ParshaPix

PARSHA-PIX - Parshat Yitro

ParshaPix

Some obvious elements, some on the challenging side. 
Upper-left is the hearing ear as in VAYISHMA YITRO
Upper-right, where Bet-Hei often is found on one's papers, is a reference to Yitro's exclamation of Baruch HaShem after hearing of all the wonders that had so far occurred to the people.
The scales of justice refer to the dialogue between Yitro and Moshe concerning the judging of the people.
The figure of a person with a heart with the number 1 is Rashi's famous comment on VAYICHAN... as one person with one heart...
The sound of the Shofar was going (HOLEICH) and intensifying...
Kiddush cup is for ZACHOR; not plowing is for SHAMOR - the positives and prohibitions of Shabbat.
Negation circle on the step stool is the prohibition of approaching the Mizbei'ach by step. A ramp was used instead, allowing a more modest approach.
And that leaves us with the Roman numerals for the groupings at Yitro's suggestion for 1000 (M), 100 (C), 50 (L), and 10 (X).
Use the Roman numerals to challenge the older child who found the other elements of the ParshaPix too easy.

TTRIDDLES

MM/Bklyn won last week’s double prize of the “SHLOMO DANCE” CD from Noam Productions (8 Malchei Yisrael and Rav Shefa Mall) and a RUBIK’S INFINITY GAME from BIG DEAL (15 Malchei Yisrael, 3 Lunz, and 64 Rabbi Akiva in Bnei Braq). 
Similar prizes are on line for this week. Let’s see who takes the TTriddles’ honor.

Last week’s (BO) TTriddles:
[1] After Yam Suf, NO DOUBT
[2] sweetbread at 8:00pm sweet bread at 8:00am
[3] Maftir is a third for some and a third of maftir for others
[4] Business for G-d fearing Egyptians
[5] Before Torah and what?
[6] First 8 of 17 reversed in prayer
[7] Spoils spoils the streak
[8] For Moshe, once day & night, once all night. For whom at sunrise?

And here are the solutions...
[1] This TTriddle illustrates well the difference between a question on Parshat HaShavua and a TTriddle. After the Yam Suf experience, Bnei Yisrael had no doubt in their belief in G-d and in Moshe His servant, as stated in the pasuk. That might be an answer to the question, “explain what is meant by After Yam Suf, NO DOUBT. But that is hardly a riddle, let alone a TTriddle. Now, when some solvers went for the Rock group NO DOUBT, they were at least tuned in to what a TTriddle is. It lets the double meaning to enter the picture. In addition to having no doubt about G-d and Moshe, now we also have a link between the group No Doubt and the singing of the Song of the Sea. And if you want to take it one corny step further, you can say that being a ROCK group also ties in with those Egyptians (the better ones) who went down in the sea like stones so their deaths were quick. Those who said just the first part and even acknowledged that it was too obvious, did not solve the TTriddle at all. Those who went with the rock group were at least in the TTriddle mode. Although, I must admit, I didn’t even know that there was a group named No Doubt. The solution as intended is from Shmot 15:22, right after AZ YASHIR, where we are told that Moshe took the people from Yam Suf to Midbar SURE, “obviously” an English-Hebrew confirmation of our having no doubt.
[2] Severeal solvers got this one. Sweetbread is “The thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal, especially a calf or lamb, used for food.” What it is then is meat at night, followed by sweet bread for breakfast, or bread in the morning. Check 16:8 for the source and solution of this TTriddle.
[3] Several solvers almost got this; one (or maybe two) got it near-perfect. The Maftir of Parshat B’shalach is SHLISHI (a third) of the Torah reading of Purim morning. The “some” refers to Jews all over Israel and the world, except for us Yerushalmis. We are the “others” for whom last week’s Maftir is a third of the Maftir for Shabbat-Purim morning.
[4] This one seems to have been the easiest of the TTriddles, based on the number of correct solutions submitted. Rashi asks and aswers the question as to where Par’o found horses for his chariots if they were killed during the MAKOT. Those Egyptians who believed what Moshe said had taken steps to protect their animals from BARAK and thus found a booming business in the animal trade. (Par’o probably just took the animals by force, but... a TTriddle is a TTriddle.)
[5] Lots of tries on this one, but no correct solutions. What’s before Torah? Derech Eretz. And Derech Eretz also precedes the word P’LISHTIM in the beginning of the sedra.
[6] A few solvers got this one. Maybe less than a few. The first 8 words of the 17-word pasuk 15:16, TIPOL ALEIHEM... are said in Kiddush L’vana, forwards and backwards.
[7] This one was a “nice” one. (Okay, I think they’re all nice, but you know what I mean.) There is a famous sequence of five words, each beginning with an ALEF. AMAR OYEIV ERDOF ASIG ACHALEIK (15:9). One more ALEF word would have tied (two more would have beaten) the 6-ALEF sequence from B’reishit 42:21, where the brothers are sharing the guilt for selling Yosef. What spoiled the streak here in B’shalach is the word SHALAL, which means SPOILS.
[8] This one I thought would get some correct solutions. There were several tries. But no direct hits. For Moshe, a strong Eastern Wind (RU’ACH KADIM) blew all day and all night and then carried the locust into Egypt. In B’shalach, a Ru’ach Kadim blew all night and then the sea split. And for whom was there an East Wind after sunrise? YONA HANAVI.
RHM once again had a fine mix of correct solutions and good tries on the other ones. For the NO DOUBT, she answered AMALEK (who attacked after Yam Suf), since the numeric value of SAFEK, doubt, is 60+80+100=240, as is the g’matriya of Amalek, 70+40+30+100=240. nice try. DM only had a partial attempt, but his brother MM/Bklyn had a solid solution set (not all correct, but...).He even found that MOVE ON was one of NO DOUBT’s songs and tied that to the command to the people to travel. A single submission from ZviR - What’s doing? Hillel (Sabba) had a very good sol’n set and also pointed out that Korabn Pesach & Matza are another meat at night bread in the morning combination. (Except that Matza is eaten at night with the K.P. too.) Nice job. A new solver, JAM from Columbia (the uni, not the country) submitted a solid partial set. The best sol’n set this week, and the prize-winner (call and let’s talk about it) came from the guys from C.C. who had three nice yeshivish tries at the streak-spoiler, and a decent idea about the day & night, night, sunrise one. That’s it for this week. Happy TTriddling.
This Week's TTRIDDLES
[1] Through the little shopping center, cross Mitla, all the way down Paran and cross 6 Days.
[2] TARDCHIR
[3] Real Question (but counted as a TTriddle): What angle does the ramp of the Mizbei'ach make with the ground?
[4] Just live soot
[5] David to Avneir. Nechemya to the creditors. Who to whom in this week's sedra?
[6] (also a "real" question, but counted as a TTriddle this week, in honor our our new Chess and Scrabble Club) CHECKMATE wins in Chess. What is the highest possible score for the word CHECKMATE for Scrabble?


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