PARSHA-PIX - Shavuot - Parshat Naso

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Parsha Pix
Fork lift stands for the work of the Gershon and mostly the Merari families of Leviyim. Only Kehat might have had a problem using a forklift. Merari probably would have used it well.
The abacus is for counting the Leviyim.
The Do Not Enter signs are for the three types of ritually defiled individuals who may not enter one camp of another, as explained in the Sedra Summary.
The grapes, wine, and shaver are Xed out for the Nazir. Add to those prohibitions, the issue of becoming TAMEI and you’ll have a more complete picture. Let’s use this part of the picture as an example of how to use ParshaPix with people on different levels. Say to your child (or Shabbat guest): Why are the grapes, wine, and shaver crossed out? Or if that’s too easy, ask what prohibition is missing from the picture? Or what can you tell me about a Niazir? Or what famous Nazir is the subject of the Haftara? Etc. Very flexible. Good jumping-off points.
The potion of the Sota is under the abacus.
The animals and golden spoon with Ketoret are part of the gifts of the N'si'im.
That’s about it. But you can do a lot with ParshaPix with the addition of your imagination.

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 (BAMIDBAR) TTriddles:
[1] The regular haftara of Bamidbar is preempted by Machar Chodesh. Yet this “new” haftara is wordly linked to the sedra, as well. How?
[2] Maybe Zevulun should have been in Efrayim's camp
[3] Mebane, Pittsboro, Ruffin, Semora, Star, Troy, Yanceyville - among others
[4] As head of his Shevet, he just missed by one
[5] Among the Tribal leaders: The first, the first, and the first.
[6] 4.2 and 2.11 a few times
[7] Is Kehati a Yemenite?
[8] What color's the tablecloth?
[9] Plus a PPP that did not make it into the printed version of TT, but was on the website and the email to those who requested the ParshaPix as an attached file.
[10] Plus the hold over from two weeks ago.

And the envelope please...
[1] The root PEI-KUF-DALET as in P’kudei,
P’kudei- hem, Tifk’du, and other words,
shows up in Bamidbar many times.
51 times in the sedra of Bamidbar, and 96 times all together in the Book. The Book of Chumash that is nicknamed SEFER P’KUDIM, which loosely translates as the Book of Numbers. (Only another 35 times in the rest of the Torah.) And there’s the root in the haftara four times - twice in the first pasuk. That is its WORD-ly link.
[2] Efrayim’s camp was to the west, which in Hebrew is MAARAV, but in the description of the encampment, the other name for west is used, YAMA - which means sea-ward. Which is where Zevulun comes in, based upon its bracha in B’reishit 49:13 (from Yaakov’s final words to his sons in Vaychi).
[3] All right, this one is a cheap shot. As of this writing, no one has gotten it, and it would be a surprise (a pleasant one) if anyone does. In most cases, the solution of a TTriddle presents itself first, and then the TTriddle gets constructed around the answer. 273 is the answer. That’s how many first borns of Israel had to redeem themselves, above and beyond the 22,000 first borns who were neatly swapped for the same number of non-b’chor Leviyim. First thought was to an area code in the US or Canada to form the TTriddle. 273 is not an area code. Reluctantly, the next possibility was the first three digits of ZIP code. That led to an area in North Carolina which contains the cities (towns) listed in the TTriddle. Someone with patience can discover that North Carolina is the target, but whether 273 will be spotted and click is another matter. Maybe the TTriddle should have been the prohibition of a Kohein Gadol marrying a widow. (Mitzva #273). Or [L], Jackie Robinson doubles.
[4] This refers to AVIDAN (father of Dan) ben Gid’oni, the leader of the tribe of Binyamin. The next tribe on the list is DAN, so AVIDAN just missed being the AV of DAN by one.
[5] Among the tribal leaders, Elitzur is the first one listed; Avidan is the first in alphabetical order; Nachson was the first into Yam Suf. We’ll see what other “firsts” solvers come up with.
[6] This notation refers to a book and sedra within the book of Chumash. 4.2 is the second sedra in Bamidbar, namely NASO. If appears in the sedra of Bamidbar. In fact, the first 9 words of Naso also appear in very similar context in Bamidbar. 2.11 is Parshat P’kudei. The word P’kudei appears a few times in Bamidbar, including an EILEH P’KUDEI, just like the sedra. (Okay, almost like the sedra - the sedra is EILEH F’KUDEI, and in Bamidbar, the DAGESH doesn’t drop from the PEI.
[7] This is based on the family unit of Kehat being located in the southern encampoment of the Leviyim. South is Darom, but also TEIMANA, related to the word for Yemenite.
[8] And this was a simple one. The answer is T’CHEILET (possibly sky-blue). That was the color (and material) of the first covering of the SHULCHAN in the Mishkan, used by the kohanim to prepare the various furnishings in the Mishkan for travel and transport by the Leviyim.
Which brings us to the PPP (upper-right of page 14), most of which was fairly easy to solve. Rambam is MOSHE; the Kohein Gadol is AHARON. Aharon is standing on the letter P, which gives MOSHE V’AHARON AL PI... (Bamidbar 3:39). That was the easy part. And some solvers sent that much in without mentioning anything about the “x squared minus nine” above Aharon. Those who remember their elementary algebra might remember this particular style of binomial, which can factor into (x+3)•(x-3). This type of polynomial is known as the difference (subtraction, minus) of two squares (x squared and 9), or as DOTS. And there are dots written in a Sefer Torah above the word V’AHARON. The Gemara says that the dots indicate that Aharon was not included in the count of the Leviyim (as Moshe was not).
The TTriddle from B’chukotai announced itself as not being related to Parshat HaShavua. Last week’s TTriddles report basically hinted that the numbers - 13.2, 28.6, 8.7 - were dates. In case that hint was not clear enough, this TTriddle will stand for one more week. It now reads: This TTriddle does not have anything to do with Pasrshat HaShavua. What do the three following dates have in common: 13.2, 28.6, and 8.7? Go for it. You’ve got another week to solve it.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Aramaic-Hebrew swaps between the two classes of homeotherms
[2] 2-word phrase that simulates Levi's inheritance to his three sons
[3] Couldn't find him? He's here this week 14 times
[4] Avraham-Elimelech connections: person, condition, two-word phrase
[5] Moshe, Yehoshua, Golyat, M'fivoshet, Ovadyahu, and whom?

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