Parsha discussion

1. Does it make sense that there were only two midwives for the entire Jewish population? 2. Why does משה not respond to the retort of the two people who were fighting? 3. 3:2 What is the meaning of the word מלאך here? It doesn’t seem to have its normal meaning since הקב״ה deals directly with משה for the rest of the story 4. There seems to be a lot of repetition regarding no longer being given straw to make the bricks and yet having to fill the previous quotas. Why?

1. How does the double portion for יוסף work? Surely all his children should share in the double portion, rather than just מנשה & אפרים 2. 48:14 why do we need to be told that אפרים is the younger brother? We already know this 3. 49:28 why are the children of יעקב called שבטים? 4. Why is the fact of יוסף seeing great grandchildren from מנשה put after grandchildren from אפרים?

1. Why does יהודה change the story of the conversations between his brothers and the vice Pharoah? 2. After יוסף reveals himself we don’t hear at all from any of the brothers? The dialogue is all from יוסף and פרעה. Why? 3. In the lead up to the descent to Egypt, the names יעקב and ישראל are used almost interchangeably. When and why is each one used? 4. What was the nature of the Egyptian dislike of shepherds? Note that the people give sheep to יוסף for food, so they must have owned some.

1. When יוסף first answers פרעה, he doesn’t say that הקב״ה provides the interpretations of dreams (as he had told his fellow prisoners), rather gives a far wider reaching answer. Why? 2. Why are we told twice that יוסף “went out over all of Egypt”? 3. How is the brothers’ claim that they have a younger brother proof that they are not spies? 4. Why do the brothers “offer” such a harsh punishment for taking the goblet? Both to the messenger and to יוסף