Last Week's ParshaPix Puzzle
TT325 (Pinchas)

Okay, we're back. I was pleased with PPP of Chukat, but not so with Balak's. Those of Pinchas, I like. Hope you did too. The above set has seven parts (plus an eighth one as a super-bonus) and there are an additional four PPPs sprinkled over the regular ParshaPix from page 3.  Towards the beginning of Parshat Pinchas, we have the counting of the people in preparation for doing battle against Midyan. In addition to the population of each tribe, we also have the names of the family units of each tribe — as follows:

Reuven: Chanochi, Palu'i, Chetzroni, Carmi;

Shimon: N'mu'eli, Yamini, Yachini, Zarchi, Shauli;

Gad: Tzfoni, Chagi, Shuni, Azni, Eiri, Arodi, Ar'eli;

Yehuda: Sheilani, Partzi, Zarchi, Chetzroni, Chamuli;

Yissachar: Tola'i, Puni, Yashuvi, Shimroni;

Zevulun: Sardi, Eiloni, Yachl'eili;

Menashe: Machiri, Gil'adi, I'ezri, Chelki, Asri'eili, Shichmi, Shmida'i, Chefri;

Efraim: Shutalchi, Tachani, Eirani;

Binyamin: Bal'i, Ashbeili, Achirami, Shufami, Chufami, Ardi, Naami;

Dan: Shuchami;

Asher: Yimna, Yishvi, Bri'i, Chevri, Malki'eili;

Naftali: Yachtz'eili, Guni, Yitzri, Shileimi.

Among the 56 families named, 7 (well, actually 8, as you will see) of them are depicted in the PPP. The compass arrow pointing north is Tzafon. Add the letter E and you have [1] TZ'FONI of Shevet Gad. The baseball batter is obviously right- handed, or a [2] YAMINI, from Shimon. Then comes the can of sardines with an infinity symbol next to it. Infinity is Hebrew is EIN SOF, no end. So if we say the word sardine without its end, we get [3] SARDI of Zevulun. Next is the car
whose front tire is part of a musical note, which in its position on the musical staff makes it an E note of MI of DO, RE, MI fame. Hence, [4] CARMI of Reuven. The arrow is pointing to the knee of Pooh bear – [5] PUNI of Yissachar. The birds in the lower left are albatrosses, specifically one of the varieties know as a Gooney, as in [6] GUNI of Naftali. Which brings us to the map of the Indonesian island, Bali, in the lower right, as in [7] BAL'I of Binyamin. And finally, since this is only a partial list of the families of the Tribes, we can take that as an allusion to [8] CHELKI of Menashe.

And here are the additional PPPs which were inserted into the regular ParshaPix:

A small hand or YAD representing [9] the small letter YUD in the name Pinchas in the opening pasuk of the sedra by the same name. Next to it is a broken hook, refer ring to [10] the split letter VAV in the word SHALOM. At the top of the PP is computer console which is partially blocked by the olive branch in the dove's mouth. If you look carefully, you will see a video monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but no computer box or tower, indi cating that we are looking at a terminal, rather than at a stand- alone computer. Which makes it in Hebrew, a MASOF, as in [11] the korbanot by a sound-alike name in chapters 28 and 29. Those Musafim plus the daily T'midim that are also in the sedra, right before all the Musafim plus the reference to other sacrifices in the penultimate (next-to-the-last) pasuk of the sedra, all together are depicted by an apple core above the daughters of Tz'lafchad, making it [12] KOR BANOT.

It seems to me that this is the PPP with the most pieces ever — now we'll wait and see how well the solvers do. It is  only Thursday night as I write these words. We'll see.

Here are the two TTA radio riddles – asked and answered – for you to work on. Answers will appear after the report on solutions.

[A] A person attempts to go against G-d's will. If he succeeds, he has no sin; if he fails, he has a sin. How so?

[B] Who revived whom with good news about whom? Hint: The who is in the sedra; the whoms are not.

First on the board with solutions are DYANEC. They got 6 of 8 so far and warned about a follow-up call with the rest. We'll see. Anon. hit all 7 family pictures and [10] the broken VAV. Plus a long shot which didn't pay off. Y&R Poch hit [1,3,5], wild guess on [4], and a hit plus for [6], the Gooney birds, to which they added L'MISHPACHAT because of the pair of birds. Zvi Roth hit [1,2,3,4,5], and tried Nachlieli for the bird which it isn't, nor was that the name of one of the families.

Rehovot Ks are in the lead at this moment with all 7 families plus [10] and some cute tries for [11] and [12]. Not bad. The GadMeir Group hit [1,3,4,5], a non-American try for [2], a try for [6], and a not-bad try for [7]. Ephraim Edelman hit [1,3,5], an almost on [4], a G.M.A.B. for [7], and a nice attempt for [2] with either the BATS of Tzelafchad or Serach BAT Asher. JAL Ramot hit a few but had some weird, nice, intricate solutions for the rest. Nicely done. Eric Strauss brought smiles to me for some of his less successful tries. He hit [1,3,5], but then the fun starts. Bats, he says are made of oak, hence ALONI (Zevulun). Bats, however, are made of ash (I think).

The map was not of the Gobi Desert. And no ZOOM-RE for the car. If no Zimri, no need for Cosby, so the Bill on the bird was not referring to him. And the fun went on. Here's a serious assault on the top position. Benjie n Esti. [1,2,3- ,4,5,6], nice try on [7], Chelk-i, the Ee is the island, the Chelek is because of the piece missing from the map. Actually, I took out the name Bali from the map. [10] good. [9] eh. [11] weird attempt. Weird is good, but Rehovot Ks are still in the lead.

The Steinhart Gang just checked in with a solid [1,2,3,4,5]. Their [6] saw a papa duck with Lewey, one of Donalds nephews, giving the PA-LEWEY family of Reuven. How can anyone confuse a duck and an albatross? (Can you wear a duck around your neck? Water, water everywhere...) For [7] they saw a map of Guinea and solved with GUNI, the correct answer for [6]. The broken VAV and CORE-BANOT gave them a few extra points, but not enough for first place. David Miller called in a solid 3½ of the 7 families.

New solvers - the Teaneck Chaitovskys, came up with an impressive set of solutions: [1] plus the reference in the Haftara to the north, from where will come the enemy. (Other solvers also referred to the Haftara.) [5] was a hit, but what is interesting is the acceptable (and almost acceptable) guesses for the other pictures, none of which were what was intended, but all are sort of okay. So too, the broken Vav was a hit and the other three were different. njs had a perfect 7 and added a few alternate solutions including the stopped car and the eighth note being Shmini Atzeret.

The Falks on an off week with [10]. Thanks for keeping in touch. Ofra Shelnitzes are challenging first place with 1,2,3,4,5. For [6] they did what a few other solvers did - a white bird for LIVNI. For [7] they guessed at an island in the Azores and got I'EZRI. AND THEY GOT [8]. So far, the only ones. [10] is fine and [12] is a good try. Because of [8], I'm putting the Ofra Shelnitzes in a tie for first place with the Rehovot Ks. The Steinhart Gang just upgraded with a correct [6] and a better [7]. The race is tight.

RHM of Bayit Vegan called in a modest [1,3-,4,5]. Not bad. And here are the final four entries as the Monday night deadline rolls around. Another anon. with [3,5] okay, nice tries at two other families, a hit on [10] and a nice pair of tries at the apple core, SARDI as in Sarid, what is left of the apple, or CHELKI, as in the part of the apple that is left. Amnon Albeck hit [1,3,4,5] and nice tries for [2,7]. He hit [10] and a nice [12] with PC or PEA CE, the reward Pinchas received. And he was the only one to hit [9]. Definitely a contender for first place.

Ed & Nate hit [1,3,4,5] and had nice guesses for [2,6,7], hit on [10], good tries for 9,11,12] and a fine guess on a birthday greeting on page 30 that was NOT a PPP. Finally, Yaacov Weiss sends in a solid [1,2,3,4,5] plus some interesting comments, as well. They revolved around a comparison between the family names of the tribes in Pinchas and the names of the children of the sons of Yaakov in Vayigash.

The answers to the two Torah Tidbits Audio riddles are as follows:

[A] It is G-d's will that a son inherit from his father. A father who attempts to leave nothing to his son is going against G-d's will. One possible way for him to succeed is to give everything he has away as gifts during his lifetime. If he does so, the Mishna says "what is done is done, but the spirit of the Sages are not pleased with him". The man succeeded in going against G-d's will, but he has no sin, since technically a person may do any thing he wants with his possessions during his lifetime.

On the other hand, if the man orders that upon his death, his son shall not inherit, then it is as if he has said nothing, and the son does inherit, since a person cannot make a binding order against the Torah. In other words, the man has not succeeded in his attempt to go against G-d's will, but he has sinned. His attempted disinheriting of his son is a violation of the Torah's Laws of Inheritance.

[B] The answer is Serach, daughter of Asher, who, according to the Midrash, told Yaakov that Yosef was still alive, thereby reviving Yaakov's spirits.

This has been the longest PPP report ever (I think). I hope you enjoyed reading it and I hope it was a bit educational as well. Final decision about who gets the Album of the Week will be made later and winners will be notified by phone. My thanks and appreciation to those who work hard ot the PPPs each week, and to those who read the reports, even though they find the PPPs too something or other to solve. To those who skip this section, well, you wouldn't be reading what I'd be writing to you anyway, so I won't write it.

This week's PPP contains one text element, the rest is graphic. So TT readers of the email version only have this to chew over (it is in Hebrew in the PPP; here it is transliterated. Write it out in Hebrew and work on it from there):

AZ YASHIR ADAM LANEGEV

The ParshaPix Puzzle
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