Parsha discussion

1. Why is the commandment not to include לוי in the census made after the census? Wouldn’t it make more sense to come before? 2. Why is the fact that the לויים replace the בכורים mentioned after their function? 3. Why the need for sum totals when the individual numbers are given (e.g. total count of each flag grouping, total number of בני ישראל, total amount received from the בכורים)? 4. For transporting the כלי המקדש, why are auxiliary כלים of the מנורה placed with it, rather than in a different layer, as with the other כלים?

1. 26:4 Why are the trees specifically linked to the fields? Whereas produce is linked to (any) land. Compare also 26:20 2. Why is there a double mention of the recognition of the sins and the Divine mercy? 3. Why is the requirement to value “whether good or bad” stated by a house that is sanctified but not with an animal that cannot be brought as a קרבן? 4. What is the logic of a תמורת מעשר becoming a מעשר? It wasn’t the 10th animal.

1. Why is the prohibition against זמירה mentioned only with שמיטה and not with יובל? 2. 28:19 and 28:21 - these seem to be saying the same things in different ways. Why? 3. 28:25-28 seem to be a repeat of the rules mentioned in 28:14-16.  Why? 4. It seems that a Jewish slave redeemed from a non Jewish owner becomes a slave of the redeemer. How does this fit in with כי לי בני ישראל עבדים?

1. Why are the laws regarding פסולי המוקדשים listed after the laws of כהונה, rather than with קורבנות earlier in the ספר? 2. Why is שבועות linked specifically to קרבן העומר rather than פסח? 3. 23:38 What is the meaning of the reference to שבתות? Are they not included in מועדים, as per the first part of the chapter? 4. Why are the rules regarding the production of the שמן למאור and לחם הפנים mentioned here rather that in כי תשא with the similar items?

1. Why are the rules of פיגול repeated from פרשת צו? 2. Why is the punishment for שפחה חרופה mentioned here, whereas none of the other punishments are mentioned? 3. Why is the prohibition against אוב and ידועני mentioned three times? 4. Why is cursing parents mentioned in the section of forbidden sexual encounters?