PARSHA-PIX - Parshat Yitro

Parsha Pix
Lots of graphic images to get your children and/or Shabbat guests into the Parshat HaShavua mode and mood.
Upper-left is the hearing ear of VAYISHMA YITRO, and Yitro heard. You can ask and/or answer the famous question, what did he hear that brought him to Judaism. And you can add another meaning to the hearing ear by relating it to what Bnei Yisrael heard at Sinai. And what they saw, which is usually heard.
B"H in upper right is a quote of Yitro when he heard all the things that G-d had done for Israel. From that we are taught that one makes a bracha on miracles.
The scales represent the justice system, Yitro's suggestions, Moshe's response, etc. One of the outcomes of Yitro's advice was the assignment of "captains" of groups of 1000, 100. 50, and 10 - represented by the Roman numerals M,C,L,X.
When Bnei Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai, they displayed a unity that is captured by the word VAYICHAN, and as Rashi puts it, we were like one person with one heart. That's the graphic under the ear.
The Shofar with feet is from the phrase, and the sound of the SHOFAR GOES (HOLEICH) and gets stronger.
The washing machine is for the people to clean their close during the preparatory days for Matan Torah.
Wine cup is for Kiddush (ZACHOR) and the negation circle is for the prohibition of Melacha, including writing, watering plants, digging, sewing, building.
Do not steal (the Xed out thief) and do not go up to the Mizbei'ach with steps (the negated ladder) are two other prohibitions in the sedra.
The volcano represents Har Sinai all smoking from the fire of G-d’s presence “upon” it.
The tongs and the “closed” MEM are from 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 (B’SHALACHO) TTriddles:
[1] Went from front to back; previously, told whom about what?
[2] D& D, after-sent partners
[3] Let's dance to the light of the Moon and sing Chanuka songs, too.
[4] Specific instructions to split and return...and what 2 of 10?
[5] Violating a D’Rabbanan can get you wet
[6]plus one element from the ParshaPix

And the envelope please...
[1] The Torah says that MAL’ACH HA-ELOKIM (the angel of G-d) who was going before the Camp of Israel went behind them (as did the pillar of cloud). Rashi, by the way, points out that the use of the word ELOKIM instead of MAL’ACH HASHEM indicates that judgment was taking place - and not just for Egypt. The People of Israel were being judged to determine if they were worthy of being saved from Egypt or not.
The exact words MAL’ACH HA-ELOKIM appear only one other place in the Chumash (several occurrences in the rest of Tanach). Previously (in the book of B’reishit) MAL’ACH HA-ELOKIM told Yaakov in a dream how to manipulate the special sticks to influence the types of lambs and kids born to Lavan’s flocks.
[2] After-sent refers to the Haftaras of the two times we read B’shalach during the year. Namely, Shabbat Parshat B’shalach (a.k.a. Shabbat Shira) and the seventh day of Pesach (when we start at the beginning of B’shalach, but don’t finish it). The songs we read in those Haftaras are Devorah’s and David’s respectively. D&D, Devorah and David, are the after-sent partners.
[3] This refers to two phrases in the Song of the Sea. TIPOL ALEIHEM... is one of the p’sukim recited at Kiddush L’vana, when we dance to the light of the moon. We say part of that pasuk three times each forwards and backwards. Chanuka songs refers to the phrase MI CHAMOCHA BA-EILIM HASHEM, the initial letters of those four words spell MACCABEE of Chanuka fame.
[4] N’TEI ET YADCHA, raise your hand... were the specific words that G-d used to instruct Moshe to both split the Sea and reunite it. The phrase appears for Frogs and Hail. (The wording is slightly different for the other plagues.)
[5] In the beginning of Parshat Sho’f’tim, we find the Torah commands (positive and prohibition) to follow Rabbinic Law as commanded by the Sanhedrin. We are prohibited from veering from what they teach us, neither to the right nor to the left. In B’shalach, veering to the right or left can bring you into the water-wall which is similarly described.
TTRiddles Winner • The easy PPP left unexplained from last week’s ParshaPix (on page 3) was an upside-down heart. This was a reference to VAYEIHAFEICH L’VAV PAR’O... G-d inverted the hearts of Par’o and his gang so that they wouold run after the Jewish People...
Winner of the dual prizes this week (CD or tapes from Noam Productions and a gift from Big Deal) go to relatively new solvers, who have been consistant these last few weeks in solving many of the TTriddles. They did well last week (when we didn’t get to name any winners) and did the best job of the various submissions, this week, even though they had “alternate” solutions to some of the TTriddles, some of which were more creative than the “real” ones. They are...The Gersten Gang

This week's TTriddles:
[1] R’ Elazar b. Mordechai Azkari’s book for him, him, him, him, them, and it.
[2] In Yitro, not just Yitro but...who and what?
[3] This year's statement on the major sin of thought
[4] A low quartet 10 years from now
[5] Honor your parents by offering them a glass of wine. What's the additonal connection?
[6] Object: Avraham, gold & silver things, Shimon, Efrayim & Menashe, the People, Subjects & verb, please.

[The Parshat Yitro Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]