- When Israel defeated an enemy, and a man saw a woman captive he wanted, what was he to do?
He would take her to be his wife. He would take her to his home where she would shave her head and pare her nails. She would remove the clothes of her captivity and mourn the loss of her parents for a full month. Then the man could marry her.
- If a man committed a sin for which he was put to death by hanging, what was the procedure for dealing with his body and why?
His body must not remain all night upon the tree, but he must be buried the same day as he was hanged. His body is an offense to G-d, and leaving the body unburied would be a defilement of the land.
- If you saw a bird's nest with eggs or young in it, were you allowed to take them for food? If yes, when were you allowed to and when not?
You were allowed to take them, but only after you had scared off the mother. It would be cruel to take the eggs or the young while the mother was there.
- We are commanded not to plow with an ass and an ox together. Why?
Inasmuch as they could not pull equally, it would create a hardship for both. This would be cruel to both animals.
- If a man was found lying with a married woman, what was the penalty?
They were both to be killed.
- We are told not to hate an Edomite. Why is that?
Because he is our brother. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
- We are told that neither an Ammonite nor a Moabite could ever be allowed to enter an assembly of Hashem. Why was that?
When the Israelites passed by their territories on the way from Egypt, the Ammonites and Moabites refused them any bread or water; also because they hired Balaam to put a curse on them.
- No man was to take the mill or the upper millstone as a pledge from a debtor. Why?
This would deny the debtor the opportunity to make a living.
- We are told not to oppress a hired servant whether he was a brother or a stranger. What is the oppression as described in this parsha?
The oppression would be to fail to pay him his entire wages before the sun
set.
- If a wicked man was to received a judgement that required a beating, what was the maximum number of lashes he could receive and why?
40; if he received more than 40 lashes, it would dishonor him before your
eyes; even a criminal is allowed to maintain his human dignity.
- If a man's brother died and he as yet had no children, what was required of the living brother and what was that called?
The living brother must marry the brother's widow so that his family line would not become extinct. It is called a levirate marriage.
- We are told "thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small." Describe what that means.
You are not to have erroneous weights, a heavy one for selling and a lighter one for buying, each which you call the same weight; i.e. they are each called 1 kilo.
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