Beshalach #1- Don't ask, do something!

טו. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ:

The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel.

What does Hashem mean by asking, "why do you cry out to me"?

Midrash Rabbah Explains, Bnai Yisrael already cried out to Hashem (in pasuk yud) and then Moshe davened after them. Hashem says to Moshe, why do you cry to me, Bnai Yisrael already prayed and I have heard their prayer.

Is there another explanation of Hashem's question?

Vayechi #3- buried in Egypt

In this week's parsha, in פרק מז, פסוק כט Yaakov asks Yosef to make sure that he will not bury his father in מצרים. The pasuk says: 

״וַיִּקְרְבוּ יְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמוּת וַיִּקְרָא | לִבְנוֹ לְיוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִי וְעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם״

When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, now place your hand beneath my thigh, and you shall deal with me with loving kindness and truth; do not bury me now in Egypt.

Why does יעקב care where he is buried? After all, isn't it really his physical body that will buried in Egypt since the important part of his body, his שכינה, will go up to ה׳? Rashi provides three reasons for why Yaakov asked this of Yosef:

1) the soil is destined to become lice which will crawl under his body.

2) those who die and are buried outside of ארץ ישראל will not be resurrected except with the pain of rolling through underground passages.
3) he didn't want the מצריים to deify him.

Q: What are other reasons for why Yaakov cared so much about not being buried in מצרים?

Vayechi #2- Is it really a blessing?

:ו. בְּסֹדָם אַל תָּבֹא נַפְשִׁי בִּקְהָלָם אַל תֵּחַד כְּבֹדִי כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר

6. Let my soul not enter their counsel; my honor, you shall not join their assembly, for in their wrath they killed a man, and with their will they hamstrung a bull.

Right before Yaakov died, he gave blessings to each of his sons. However, Shimon and Levi were given a blessing that would seem to be negative, and a punishment for their actions against the city of Shchem. Yaakov says "Let my soul not enter their counsel." Why does Yaakov say this? What does it mean? What is this counsel he is referring to?

Rashi has an interesting interpretation on this:

Let my soul not enter their counsel: This is the future incident of Zimri (that Yaakov is referring to), when the tribe of Shimon gathered to bring the Midianitess before Moshe, and they said to him, “Is this one forbidden or permitted? If you say she is forbidden, who permitted you to marry Yitro’s daughter?” Let my name not be mentioned in connection with that affair. Therefore, the Torah depicts Zimri as “Zimri the son of Salu, the prince of a father’s house of the Shimonites” (Num. 25:14), but the Torah did not write, “the son of Jacob.” - [from Sanh. 82a, Gen. Rabbah 99:6]

As we see, Shimon and Levi did something worthy of their father's discomfort when being addressed. What are other interpretations of these words? Why does Yaakov seem to be giving these two sons a curse? What did these two brothers do that they deserve this? Is there any positive interpretation of such an outburst?

Vayechi #1- who are these?

ח. וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה:
Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and he said, "Who are these?" 
What does this mean that Yaakov had to ask who was there? Who else would Yosef bring for a blessing?!
Rashi says that Yaakov asked because when Ephraim and Minashe entered the room, Yaakov's shechinah left 
him. This was due to their future descendants that were going to be evil kings. 
What is another interpretation of why Yaakov asked who was there?

Vayigash #5- switching hands

Pasuk יד says ״וישלך ישראל את ימינו וישת על ראש אפרים והוא הצאיר ואת שמאלו על ראש מנשה שכל את ידו כי מנשה הבכר״ 

Yaakov knew that Menashe was the בכור but he blessed אפרים with his right hand? Why did he switch his hands? Isn't the oldest supposed to be blessed with the right hand? 

Rashi says that Yaakov knew that he had switched his hands and that it was not a mistake. Gideon would be a descendant of מנשה, however, Yaakov knew that יהושע, the man that would bring בנ״י into Israel, would be a descendant of אפרים and that Yehoshua is greater than Gideon. This symbolizes thatאפרים׳s descendants would be greater than those of מנשה. 

If this is true, why did אפרים get "extra" blessing? Shouldn't the "weaker" brother get more of the blessing?

Vayigash #4- Why kick everyone out?

Parshat Vayigash Pereck mem hay (45) Pasuk Aleph

א. וְלֹא יָכֹל יוֹסֵף לְהִתְאַפֵּק לְכֹל הַנִּצָּבִים עָלָיו וַיִּקְרָא הוֹצִיאוּ כָל אִישׁ מֵעָלָי וְלֹא עָמַד אִישׁ אִתּוֹ בְּהִתְוַדַּע יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו:

1. Now Joseph could not bear all those standing beside him, and he called out, "Take everyone away

from me!" So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Why is it that Yosef sent out all the people in the room except his brothers when he reveled himself to them?

Rashi explains that he sent the Egyptians around him because he did not want the Egyptians to see and hear the embarrassment of his brothers when he reveled who he truly was to the brothers.

Why else might have Yosef sent them out of the room? Was him sending them out significant? Was him sending them out right or wrong?

Vayigash #3- Why didn't Yosef tell Yaakov he was alive??

In perek מה pesukim ד-ה, Yosef is talking to his brothers regarding the selling.

ד.וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו גְּשׁוּ נָא אֵלַי וַיִּגָּשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָה:

:ה. וְעַתָּה | אַל תֵּעָצְבוּ וְאַל יִחַר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם כִּי מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי לְמִחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵיכֶם Yosef acknowledges that he was sold and that it was for a greater purpose(Hashem's action).  Ramban asks that if Yosef realized these things and was a very powerful man, why didn't he contact Yaakov to tell him he was ok? Rabbi Leibtag gives an answer to this question. He says that throughout the Torah we see the concept of נבחר ונדחה, one chosen and one rejected. For example, קין והבל or רחל ולאה. In both of these cases, one was chosen or more loved than the other, who was pushed away. R' Leibtag continues to say that Yosef thought he was the נדחה (pushed away) and the brothers were נבחר . Therefore, he didnt make an effort to contact Yaakov because he believed that just like the others who were pushed away in the torah, he wasnt meant to be chosen.  Are there any other reasons as to why Yosef didnt try and contact Yaakov? Or why Yosef acknowledged Hashem in the pasuk regarding the selling?