Parashat P'kudei

The calculator in the upper-right is to help in the counting up of the materials that were brought to the building of the Mishkan.

Next to the calculator, of course, is the beautiful piece of clipart by Davka.

301,775 is the value of the half-shkalim collected from the 603,550 adult males that the sedra refers to.

The loave of bread with the money symbols is KIKAR KESEF, with money and silver sharing the same Hebrew word.

The matza with the face is LECHEM HAPANIM, which was not allowed to be chametz, all year round.

The traffic light in the cloud focuses us on the function of the Heavenly Cloud in directing Bnei Yisrael when to travel and when to camp.

Which leaves us with the barbells in the lower left representing strength as in CHAZAK, CHAZAK...

Speaking of which...
It is customary for the congregation to stand for the concluding p'sukim of each book of the Torah. The Torah-reader reads the final words in a dramatic manner, signaling the congregation to respond with "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazeik" (Strong, strong, and let us be strengthened). The reader then repeats that phrase. (Some say that the person who receives the Aliya for Chazak should NOT say the phrase, as this would constitute an interruption between the Torah reading and his concluding bracha, or possibly that it is to him that the congregation says Chazak...) It is considered a special honor to receive this Book-completing Aliya. There does not seem to be the same kind of objection to standing for Chazak as there is for the Aseret HaDibrot.

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