Shemos #3- Everyone's a Midwife?

Shemos 1:19

"Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are skilled as midwives; when the midwife has not yet come to them, they have [already] given birth." 

Why did the Midwives lie to Pharoh and say that the Jewish women by saying, 

What does "for they are skilled as midwives mean"? 

Rashi says:

for they are skilled as midwives: Heb. חָיוֹת, as skillful as midwives. The Targum מְיַלְּדֹת is חַייָתָא Our Rabbis (Sotah 11b), however, interpreted it to mean that they [the Israelite women] are compared to beasts (חַיּוֹת) of the field, which do not require midwives. 

Shemos #2- Why these Plagues?

In this weeks parsha, ה׳ commanded משה and אהרן to send plagues down on מצרים. The ten plagues that ה׳ cast on the people of מצרים seem to be a little random. Is it possible that these plagues symbolize something? 

Rashi gave an idea about the first plague of turning the Nile river into blood: ולקחת ממימי היאור: רמז להם שבמכה ראשונה נפרע מאלהותם. He says that this is symbolic because the מצרים worshipped the Nile as a God. So turning it into blood is almost showing the people that their “God” isn’t real and is out of control. Do any of the other plagues have symbolic meanings? 

Shemos #1- Hiding Moshe

"וְלֹא־יָֽכְלָ֣ה עוֹד֘ הַצְּפִינוֹ֒ וַתִּקַח־לוֹ֙ תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה בַֽחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בָּהּ֙ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר" - perek bet, passuk gimmel

In passuk gimmel - what does it mean that she could no longer hide him? What does the Torah mean when it says “reed basket”. Additionally, why did she have to put both clay and pitch (tar) on the basket? 

Rashi explains that the Egyptians were counting the days of her pregnancy, they did not know that she gave birth to Moshe early and only went to check on her after nine months. He also explains that the reed basket was made of "reed" which is a pliable substance that would easily protect baby Moshe from most things. Since pitch is smelly, she put it on the outside so Moshe would not have to endure the smell. She put the clay in the inside. 

Vayechi #3- Blessings?

: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, in this passuk we see 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: that this is the future incident of Zimri 

that Yaakov is referring to.

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? How could this be considered a blessing?

Vayechi #2- 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 Menashe entered the room, 
Yakov'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? Why are Ephraim and Menashe given a special blessing? Why do we include them in the blessing to sons Friday nights?

Vayechi #1- Not Bury 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.

Rashi asks 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 one of which is that 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? Why is burial so important in Judaism?