PARSHA-PIX Parshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech

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Parsha Pix

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 presented for call-in solution on Torah Tidbits Audio (Arutz-7, Thursday night). The best solution set submitted each week (there isn't always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal

Last issue’s (KI TAVO) TTriddles:
[1] Under but not on
[2] SHOW
WIN
[3] Hey, we didn't either!
[4] 2/6 + 2/2 + 2/2; 4/6 + 2/2
[5] Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Chanuka
[6] Give & take, why & say
[7] The ultimate of line makes an even dozen
[8] Bikurim & Pesach Anagram
[9] 14 in Tanach, including 11 in Torah, including 5 in D'varim including 3 in Ki Tavo

And the envelope please...
[1] Part of the prophecy of the future redemption and elevation of Israel is G-d’s saying that He will bring GOLD instead (TACHAT, literally and TTriddly under) COPPER, SILVER instead of IRON... IRON instead of STONES. So, according to Yeshayahu, it is okay (even better than okay) to have IRON under STONE. But the sedra tells us that we may not put IRON (tools) on the STONES of the Mizbei’ach.
[2] This one was also based on the piece of the haftara mentioned in [1] q.v. (quod vide, which see). WIN-PLACE-SHOW are the first three positions in a horse race. GOLD-SILVER-BRONZE are the first three places in an athletic event. Therefore WIN under SHOW is the same as GOLD under COPPER (which is the major component of BRONZE).
[3] Moshe Rabeinu has previously told us that when he was on Har Sinai, he neither ate bread nor drank water for 40 days and nights. In Ki Tavo, G-d tells the people that for the 40 years in the Wilderness, we neither ate bread nor drank wine... (but we had the manna and other miracles). The answer is “eat bread”.
[4] The tribes of 2 of Leah’s 6 sons (Reuven and Zevulun) were to stand on Har Eival for the Blessings and others ceremony after entry into Eretz Yisrael. With them were 2 of 2 of Bilha’s (Dan and Naftai) and 2 of 2 of Zilpa’s sons (Gad and Asher). Opposite them on Har G’rizim were 4 of 6 of Leah’s sons (Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, and Yissachar) and 2 of 2 of Rachel’s sons (Yosef and Binyamin).
[5] The common factor in Ki Tavo between Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, and Chanuka is BIKURIM. The BIKURIM passage is the main text for Maggid portion of the Hagada. Shavuot is YOM HABIKURIM, the beginning of the BIKURIM season. BIKURIM may be brought until SUKKOT and the bringer may not only bring but he may recite the BIKURIM passage. After that, one may still bring BIKURIM but without the recitation, until CHANUKA. After TT was finished, I thought of a PURIM connection to the sedra, though not the BIKURIM part. Too late for TTriddles last week, but it was part of the weekly question for Shabbat Shalom, an epublication of the OU. Answer at the end of the TTriddles report.
[6] The answer is MEIREISHIT. The word appears only four times in Tanach. In Bamidbar (Shlach) it says “from the first of your dough you shall GIVE...” In Ki Tavo, “You shall TAKE from the first fruits...” In Shmuel Alef, Eli was asked by an ISH ELOKIM about his sons’ greed. WHY did they take from the first of all offerings of Israel... In Yeshayahu, MAGID, say, MEIREISHIT acharit...
[7] A personal favorite. It happened like this. Each of the p’sukim of the curses ends with V’AMAR KOL HA’AM AMEN. And the whole nation shall say AMEN. There are 11 of those phrases all together. Curiosity: Does the phrase appear anywhere else in Tanach? Search with DBS Torah CD-Rom Library reveals the 11 in Ki Tavo and only one more. In T’hilim 106, that’s KUF-VAV, which is KAV, which is LINE. In the 48th pasuk, which happens to be the last pasuk in the chapter, the ULTIMATE of LINE (KUF-VAV). That makes it an even dozen.
[8] The opening words in Ki Tavo are V’HAYA KI TAVO, that’s TAV-BET-VAV-ALEF. Similar phrase, V’HAYA KI TAVO’U, spelled TAV-BET-ALEF-VAV (an anagram of TAVO) appears in Sh’mot 12:25, where the topic is Korban Pesach. Hence, the Pesach & Bikurim anagram.
[9] The famous phrase ERETZ ZAVAT CHALAV UDVASH, a land flowing with milk and honey, occurs 14 times in Tanach, 11 of which are in the Torah, 5 of which are in D’varim, 3 of which are in Parshat Ki Tavo.
Answer to TTriddle [5] extension is the Purim connection to the sedra. BARUCH MORDECHAI and ARUR HAMAN and all the BARUCHs and ARURs in Ki Tavo.
Honors this week to DM and RHM.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Freckles are hereditary
[2] The missing city
[3] Nitzavim-Vayeilech has enough for Simchat Torah
[4] Everyone in each
[5] from Arcturus’s (probably) to Sadalmelik’s
[6] First alone then with his successor
[7] Yaakov, no; Moshe, yes; who else yes?
[8] Final score: Nunson 6 - Koenig 2

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