
PARSHA-PIX Parshat T'ruma

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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
alsopresentedforcall-insolutiononTorahTidbitsAudio(Arutz-7,Thursdaynight).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 (Mishpatim-Sh'kalim) TTriddles:
[1] Va'etchanan beats Mishpatim at its own game. By what score?
[2] Delicacies; master & family
[3] Mixed up fool in the water
[4] Three boys were sent to the principal's office for fighting. The
principal asked the first one what happened. He pointed to the second one
and said, "He pushed me". When the principal looked at the second boy, he
pointed to the third boy and said, "He pushed me". The third boy just sat
there and smiled. Name the three boys.
[5] Man of 1, 2,3, 5, 7, and 8
[6] double-scrambled first-born item
[7] In the sedra, he swears; in Shoftim, he's old
[8] Who, besides the king, may not
[9] The first, the second, the third, the fifth, the seventh, the tenth,
this, and...
[10] Money, donkey, blemish, Divine Spirit
[11] An angel, messenger, or prophet - Eliya
And the envelope, please..
[1] The word HAMISHPATIM makes its first appear- ance in the beginning of
Parshat Mishpatim, as in V'EILEH HAMISHPATIM. And the second occurrence of
the word is later in the same sedra. Mas'ei has one HAMISHPATIM and
Va'etchanan has THREE! Va'etchanan beats Mishpatim at the HaMishpatim
game. Final score is 3-2. Eikev,R'ei, and Ki Tavo has a HaMishpatim each,
as do the books of Melachim Bet, Nechemia, and Divrei HaYamim Alef. And
that accounts for the 12 HAMISHPATIMs in Tanach. (There are also 6 plain
MISHPATIMs and 17 other MISHPATIMs with various prefix letters, but they
are not part of this TTriddle.)
[2] If the EVED IVRI decides he wants to stay with his master beyond the
regular period of six years, he declares that he loves his master and
family - AHAVTI... Curiosity about the word AHAVTI lead to only one other
occurrence in all of Tanach. Yitzchak asked Eisav to make him the
delicacies that he loves - ASHER AHAVTI.So that's it for AHAVTI -
delicacies and master & family.
[3] A TTriddle in the classic style (almost) of a Games Magazine Cryptic
Crossword puzzle clue. Fool is a TIPEISH, TET-PEI-SHIN. Mixed up means re-
arrange the letters, to get SHIN-PEI-TET. Their being in THE WATER, means
put those letters inside the word HAMAYIM, HEI-MEM (insert the other
letters here) YUD-MEM, and youget HAMISHPATIM.
[4] This could be the longest, wordiest TTriddle we've ever had. And it's
not really difficult. The "boys" are named Yirmiyahu, Yonatan, and Y'ho-ash.
Yirmiyahu, whose chapter 34 contributes the regular haftara of Mishpatim,
was pushed by Yonatan, whose story from Shmuel Alef 20 provides the
haftara for Shabbat Erev RoshChodesh. Yonatan is pushed by Y'ho-ash, the
main personality in Melachim Bet 12, which is the haftara of Parshat
Sh'kalim. Y'ho-ash just sits there and smiles, since his haftara is the
one we read on Shabbat Mishpatim - Sh'kalim which falls on the 29th of
Sh'vat.
[5] And speaking of Y'ho-ash, he is the man whose name appears in the
first, second, third, fifth, seventh, and eighth pasukim of the haftara.
[6] This is a nice one because it has more than one wordplay in it.
first-born, of course, is B'CHOR, but not for this TTriddle. There is
another Torah word for first-born, which is PETER (rhymes with better).
PEI- TET-REISH. Detail is a PARIT, spelled PEI-REISH-YUD -TET. Scramble
each of the words and you get TAROF YITAREIF(Sh'mot 22:12). Since each of
two words needed to be scrambled, the term double- scrambled is used. But
also because TET-REISH-FEI not only refers to non-kosher and to a malled
animal, but to scrambled eggs, as well. That gives a double meaning to the
word double.
[7] The answer is BAAL HABAYIT. In the context of Mishpatim, the term
refers to a SHOMEIR CHINAM who swears before Beit Din that he was not
negligent in his guaurding that which he was asked to watch (in his house
- that's why he is called the Baal HaBayit). In such case, he does not
have to pay if the object was stolen.Curiosity, once again, led to a
computer search in Tanach that resulted in only three finds. Besides in
Mishpatim, the term appears twice in the same context in the Shoftim (the
book, not the sedra), and there the Baal HaBayit is described as being a
ZAKEIN, old.
[8] A King of Bnei Yisrael may not have an excessive number of wives, nor
horses, nor gold & silver. These prohibitions are commanded with the words
LO YARBEH. That phrase occurs three times with a MELECH in Shoftim (the
sedra, not the book), and only one other place - in the beginning of
Parshat Ki Tisa, i.e. in ParshatSh'kalim, which is why it was a TTriddle
davka (the word processor with which TT is prepared) last week. And who is
it that LO YARBEH? The ASHIR, a wealthy person.
[9] The word CHODESH, HACHODESH, BACHODESH month, , the month, in the
month, appears many times in Tanach - often followed by a modifier. As the
TTriddle indicates, the most common modifier to month is a number, as in
the first month, second month, etc. Another modiier is HAZEH, this month.
And one other, which was thetarget of the TTriddle, is HA-AVIV, the spring
month. In fact, there are three CHODESH HA-AVIVs (one in Mishpatim) and
two BACHODESH HA-AVIVs in the Torah (and none elsewhere in Tanach).
[10] KI YITEIN... The phrase appears four times in the Torah, twice in
Mishpatim. If a person gives to his fellow, MONEY or vessels to watch (fro
him)... If a person gives a DONKEY or ox or sheep... If a person "gives a
blemish", i.e. injures someone else... (this one isn't in Mishpatim, but
it could very well be, especiallyas it is followed by another occurrence
of an eye for an eye...). And the fourth one is in Moshe's reply to
Yehoshua's report about Eldad and Meidad prophesying within the camp.
Should you be jealous for me... KI YITEIN HASHEM... that G-d gives of His
Divine Spirit upon them.
[11] This one was a natural TTriddle. As soon as you see the phrase, it
said: Make a TTriddle about me. HINEI ANOCHI SHOLEI-ACH... Something like:
I am hereby sending... And what was G-d going to send? A MAL-ACH. Opin-
ions differ as to what MAL-ACH means in this context. Angel, messenger,
and prophet are the possibilities.And then we go to the only other HINEI
ANOCHI SHOLEI-ACH in Tanach. The more famous one. The one from the end of
Mal'achi, the one from the haftara of Shabbat HaGadol. And who is HaShem
promising to send us? Eliyahu HaNavi. But his name appears in that context
without the VAV. One of 5 times that Eliyahu is called ELIYA.
After being quiet for a few weeks, YYW returned with a vengeance
andsubmitted a near-perfect solution set. Kol HaKavod and prizes. Be in
touch.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] What material socks do you wear with size 6 boots?
[2] Here it's a top cover; where is it a bottom cover?
[3] This Shabbat is a favorite among school children
[4] Yehuda HaMacabi 5 • Me'ah She'arim 21 • R' Reines 16 • Robovitz 322
[5] TTriddle 79: Extend head to change languages
[6] This week, it gets 15 amot s'radin each. What does his get next week?
[7] Its length Its height, its height, its circumference
[8] Their volumes are in the ration of 40:3
[9] NEWS items with two names in the sedra, one name in the sedra and
another elsewhere, only one name
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