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TORAH TRAINING RIDDLES

The study of torah trains your mind to press beyond the borders, restrictions and limitations.

These riddles/puzzles are a great way to keep our minds agile and quick to see the connections that are richly laden in the torah.

More than “Out of the Box” Thinking. Torah causes you to see beyond the box.

But, in the beginning…. let’s begin with the Box….

The 9 Dot Puzzle was first known to have been presented in Sam Loyd’s classic Cyclopedia of Puzzles, 1914. It resurfaced in popularity in the 70’s and 80’s. Even those that solved the puzzle some time ago, have to concentrate and remember how they did it!
The challenge is to connect all nine dots, without lifting your pencil from the paper, using the fewest possible number of straight lines. (Using no more than 3 or 4 lines).
The Queen of Sheba brought a number of people before Solomon, some circumcised and others uncircumcised. She asked of him: “Distinguish between the circumcised and the uncircumcised.” Solomon immediately made a sign to the High Priest to open the Ark of the Covenant. Those who were circumcised stood or bowed their bodies to half their height, while their countenances were filled with the radiance of the Shekhinah. The uncircumcised, however, fell on their faces.
Solomon immediately told the Queen of Sheba: “These are the uncircumcised, and these are the circumcised.” She asked him: “How did you know?” K

The Queen of Sheba said to Solomon: “You are truly wise, I will put another question to you, and we shall see if you can answer me.” He responded: “For the Lord grants wisdom.” She asked him: “How can a woman say to her son: ‘Your father is my father; your grandfather, my husband; you are my son, and I am your sister?’” 
What was Solomon’s answer to the riddle?portrait photo of woman

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“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.” 
SAMPSON, THE BOOK OF JUDGES
600 B.C.E.
Sampson poses this riddle to his guest at a dinner. He promises 30 pieces of clothing (clothing was a highly prized award) if anyone can solve it.
person holding a chalk in front of the chalk board
This is what I call a classic Torah riddle!
Thought up by Einstein Himself
Solving this riddle is so much like connecting the dots in Torah, to me. You have to consider all the facts.
These types of riddles are the perfect training ground for teaching yourself how to connect the dots in torah study.
ENJOY!
There are five houses in a row. Each house is painted a different color and has a person of a different nationality living in it. Each person drinks a different beverage, smokes a different type of cigar, and owns a different animal as a pet. Using these 15 clues, 
WHICH PERSON OWNS THE PET FISH? 
The Brit lives in the red house.
The Swede has a pet dog.
The Dane drinks tea.
The green house is directly to the left of the white house.
The person in the green house drinks coffee.
The person who smokes Pall Mall has a pet bird.
The person in the yellow house smokes Dunhill cigars.
The person in the center house drinks milk.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The person who smokes Blends lives next to the person with the pet cat.
The person with the pet horse lives next to the one who smokes Dunhill.
The person who smokes BlueMaster drinks beer.
The German smokes Prince.
The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
The person who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.
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Overtime, I will add other riddles, puzzles and links to help you keep your mind sharp as a tact!

These are just a few fav’s

If you really become stumped and can’t figure out the riddle, send me an email at torahbythesea@gmail.com and I will send you the location to the key and where you can find more puzzles!

asian boy child children
4,000 Year Old Riddle
“There is a house. One enters it blind
and comes out seeing. What is it?”
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photo of woman wearing bridal gown

In the Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice, the father of the young heiress Portia creates a puzzle to ensure that his daughter marries a worthy suitor. He requires that any suitor must choose one of three caskets: one casket is gold, one is silver, and one is made of lead. One casket has a photo of Portia inside it, and only the suitor who chooses the casket containing her photo may marry her. Here are the clues the suitors must use to decide:
On the gold casket: “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”
On the silver casket: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.”
On the lead casket: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.”

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