Bereishit #3

 בראשית ד:ב

וַתֹּ֣סֶף לָלֶ֔דֶת אֶת־אָחִ֖יו אֶת־הָ֑בֶל וַֽיְהִי־הֶ֙בֶל֙ רֹ֣עֵה צֹ֔אן וְקַ֕יִן הָיָ֖ה עֹבֵ֥ד אֲדָמָֽה׃

She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil.

In this passuk we learn about the specific jobs Kayin and Hevel had. Why did they have these specific jobs? Is it better to be a farmer or a shepherd? Why didn't they do the same thing? Why do we care what their jobs were?

Rashi says that Hevel chose to be a shepherd instead of a farmer because he didn't want to work the land that had been cursed because of Adam's mistake. 

What are other approaches to these questions?

Bereishit #2

בראשית ב:ג

 וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done.

The passuk above describes Shabbos. What is the significance of stopping from work? Why is it specifically Shabbos on the 7th day? What does it mean that Shabbos is "holy"? What does it mean that Shabbos was "blessed" by Hashem? Why isn't the mitzvah of Shabbos mentioned here? 

Rashi says that Shabbos is blessed in that the מן fell in double portions on Friday and Shabbos was made "holy" by not having מן fall on Shabbos. 

What are other approaches to these questions?

Bereishit #1

    בראשית א:ג-ד

גוַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹקים יְהִי־א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר:

  דוַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹקים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹקים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֽשֶׁךְ:

3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

4And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.

In the beginning of creation there is a description of the creation of light. The Torah tells us that Hashem saw the light and it was "good". What does it mean for the light to be "good"? What is "good" about this light? What does the word "טוב" mean in the Torah?

Rashi notes that "good" here has to do with Tzadikim and that this light is not light like we think of that illuminates dark, but a deeper special "light" that has to do with Olam Haba. 

What are other approaches?