PARSHA-PIX - Parshat T'rumah

Parsha Pix

Across the top are sacks of gold (Au is the symbol for the element gold - it is based on the Latin name for gold, Aurum), silver (similarly, silver’s symbol comes from its Latin name Argentum - Ar was spoken for by Argon), and copper (Cuprum), that were donated to the building of the Mishkan and its accouterments.

The two things in the upper-right of the ParshaPix are cabbages. In Hebrew - KRUV, as in the K’RUVIM on the KAPORET of the ARON.
Many of the other items in this ParshaPix represent the materials that were collected, and mentioned, in the beginning of the sedra. The gem represents the stones for the CHOSHEN and the shoulder straps of the EIFOD.

The gold rings stand for the rings through which were inserted the carrying poles of some of the furnishings of the Mishkan.
The spools of thread represent the different colored wool and linen that were used to weave the coverings in the Mishkan. Also, to sew together the panels of the Mishkan and the Ohel. 
Under the cabbages is a bouquet of flowers, in Hebrew - ZEIR. That is the term used in the Torah for the decorative border of gold that was made for the ARON and SHULCHAN (at least).
The olive oil represents the olive oil, which had several purposes in the service of the Mikdash.
Next to the olives is a tree and a log, standing for the ATZEI SHITIM, the acacia wood used extensively in the construction of the Mishkan.
Below the olive oil are representations of the three decorations of the Menorah. The trophy cup is called a GAVI’AH. The buttom is KAFTOR and the flower is the PERACH. The actual Menora shapes did not resemble these, but the names do.
Then there is a sewing machine to facilitate various sewing jobs that were needed in the Mishkan.
To the right of the sewing machine is a column or pillar, of which there were many in the Mishkan - to support the PAROCHET, the covering of the entrance of the Mishkan, the curtains of the courtyard, and the entrance to the courtyard. Many AMUDIM.
To the column’s right and under the bouquet is a frame, MISGERET in Hebrew. The word is used in the description of the SHULCHAN,
Bottom row, right to left: Matza with a face is LECHEM HAPANIM, which reminds us that those special loaves were halachic matza - no Chametz.
Notebook is MACHBERET, a term used in the sedra.
The computer screen is called a MASACH in Hebrew. The Biblical use of the word applied to the curtains that covered the entrance to the Mishkan and to the courtyard of the Mishkan.
Which brings us to the lower-left and the flag of Lebanon, reminding us of the Cedars of Lebanon mentioned in the Haftara.

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 week’s (MISHPATIM) TTriddles:
[1] Ox-owner, thief, pyro, borrower - who in Yirmiyahu?
[2] Binyamin, his hand thrice
[3] Bavel Bros. watch The Communication
[4] The captive of the creation of Daedalus
[5] It found them and he found her - huh?
[6] Layers of Jewish beauty and a funny way to stand
[7] Three times in the Sedra and haftara
[8] Garment does the best job at this among the three-in-a-row-ers

And the envelope please...
[1] The phrase SHALEIM Y’SHALEIM, and he shall (surely) pay, seems to be more emphatic than just Y’SHALEIM, the more common term found in Mishpatim. The two-word phrase appears only 5 times in Tanach - four times in Mishpatim and once in Yirmiyahu. In Mishpatim, it appears with the owner of an ox with a reputation of being dangerous, the thief that’s caught red-handed, the fire that spreads to a neighbor and does damage, and the one who borrows an animal which then dies (other than “on the job”). In Yirmiyahu, it is G-d Who will pay, so to speak (51:56).
[2] LO SHALACH YADO... literally, he did not “sent his hand”. What it means is that a person was not negligent with something that belongs to someone else. The expression appears only three times, all in Mishpatim. The third time, it refers to G-d not striking out against the leaders of the people. In addition to these three occurrences, LO SHALACH occurs one other time in the Torah, when Yaakov did not send Binyamin with his brothers.
[3] ISH EL REI’EIHU, a man to his fellow. The phrase is used with MIGDAL BAVEL, the Tower of Babel, with Yosef’s brothers who were astonished that this Egyptian ruler had seated them in age order, with the laws of SHOMRIM (watch) in Mishpatim, and to describe The Communication between G-d and Moshe Rabeinu.
[4] This is a play on words of sorts. In Greek mythology, Daedalus built the Labyrinth. The Minotaur was imprisoned in it. The Minotaur is half man and half bull. SHOR ISH, the ox of a person, and ISH SHOR, if a MAN steals an OX, were the triggers of this TTriddle.
[5] KI TEITZEI... not a common phrase. When a fire goes out... it find thorns (them). And when one goes out to battle and finds among the captives a Y’FAT TO’AR... he (the soldier) found her (the beautiful captive)...
[6] Well, here’s some more word play. SHEIN TACHAT SHEIN, Yiddish (a.k.a. Jewish) for beauty is SHEIN, or something like that. (We are really talking about a tooth for a tooth.) With SHEIN under SHEIN, we have the layers of Jewish beauty. From the same p’sukim, we have REGEL TACHAT RAGEL. The normal way to stand is with one’s feet more or less side by side. One foot under the other must be a funny way to stand.
[7] This one was sneaky, but the Gersten Gang caught me on it. Other solvers went looking for things that appeared a total of three times between the sedra and the haftara. The answer is SHALOSH P’AMIM, literally three times. This two-word phrase appears only twice (within the sedra and haftara, that is) - once in the sedra and a second time in the haftara.
[8] This TTriddle was maybe too obscure, but here it is. Three-in-a-row refers to words that are made up of three consecutive letters in the ALEF-BET. The letters need not be in order. SHEKER, falsehood, is one sucvh word. SHIN-KUF-REISH are three consecutive letters, although not in order. Garment is BEGED, another three-in-a-row-er. The one that is fartherst in the ALEF-BET from SHEKER, thereby doing a good job at distancing itself from falsehood, which is what the Torah tells us to do.
The Gersten Gang wins again for this week, although some of their solutions are “alternates” to the “real” ones. Honorable mention to EB who has been doing a good job on TTriddles these last few weeks. Double prizes for the GG, a CD for EB. Please be in touch.

A few weeks back in the hard copy of TT, there was a non-apology for what we thought was not an error on our part. In the electronic version of TT (website, email, Palm) that same week, there was an apology for miscounting the number of generations between David HaMelech and his great-great-etc. grandmother Leah. If the offended party is not aware of an apology, does the tree make a sound when it falls?

On a more serious note, our apologies to people who took offense to the use of Greek mythology in a TTriddle. The story of the Minotaur and labyrinth does not involve any Greek gods. Nonetheless...

This week's TTriddles:
[1] They weren't preparing for a Gulf war, yet...
[2] Rachel & Leah's granddaughter
[3] Rotate the Mishkan 90° counter-clockwise and you’d have a cute bilingual alliteration
[4] One more than B&B, thrice
[5] Physical description of part of the Mishkan and Mikdash but very unflattering when describing a person. (Where?)
[6] Double Tzelafchad's daughter
[7] Bambi's friend panic champions

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