Shabbat Zachor and lateral thinking

Rabbi Eli Manour discusses Shabbat Zachor and the significance of Torah learning in his weekly parasha insight.

On Shabbat Zachor, we read the final three verses in Parashat Ki-Teseh which command us to remember the unprovoked attack launched against our ancestors when they left Egypt by the nation of Amalek. This attack occurred in a place called Refidim, and the Sages teach us that this location was so named because while Beneh Yisrael were there, “Rafu Yedehem Min Ha’Torah” – they became lax in their engagement in Torah study. It was on account of this laxity, we are taught, that G-d brought upon us the vicious attack of Amalek.
Read more: http://www.dailyhalacha.com/WeeklyParasha.asp

An article in the Blaze and the ensuing discussion in the comments section reminded me of a puzzle a friend posed to me last week. I am posting the question so that you will have something to discuss at the Purim seudah, if there is that awkward moment of silence.

Suppose that you are standing in a hallway next to 3 light switches, which are all off. There is another room down the hallway, where there are 3 incandescent light bulbs – each light bulb is operated by one of the switches in the hallway. Because the light bulbs are in another room, you can not see them since you are standing in the hallway. How would you figure out which switch operates which light bulb, if you can only go the room with the light bulbs one time, and only one time?

Click here for answer.

TheBlaze writes about a student's clever response to a test question.

A coin is flipped and then a die is rolled, what is the probability of rolling an odd and then flipping a tails,” the question reads (with no question mark).

“0% because you flipped the coin first,” the clever response says.

Read full article: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/21/students-clever-response-to-test-question-goes-viral/

 

The comments posted under the article contain examples of lateral thinking including:

 

A man walked into a bar and asked the barman for a glass of water. They had never met before. The barman pulled a gun from under the counter and pointed it at the man. The man said “Thank-you’ and walked out. Why should that be so?

 

 “Which of the following numbers are divisible by 2. 2 5 6 9 12 16"