Questions on Parshas Ki Sovoi to think about and discuss:

1. Which is the only letter of the Aleph-Beis missing from Parshas Bikurim and why?
2. The Mishna in Bikurim notes that there is a difference between a rich and poor man when bringing bikurim. The rich man gets back his basket while the poor man forfeits his to the Kohen. Surely it should be the other way around?
3. The parsha talks about saying two viduyim: for bikurim and for maaser sheini. Why by bikurim does he say it out in a loud voice while by maaser he says it quietly, ‘לפני ה?
4. Usually the Baal Korei pauses for aliyahs at the end and start of different topics. Why then does he not start an aliyah from the beginning and at the end of the curses?
5. When and why does the Baal Korei read Parshas Ki Sovoi some pesukim loudly and others quietly?
6. How does the gabbai in shul decide who to give the aliya of the curses?
7. Parshas Ki Sovoi contains the toichocha. We have another toichocha in Parshas Bechukosai. Why the need for two times curses? What is the difference between them?
8. The Gemora (Megilla 31b) brings how Ezra instituted that we read about the curses in Parshas Ki Sovoi before Rosh Hashana. What lies behind this?
9. The possuk (28:47) brings that tragedies happened because the Jews did not serve Hashem with happiness and good heart when they had things in abundance. What is so terrible about doing it but without simcha?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. The letter Samech since the amount to give for bikurim is one sixtieth (Baal Haturim).
2. R’ Leib Lopian zt”l answers that the rich man brings his bikurim in an expensive basket and therefore wants it back. The poor man brings it in an inexpensive basket. However, since he does not have too many fruits to give and does not want it to look miserly therefore he stuffs the bottom with stuffing to look full. Imagine if the Kohen would need to return his basket and would empty its contents in public how embarrassed the poor man would be? In order to save the poor man from this the Kohen kept his basket.
3. The vidui of bikurim is said aloud because it talks about the greatness of Hashem. However, the vidui of maaser talks about a person’s actions and therefore is said quietly. (This same idea is seen by the Yomim Noiroim. R’ Shlomo Kluger explains that the reason why during these holy days we can say the davenning out aloud is because they are days of “Hamelech” where Hashem is closer to the world as King. Since these tefillous focus on the greatness of Hashem, therefore they can be said aloud. However, the rest of the year a person must daven quietly since these davenings are full of personal requests.)
5. These curses are read by the Baal Korei quietly while the pesukim that deal with comfort, like those remembering the covenant, is read loudly. The rise and lowering of voice expresses our fear and hope. (See Kitzur Shulchan Oruch 78:4).
6. The gabbai usually calls up the Baal Koire for the curses in order that no one should think that the curses should be placed on a different person who is being called up for them. (See Mishna Berurah 428:17.)
7. The toichocha is mentioned twice in the Torah – here in Parshas Ki Sovoi, and again in Parshas Bechukosai. The Ramban (26:16) explains two main differences. In Parshas Bechukosai it describes them in the first person and it is said in the plural. These curses happened during the churban of the first Beis Hamikdosh. The toichocha in Parshas Ki Sovoi is spoken in the third person and is said in the singular. The punishments mentioned here happened by the churban of the second Beis Hamikdosh and in the following exiles that continues even until today. See the Ramban inside and also the Gemora Megilla 31b.

Questions on the setting up of stones:

The Gemora Sota 35b brings that there were three sets of twelve stones: twelve that Moshe set up in Eiver Hayarden; twelve that Yehoshua set up inside the Yarden; twelve stones that Yehoshua took from the Yarden and built a mizbayach on Har Eivol with and brought on it korbonos. He then separated these stones and moved them and put them together in Gilgol.

1. This parsha is introduced as being said by Moshe and the Zekanim, elders (27:1). Why are the elders involved here?
2. Rashi (27:2) brings what appears different to the Gemora in Sota. He says that the stones on Har Eivol were different to the stones in Gilgol? Rashi also omits mentioning the stones that Moshe set up in Eiver Hayarden. Why these changes?
3. Why were stones used to build a mizbayach only on Har Eivol the mountain where the curses were said more than on Har Grizim where the blessings were said?
4. What is the significance of the setting up of these stones as the first thing done upon entering Eretz Yisroel?
5. Why write the whole Torah on stones?
6. Why the exact number of twelve stones?
7. Why write the Torah in all seventy languages?
8. Why do we say there are seventy languages when we know there are more? (Achashveirosh was king over the world with 127 countries?)
9. It appears from Parshas Ki Sovoi that translating the Torah is a good thing. Why then do tzadikim fast (Shulchan Oruch O.C. 580) on the eighth of Teves when the greek king Talmi had the Jews translate the Torah into greek and it brought with it sorrows and spiritual darkness, implying that translating is something bad?

Questions on the blessings and curses on Har Grizim and Har Eivol:

1. How many curses were there?
2. Why, according to Rashi, are there only eleven curses and not twelve?
3. What lies behind the order of splitting the shevotim on deciding which six to go on which mountain?
4. What is the theme that links together all these eleven curses?
5. We know that by these mountains were said blessings and curses. The curses are mentioned in Parshas Ki Sovoi whilst the blessings are not. Why?
6. There are different words for curse. The one we usually say is “klolo”. Why do these curses start with the word “orur”?
7. Upon hearing each blessing and curse the people responded with the word “Omen”. Why pick this word instead of a simple “yes”? What does Omen mean?
8. Why do these blessings and curses need to be said on mountains and not simply on ground level?
9. Why the need for two mountains? Why not all on one?
10. Why split them into two groups of six and why was Levi not included with them?

Ideas for answers on the blessings and curses on Har Grizim and Har Eivol:

1. There is an argument as to how many curses there were. If you count the number of times it says Orur there are twelve times. The Chizkuni therefore learns that this means there were twelve curses. However, Rashi (27:24) learns there were eleven. This is because he holds that the last one (27:26) is a general one going on the whole Torah and therefore is not to be counted separately.
2. Rashi (27:24) brings that one curse paralleled each tribe. However, sheivet Shimon was not counted since they were also not included in the blessings. According to this, which tribe parallels which curse? See the Maskil LiDovid on Rashi who explains the parallels.
3. The sons of Leah and Rochel were to be placed on the mountain for the blessings while the sons of the maidservants were to be placed on the mountain for curses. However, since there were only four from the maidservants, the oldest and youngest of Leah joined them – namely Reuven and Zevulun.
4. These curses all deal with things that a person does in secrecy and therefore only Hashem sees and punishes the sinners. Two of the curses can sometimes be done publicly and therefore with those the possuk adds the word “beseiser”, that here they are done secretly.

Questions on the difference between the blessings and curses in Parshas Bechukosai and Parshas Ki Sovoi:

1. Why the need to have two sets of blessing and curses?
2. Why are the curses in Parshas Ki Sovoi said in the singular while those in Parshas Bechukosai are said in the plural?
3. Why the curses there are a total of forty-nine while here in Parshas Ki Sovoi there are double that amount, ninety-eight?
4. Why the curses in Parshas Ki Sovoi come even due to the sin of an individual while those on Parshas Bechukosai only come if many sin?
5. Why in Parshas Ki Sovoi do the curses not end off with pesukim of comfort like the curses there?

Questions on the curses:

1. There are some pesukim that are read differently to how they are written, קרי וכתיב, in the curses. Usually these differences are are the addition of missing of one letter. However, here the whole words are changed. This is seen in (28:27 and 30). Why this change?
2. Who were the curses told to and why?
3. What is the significance of the number ninety-eight curses?