Please Note: The following features are graphic based and may require some time to download.

ParshaPix

Not really a ParshaPix, if Parsha refers to Parshat HaShavua, but you understand. This collection of graphics is for Rosh HaShana.

The crown is for MALCHIYOT, G-d's kingship, which is a (maybe, the) major theme of Rosh HaShana and a major "reason" for Shofar.

The Shofar is also to remind us of the Sinai experience, as in "and the sound of the Shofar goes and grows louder very much". Hence the Sefer Torah. The Shofar is not just to remind us about Sinai, but, more importantly, it is to inspire us to recommit to and increase our Torah study and practice.

The scales of justice represent Yom HaDin.

The roaring lion is from the Navi's analogy... Can a lion roar and people not tremble? Can we hear the Shofar and not react appropriately to it?

The fellow with the siddur at the river is saying Tashlich. See piece on Tashlich for further details.

Lower-right is one of the sources of the Shofar. Two of them actually.
Lower-left is the traditional apple with honey. Most reasons to be found in books on the subject make reference to the honey; the apple is incidental. The Maharil (referred to in Rite and Reason) mentions the mysterious "field of apples", which in different places is a nickname 

Torah Triddles

TTriddles...
are T(orah) T(idbits) riddles. They can be solved with obscure trivia knowledge or a Rashi, Baal HaTurim, etc. or Targum Onkeles and a hefty amount of mental flexibility. Even if you can't solve them, they are fun and sometimes educational to read a week later when the solutions are included. Enjoy. 
Here are the NITZAVIM-VAYEILECH TTriddles:
[1] 11 above, 3 in, 4 (+5) under
[2] South & North American Cities Lists
[3] Where is Dassy?
[4] Singular this time, but plural every day.
[5] 5-66-77-87. Did you remember?

Slim pickings, but here are the solutions...

[1] This TTriddle was a variation of ones from past years. The answer is LANU U'L'VANEINU A(D), which is written in a Sefer Torah with a dot above each of the 11 letters in the phrase (up to and including the AYIN of AD, but not the DALET). Those are the 11 above. The three in are the dots in the three SHURUKs in the phrase (in a printed Chumash - not in a Sefer Torah). There are 2 pairs of dots under the letters - a vertical pair under a LAMED and a horizontal pair under a NUN. (There are also 5 little lines that make up the other vowels uner some of the letters.) Several solvers got this one.

[2] OTOH, no one got this one. A couple of solvers tried to relate the American cities with "and it is not on the other side of the ocean..." or with the gathering of the dispersed people who will be brought back to the Land. Nice, reasonable try - but not this time. The TTriddle depends only on intials, Rashei Teivot, not the words themselves. S & NaCl is sulfur and (table) salt, as in GAFRIT VAMELACH...

[3] This was also solved by several individuals. Dassy is a diminiutive form of Hadassah, which is the origianl name of Esther, as in the queen. Where is she is a take off on ESTER MIN HATORAH MINAYIN? Whwere do we find a reference to Esther in the Torah? The answer is a play on words with a concept behind them. When G-d will get angry (so to speak) at the behavior of Bnei Yisrael, He will "hide his face" and operate, so to speak, in the background. Not only does the name Esther have the same root as those of HESTER PANIM, but the Purim story is a grand example of the concept of G-d working behind the scenes. Significantly, His Name does not appear in Megilat Esther.

[4] There were different suggestions for this one, but the intended solution is KI HEIM CHAYEINU... from the second bracha before the Sh'ma of the night. Although we use the plural every day, the source of the words is Parshat Nitzavim, where the singular is used.

[5] This, of course, was not intended as a TTriddle, but rather another announcement of our new (we hated to lose the previous one) phone number. But since one of our regular solvers worked so hard on it as a TTriddle (without apparent success), we'll honor him (anonymously) with a "solution", nonetheless. Are there 5 items to remember? No, it's 6. That's 6 things to remember. And one of them is Shabbat, the 7th day of the week. Good point - the 7th day of the week. Remembering all these things (and more - some lists include 10 items) is golden - PAZ, in Hebrew. G'matriya, 87. 
Solution sets of note this week from RHM, Zvi Roth, and Y/S G. 

And here are just a few for this week...
[1] Aliya after the 7+1
[2] They are good, but we shouldn't eat them
[3] If it's broken, don't fix it

[The Rosh Hashana Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage][How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center][About TORAH tidbits]