Parashot Mattot-Masei: Scavenger Hunt
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Devash: Scavenger Hunt

Parashah Scavenger Hunt שְׁאֵלוֹת הַשָּׁבוּעַ

Welcome to Devash's Parashah Scavenger Hunt for Parashot Mattot-Masei!

  • Who were the five kings of Midian?
  • Who is described as being a כֹּהֵן (kohen, priest) to the army?
  • What percentage of the goods taken in war did the soldiers need to give as a gift to God?
  • How much of the goods taken in war did the soldiers share with the rest of Benei Yisrael?
Aliyah 3 (Bemidbar 32:1-19)
  • Which tribes asked for land outside of Eretz Yisrael?
  • What do the leaders of those tribes agree to do with the rest of Benei Yisrael?
  • Where do Benei Yisrael camp after leaving Moserot?
  • The names of two holidays appear in this aliyah. Which ones?
  • What marks the western boundary of the land promised to Benei Yisrael?
  • How should Eretz Yisrael be divided among the tribes?
  • How many cities did the לְוִיִּם (Levi’im, members of the tribe of Levi) get to live in?
  • Who shares a name with one of the בִּגְדֵי כְּהֻנָּה (bigdei kehunah, items of clothing for priests)?
  • Who did בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד (benot Tzelofhad, the daughters of Tzelofhad) agree to marry?
  • When can an accidental killer leave an עִיר מִקְלָט (ir miklat, city of refuge)?
Look anywhere in the parashah to find the answer to these questions!
  • On what date did Aharon die?
  • What six types of metal are mentioned in our parashah?
  • How many stops do Benei Yisrael make on their 40-year journey? (Hint: Count the word וַיַּחֲנוּ [vayahanu, they camped] each time it appears.)
From the Haftarah (Yirmeyahu 2:4-28, 3:4)
  • When Benei Yisrael are sinning, who or what do they refer to as parents?
Scroll down to see the answers!
Answers: 
Aliyah 1
  • Evi, Rekem, Tzur, Hur, Reva (31:8)
  • Pinhas (31:6)
Aliyah 2
Aliyah 3
Aliyah 4
Aliyah 5
  • הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל (Ha-Yam Ha-Gadol, the Great Sea = the Mediterranean Sea) (34:6)
  • By lottery (33:54)
Aliyah 6
  • 48 (35:7)
  • The chief of the tribe of Menashe was named Haniel ben Ephod; the ephod was a kind of apron worn by the כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל (kohen gadol, high priest) (34:23)
Aliyah 7
  • Members of their own tribe, the tribe of Menasheh (36:10-12)
  • When the kohen gadol dies (35:25)
From anywhere in the parashah
  • The first day of the fifth month of the 40th year since leaving Egypt (33:38)—this date on the Hebrew calendar is usually right around when we read Parashat Masei, and this year it falls on Friday, July 29
  • זָהָב (zahav, gold), כֶּסֶף (kesef, silver), נְחֹשֶׁת (nehoshet, copper), בַּרְזֶל (barzel, iron), בְּדִיל (bedil, tin), עֹפֶרֶת (oferet, lead) (31:22)
  • 42 (33:5-37,41-49)—Rashi points out that the first 14 stops take us just past Hatzerot, which was still before they were told they would wander for 40 years. And the last eight stops were after Aharon died, which we know was in the 40th year. This means that for the 38 years in the middle, Benei Yisrael only had 20 stops!
Haftarah