂️ What two types of officials must be appointed in every Jewish city?
   A: Judges and police.
2. Q: 💰 Why may judges not take bribes?
   A: Bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort justice.
3. Q: 🏛 What must be done if a legal matter is too difficult for local judges?
   A: Bring it to the Beis Din Hagadol and follow their ruling.
4. Q: ⚠️ What is the punishment for deliberately disobeying the Beis Din Hagadol?
   A: Death.
5. Q: 👀 Who must be the first to carry out a death sentence?
   A: The witnesses.
6. Q: ✌️ How many witnesses are required for a capital case?
   A: Two.

🚫 Prohibited Worship & Practices

1. Q: 🌳 What type of tree may not be planted near the Mizbeach?
   A: Any tree, especially for idol worship.
2. Q: 🪨 What type of monument is forbidden to build for worship?
   A: A Matzeiva.
3. Q: 🐑 What type of korban is forbidden to bring?
   A: One with a blemish.
4. Q: 🔮 Name three forbidden occult practices mentioned in Shoftim.
   A: Divination, magic, consulting the dead.
5. Q: 🚷 What is the Torah’s attitude toward these practices?
   A: They are abominations.

👑 The King

1. Q: 🇮🇱 From where must the king be chosen?
   A: From among the Jewish people, chosen by Hashem.
2. Q: 📉 What three excesses is a king warned against?
   A: Too many horses, too many wives, too much gold/silver.
3. Q: 🐎 Why may the king not have many horses?
   A: So the people will not return to Egypt.
4. Q: 📖 What must the king write for himself?
   A: A personal Sefer Torah.
5. Q: ❤️ Why must the king read from his Sefer Torah all his life?
   A: To fear Hashem, keep mitzvos, avoid arrogance, and ensure his dynasty.

🕍 Kohanim & Levites

1. Q: 🗺 Which tribe does not receive a portion of land in Eretz Yisrael?
   A: Shevet Levi.
2. Q: 🍖 What parts of a slaughtered animal are given to the Kohen?
   A: Arm, jaw (with tongue), and stomach.
3. Q: 🌾 What agricultural gifts must be given to the Kohen?
   A: Teruma Gedola and first shearing of wool.
4. Q: 🔄 How do Kohanim and Levites serve in the Mikdash?
   A: In shifts and rotations.

📢 Prophecy

1. Q: 🗣 What is the mitzvah regarding a true prophet?
   A: To listen to him.
2. Q: ⚔️ What is the punishment for a false prophet?
   A: Death.
3. Q: 🚫 Name one prohibition related to false prophecy.
   A: Prophesying falsely in Hashem’s name or in the name of idolatry.
4. Q: 💪 What must not be done out of fear of a false prophet?
   A: Avoid killing him when required.

🏙 Cities of Refuge & Justice

1. Q: 🏃‍♂️ What special cities must be designated for accidental killers?
   A: Arei Miklat.
2. Q: ⚖️ What is the punishment for false witnesses?
   A: They receive the penalty they intended for the accused.
3. Q: 📏 What is forbidden regarding land boundaries?
   A: Moving them to steal land.
4. Q: 👤 Can one witness be accepted in a capital case?
   A: No.

⚔️ War Laws

1. Q: 🎙 Who addresses the soldiers before battle?
   A: The Kohen anointed for war.
2. Q: 🕊 What must be offered to an enemy city in an optional war before attacking?
   A: Peace.
3. Q: 🛑 What is the prohibition regarding the seven Canaanite nations?
   A: Not to let any of them live.
4. Q: 🌳 What is forbidden to destroy during a siege?
   A: Fruit trees.
5. Q: 💪 What attitude must soldiers have toward the enemy?
   A: Not to fear them.

🐄 Egla Arufa

1. Q: 🐄 What is done when a murdered body is found and the killer is unknown?
   A: The Egla Arufa ceremony.
2. Q: 🚜 What is forbidden to do to the stream where the Egla Arufa was killed?
   A: Cultivate it.

🌀 Mixed Knowledge

1. Q: ⚖️ Why must justice be pursued?
   A: So the people will live and inherit the land.
2. Q: 👀 What is the role of the witnesses in carrying out justice?
   A: To be the first to execute the sentence.
3. Q: 🗑 What is the Torah’s reason for removing idol worshipers?
   A: To eradicate evil from among the people.
4. Q: 🚷 What is the Torah’s instruction about learning from the Canaanite nations?
   A: Do not learn their abominations.
5. Q: 🕊 What is the mitzvah regarding offering peace in war?
   A: Offer peace first in optional wars.
6. Q: 🤲 What is the Torah’s command about being wholehearted with Hashem?
   A: Trust Him fully and avoid superstition.
7. Q: 🛡 What is the Kohen’s portion from war spoils?
   A: None — Shevet Levi may not take spoils.
8. Q: 🚫 What is the Torah’s view on mercy toward a murderer?
   A: It is forbidden.
9. Q: 👑 What is the ultimate purpose of the king’s humility and Torah study?
   A: To ensure righteous leadership and a lasting dynasty.

Additional Q&A from Chamishi–Shevi’i

🔮 Navi (Prophet)

1. Q: 🔮 What did Hashem give the Jewish people instead of Meoninim and Kosmin for guidance?
   A: Prophets, with the Shechina resting on them and the Urim VeTumim.
2. Q: 🗻 At which event did Bnei Yisrael ask not to hear Hashem’s voice directly?
   A: At Har Chorev (Sinai).
3. Q: 📢 What is the consequence for not listening to a prophet who speaks in Hashem’s name?
   A: Hashem will hold the person accountable.
4. Q: ⚠️ What is the punishment for a prophet who speaks in the name of idolatry?
   A: Death.
5. Q: 🕵️ How can you tell if someone is a false prophet?
   A: If what they predict does not come true.
6. Q: 🚫 What does the Torah say about fearing a false prophet?
   A: Do not fear him.

🏙 Ir Miklat (Cities of Refuge)

1. Q: 🏃‍♂️ How many cities of refuge were to be established upon entering Eretz Yisrael?
   A: Three.
2. Q: 📏 How were the cities of refuge to be placed in the land?
   A: Equally spaced apart.
3. Q: 🪓 Give an example of an accidental killing that would require fleeing to an Ir Miklat.
   A: Accidentally killing while chopping wood.
4. Q: ➕ When would an additional three cities of refuge be built?
   A: When Hashem expands the borders.
5. Q: ⚖️ Can an intentional murderer seek refuge in an Ir Miklat?
   A: No — he must be extradited and killed.
6. Q: 💔 What does the Torah say about having mercy on an intentional murderer?
   A: Do not have mercy on him.

📜 Miscellaneous Mitzvos

1. Q: 📏 What form of theft is forbidden regarding land?
   A: Moving a boundary marker to steal property.
2. Q: 👤 How many witnesses are required for testimony to be accepted?
   A: Two or three.
3. Q: 🗣 What is done to false witnesses once their lie is discovered?
   A: They are punished with the penalty they intended for the accused.

⚔️ Laws of War

1. Q: 🐎 What should Bnei Yisrael not do when facing a large enemy army with horses?
   A: Not fear them, because Hashem is with them.
2. Q: 🎙 Who gives the soldiers a speech before battle to encourage them?
   A: The Kohen anointed for war (Mashuach Milchama).
3. Q: 🏡 Name one category of people who are sent home from battle.
   A: Someone who built a new house, planted a vineyard, became engaged, or is fearful.
4. Q: 🕊 What must be offered to a city before attacking in an optional war?
   A: An offer of peace.
5. Q: ⚔️ What happens if a city refuses peace in an optional war?
   A: All males are killed; women, children, and cattle are spared.
6. Q: 🚫 What is the rule regarding the seven Canaanite nations in war?
   A: Do not let any soul survive.
7. Q: 🌳 What is forbidden to destroy during a siege?
   A: Fruit trees.

🐄 Egla Arufa

1. Q: 🕵️ What must be done if a murder victim is found and the killer is unknown?
   A: Measure to the nearest city.
2. Q: 🐄 What type of calf is used for the Egla Arufa ceremony?
   A: One that has never worked or worn a yoke.
3. Q: 🌱 Where is the Egla Arufa ceremony performed?
   A: In a valley that has never been cultivated.
4. Q: ✋ What do the elders do over the calf during the ceremony?
   A: Wash their hands and declare they were not involved in the murder.
5. Q: 🙏 What do the elders request from Hashem during the Egla Arufa?
   A: Atonement for the spilled blood.