PARSHA-PIX - Sho-f'tim
Parsha Pix
The gavel and sherrif's badge in the upper left represent SHO'F'TIM and
SHO'T'RIM - the judges who interpret and clarify the law and the deputies
who help the courts enforce the law.
Upper right is a scales of justice that
is leaning over, as in the prohibition not to bend (corrupt) justice.
Also at the top is a negation circle over
a pair of hands with a seedling to plant. This refers to the prohibition of
planting an ASHEIRA and any trees in the Beit HaMikdash area or near the
Mizbei'ach.
The crown is for the portion in the sedra that deals with the topic of
KINGS, including the requirement that the king write a second Sefer Torah
for himself, that is to be with him always, to guide him and inspire him.
The parchment and quill are next to the crown, ready for his fulfillment of
the mitzva.
Next is the negation circle over the face of the cow. Notice that it is
missing an ear, making it blemished and unfit for the Mizbei'ach. See 17:1.
Of course, the rest of the cow's body is also missing. That would constitute
a significant disqualifying blemish.
The gift-wrapped and ribboned box
represents several gifts to the kohen that are mentioned in this week's
sedra.
Next we have another negation circle,
multiplied by two, because it refers to the twice- mentioned not veering
neither to the right nor to the left. (That's the meaning of the forked
arrow.) We are warned about veering from the teachings and rulings of the
Sanhedrin. And the king of Israel is warned not to deviate from the
teachings of the Torah.
The rabbit in the hat stands for MAGIC.
Not exactly the magic that the Torah had in mind in the prohibition of
KISHUF or the other black arts, but that's the way ParshaPix works - by
associating. It is important, by the way, that magic tricks not give anyone
the impression that the "magic" is actually happening. Magicians should make
it clear to their audiences that magic tricks are accomplished with gimmicks
or misdirection, sleight of hand, power of suggestion, etc. and do not
involve the supernatural. Some halachic authorities rule that a Jewish
magician must explain these ideas to their audience, and even show how one
trick is done.
The two guys below the cow head are hard
to see clearly. They are both selling fruit while they stand next to each
other. The fellow on the left has a sign behind him that reads: Ye Olde
Fruit, since 1962. The guy on the right is selling the same fruit. His sign
says: NEW & CHEAP FRUITS MART. The attempt here was to depict one person
(the one on the right) encroaching on the territory of another, and
violating MASIG G'VUL.
To the left of the fruit sellers is an
ax-head that has separated from its handle. This is one of the Torah's
examples of a SHOGEG homicide. A woodcutter's ax blade flies off the handle
and kills someone. There is an interesting discussion in the Talmud as to
exactly what the Torah was describing. There are some inadvertent homicides
that would be considered too close to intentional to be classified as SHOGEG.
Perhaps a woodcutter who neglected to check the fit of the ax blade on the
handle before he took his first swing of the ax would be considered close to
intentional. Sort of like inexcusable carelessness. One of the functions of
the courts of 23 judges would be to determine the level of culpability in
cases of homicides. The one who killed, as we have said in the sedra
summary, goes to, or is taken to a city of refuge. From there he is taken to
court. A SHOGEG killer would be returned to IR MIKLAT. An intentional
murderer would be executed. One who is judged to be guiltless would be
released. There are also some in between options.
This brings us to the three items on the
bottom of the Pix, center and left. Each depicts one of the situations that
exempts a person from military service in cases of optional wars. A person
who built a house and has not yet lived in it. Or one who has planted a
vineyard but has not yet redeemed its first crop. Or a person who is
"engaged' (halachically) and has not yet married his betrothed.
Which brings us to the strange tree in
the lower-right corner of the Pix. It is a depiction of the Torah's
statement: for the man is the tree of the field.
There are also two PPPs in the ParshaPix. Find them... and solve them - if
you can.
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 alsopresentedfor 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 (R’EI) TTriddles:
[1] From treif to kosher by adding opard
[2] Mamrei, Moreh, Bashan - what & who
[3] Who said the lead pair (different dots) to whom?
And the envelope please...
[1] Both in Shmini and in R’ei, there are four treif mammals named: Camel,
Shafan, Arnevet, and Pig. Although there is no such animal as a pigopard,
there is an animal called CAMELOPARD. It is none other than a giraffe (an
archaic name therefor). This less-known name for the world’s tallest animal
comes from Latin and Greek and combine the name camel, which the giraffe’s
head resembles with leopard, which the giraffe’s spots are associated with.
The giraffe chews its cud and has split hooves, and is therefore (probably)
kosher, even though we have no tradition to such a fact. Rav Aryeh Kaplan
z”l in his Living Torah, renders the ZEMER, the seventh listed kosher
non-domesticated animal, as a giraffe.
[2] MAMREI, MOREH, and BASHAN are all preceded by the word EILONEI, in
Tanach. EILONEI MOREH is mentioned in Parshat R’EI as being near the
locations of HAR G’RIZIM and HAR EIVAL, upon which the BRACHOT and K’LALOT
will be pronounced.
EILONEI MAMREI is the place where Avraham Avinu was when G-d appeared to him
in the beginning of Parshat VAYEIRA.
EILONEI (HA)BASHAN are the oaks of Bashan. They are not as lofty as ARZEI
HAL’VANON, the cedars of Lebanon. The latter are considered to allude to
kings, the former, to governors. This, according to Rashi in Yeshayahu 2:13.
[3] The lead pair (of words) in R’EI are R’EI ANOCHI. Putting that phrase
into a search returned only one more occurrence in Tanach. But, the searches
do not use vowels, so there are “different dots” for the REISH-ALEF-HEI.
Yaakov Avinu says to Rachel and Leah that he sees that Lavan does not have
the same attitude he used to have concerning Yaakov. RO-EH ANOCHI... (B’reishit
31:5).
YYW had a hat-trick with a perfect solution set. We will consider the tapes
of Shlomo Carlebach tapes as the prize for this one too.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Adam Schiff's domain
[2] Three identical sets of identical twins all from the same twenty-fourth
[3] The Chafetz Chayim's Four Questions
[4] Some of the HEIs text come from here
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