PARSHA-PIX - Ki Tisa
Parsha Pix
Ki Tisa starts with the Half-Shekel mitzva, as in the picture at the top.
Top-right is a faucet, reminder of the mitzva of the kohanim to wash their hands and feet before service in the Mikdash. (And for us to do NETILAT YADAYIM in the morning, before davening and HaMotzi.)
The olive oil in the upper-left is for the anointing oil.
The mortar & pestle is for the Incense as well as the other ingredients in the Shemen HaMishcha.
Lower-left is the picture of the modern day Betzalel and Aholiav looking over the plans for the Mishkan.
The Shabbat candlesticks remind us of the Torah's reminder that Shabbat takes priority over the building of the Mikdash.
Lower-right is the Davka graphic of the Eigel HaZahav.
Above that are the Luchot before they broke, or maybe it's the second pair.
The YUD-GIMMEL at the top are the MIDOT of HaShem that He taught us to use when we, as a community, turn to Him in special prayer.
The stool has 3 legs, or SHALOSH REGALIM, a play on Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot mentioned in the sedra.
The large NUN and REISH are for the large letters in the sedra.
The ax is to be used to destroy AVODA ZARA in the Land, as we are commanded in 34:13.
That leaves the welder's mask that Moshe used to cover his radiant face when he was with the people.
TTRIDDLES... are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. Some TTriddles are also presentedfor call-in solution on Torah Tidbits Audio (Arutz-7, Thursday night). The best solution set submitted each week (there isnt always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal
Last week's (T’TZAVEH & PURIM) TTriddles:
[1] Itinerary includes New York, Antwerp, Ramat Gan, and India
[2] Object in the sedra to help with the maftir
[3] Has four; is one of four
[4] Caused by a large sunlamp
[5] Less polite “excuse me, sir”
[6] Real men don't; he is
[7] 3 across: PASIM • 7 down: Princess' garb
[PPP] ParshaPix, lower-right, a flowering plant
And the envelope please...
[1] The itinerary includes tours (TURIM) of precious gems (including diamond). The four places named are considered the leaders in diamonds in the world. This is a play on the for rows (TURIM) of stones on the Choshen.
[2] The AVNEI SHOSHAM, the onyx stones on the shoulder straps of the Kohen Gadol’s EIFOD are called AVNEI ZIKARON, memory stones. Perhaps they can be of assistance with the maftir - ZACHOR.
[3] Some attempted to solve this with the sons of Aharon. As kohanim, they had four garments. And each was one of four sons of Aharon. Can’t fault this answer; it fits the wording of the TTriddle. The intended answer is CHOSHEN MISHPAT. It had four rows of stones. And, as the name of a section of Shulchan Aruch, it is one of four. Whichever you like better.
[4] To the Megila, in honor of Purim. What would be caused by a large sunlamp? A big tan, as in Bigtan and Teresh, the plotters uncovered by Mordechai.
[5] Also a name in the Megila. “Hey, guy” might be a less polite way of saying, “Excuse me, sir”. Heigai was the king’s SHOMEIR HANASHIM, keeper of the harem (or something like that).
[6] And one more name in the Megila. Real men don’t eat quiche. So went the book title from back in 1982. Since then it has been suggested variously that real men do eat quiche, or do or don’t eat it according to their free choice. Whatever. He is Kish, great-gradfather of Mordechai.
[7] Back to T’tzaveh. Probably the easy way to solve this one is to start with the word PASIM, which is known to be preceded by the word KUTONET, as in the ill-fated striped and/or multicolored coat that Yaakov gave to Yosef. KUTONET, as one of the garments of the kohein, is, of course mentioned in T’tzaveh. So that’s probably the answer... or at least part of the answer. Searching through Tanach, one finds that there are five references to Yosef’s Kutonet, 5 references to the Kutonet of the kohanim, and only one other reference to K’TONET PASIM in Shmuel Bet, where it is described as that which is worn by the daughters of kings - Princess’ garb. The solution needs to relate to the crossword references. Crossword puzzles in Hebrew are called TASHBEITZ. So is KUTONET TASHBEITZ, referring to its weave.
[PPP] The flowering plant in last week's ParshaPix was appropriate to the partner mitzva of ZACHOR, namely the prohibition of forgetting. The flower? Forget-me-not
This week's TTriddles:
[1] The Kohen Gadol & Shabbat share this label
[2] Start with 8 and end with 20
[3] The key to Mikdash preliminaries
[4] 2 different previews twice each, rather than one thrice
[5] from major character to obscure reference in 3-4 days
[6] This week's Jewish languages link
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