ParshaPix

PARSHA-PIX - Parshat Chayei Sara

Let's start in the middle, with the sack of silver coins, 400 to be exact. This was the payment from Avraham to EFRON (represented by the pencil, similar word, in Hebrew). The G'matriya of EFRON is 70+80+200 6+50 = 406. This includes the VAV, which appears in every occurrence of the name EFRON, except one. When the Torah tells us that Avraham gives Efron the money, the name is spelled without the VAV — its g'matriya is then exactly the amount he received - 400.

After taking care of the burial of Sara, Avraham then sets his mind to the task of finding a suitable wife for Yitzchak. He sends Eliezer, laden with 10 camels (you can find the 10 GIMMELIM scattered around the ParshaPix) to his (Avraham's) home town. Upper-left is Rivka at the well. Below Rivka is a gold ring that Eliezer gave her.

Later, at Rivka's home, Eliezer is offered food, but refuses (hence, the Xed out place setting). This spares him of the poison that Lavan tried to kill him with. B'tu'el, say our sources, was the unintentional victim of the poison.
The Chupa represents the marriage of Yitzchak and Rivka (and also the remarriage of Avraham and Hagar, called Ketura in our sedra).

The gift-wrapped present is for the gifts that Avraham gave his children from Ketura. One of those children is represented by a grammatic homophone. See if your children or Shabbat guests can identify the graphic element that stands for one of Ketura's children. (It's the SHVA, but don't give the answer away so easily.)

At the bottom are the headstones of the graves of Avraham and Sara, with the years they lived.

This leaves us two letters unaccounted. The AYIN is the well or stream where Eliezer found Rivka. Or vice versa.

And the HEI is the letter that seems to have fallen off the word NA'ARAH on several occurrences in this sedra and elsewhere.


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