PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayaqhel-P'kudei

Click on image for enlargement

Parsha Pix
Upper-left corner deals with the first three p’sukim of Vayaqhel that deal with Shabbat.
All the rest of Vayaqhel and all of P’kudei deal with the Mishkan.
The negated match is the prohibition of kindling fire on Shabbat. But the Shabbat candles make an important point. The halacha does NOT require us to sit in the dark, as some warped versions of Judaism have claimed. It is a mitzva to have a brightly lit pleasant atmosphere in our homes on Shabbat. We just have to achieve that in a “kosher” manner.
The set of pictures in the upper-right are a little hard to make out. There is a photo of a popular, wonderful, fantastic shiur-giver at the Center, a picture of the Lone Ranger and his trusty steed. And a graphic of a British bobby. What they are supposed to mean is for you to work out.
Top-center is a collection box for voluntary donations to the Mikdash, as described in the sedra.
Under the candles are rolls of fabric, representing the different dyed wools, linen, goat’s hair fabric used in the Mishkan for various purposes.
Under the Tzedaka box is a drawing of a tree known as acacia albida, the tree that might have been (probably was) the SHITIM tree used for the wall planks, Aron, and other purposes in the Mishkan.
Under the fabric is a graphic of a woman looking into a mirror, representing the gifts of the copper mirrors from the women to the Mishkan.
Under the tree is a gemstone, representing the 14 stones used in the garments of the Kohein Gadol (that’s 12 on the CHOSHEN and two on the shoulders of the Eifod).
The photo of a HaZorfim b’samim box stands for the b’samim used for the K’TORET and the anointing oil.
Doll figure mid-right is probably also hard to make out, so we’ll tell you that it is Olive Oyl of Popeye fame, representing the olive oil used for anointing and lighting in the Menora.
Lower-left is an adding machine to help in the counting of the materials collected in such enthusiastic abundance that Moshe Rabeinu had to tell the people to stop bringing materials.
Lower-right is the Mishkan with a Cloud over it. The prevented Moshe from entering as well as preventing the the Mishkan (and the People) from traveling.
Lower-right is a muscular arm with barbell. This represents CHAZAK, CHAZAK, said at the conclusion of the reading of P’kudei and the closing of the Book of Sh’mot. Or course, the strength intended in that exclamation is spiritual, but ParshaPix and what they are.
The final element of the ParshaPix is the calendar set on the first of the month. This refers to the Maftir of HaChodesh and the mitzva to sanctify the first of each month.
Again, we suggest using the ParshaPix with your children and Shabbat guests for fun and learning.

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).Thebest 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 TISA - PARA) TTriddles:
[1] vertical symmetry for word and taamim
[2] Rabbi Chizkiya b. David de Silva z"l - 1659-1698
[3] trap, thing, wise person
[4] Avimelech, Yaakov, Lavan, Moshe, David and two more than once. Who and who?
[5] Of incense, but can refer to gefilte fish, but not for people on a low sodium diet
[6] What else besides the first set of LUCHOT?
[7] 1, 2, 3 and another 3, 7, 10 sort of, 11 sort of, some of 12, 13

And the envelope, please...
[1] Solved by several solvers, this is an elegant little TTriddle that starts with the observation that the word V'NA-T'NU, and they shall give (the silver half-shekel), is a palindriome, i.e. a word that reads the same forwards and backwards. Someone (if you know a source, dear TT reader, please let us know) "explained" the significance of this particular word being able to be read in both directions, in saying that giving to good causes, shall we say, also means getting something in return - the good feeling of having given. The vertical symmetry of the word extends to the double TROP over the word, KADMA V'AZLA.
[2] The more well-known of Rabbi Chizkiya b. David de Silva z"l works is the PRI CHADASH, a significant - what shall we call him? The term for his type of work is NOS'EI KEILIM, lit. arms bearer, meaning a combination of commentator, addender, confirmer, explainer, elaborater, elucidator, sometimes critic and disputer of - in this case, Shulchan Aruch. He also wrote a "commentary" on Rambam called MAYIM CHAYIM, which is why he is a TTriddle for Parshat Para.
[3] PEN Y'H'YEH... Lest it be... (or something like that). The phrase appears only three times in Tanach. In Ki Tisa, Beware not to make a covenant with the nations in Eretz Yisrael, lest he be a TRAP within your midst. In D'varim 15:9, the phrase is followed by the word DAVAR (thing), and in Mishlei, the warning is to answer a fool on his level, lest he consider himself a CHACHAM, wise in his own eyes. This pasuk directly follows the pasuk in which Shlomo HaMelech says not to answer a fool, lest you become like him.
[4] We've probably had this one, or something just like it, before. Reference is to early risers - VAYASHKEIM someone BABOKER, and someone arose early in the morning. The TTriddle was restricted to exactly that format. VAYASHKEIM itself occurs 20 times in Tanach. But followed by a persons name and then the word BA- BOKER cuts the list to 12 occurrences. The five one-time early risers are named in the TTriddle. The two multiple-risers are Avraham with three and Yehoshua with four.
[5] This TTriddle is an example of the type where a word or two in the sedra jump off the page and demand that a TTriddle be composed about them, regardless of how corny it turns out. Concerning the incense, the Torah says (Sh'mot 30:35) that, "You shall make the K'TORET compounded like a chemist makes things, well blended, pure and holy. The word for the professional who makes things like incense powders, is ROKEI'ACH. ROKEACH is a well-known company that makes a line of kosher products for Pesach and the whole year. One of their well-known products is Gefilte Fish. In fact, as TTriddles solver DAC pointed out, back in the 70s, there was a commercial on TV in the States (NY area, or more?) for this product, where the name of the company was mispronounced as RO-KEACH (rhyming with no peach) so as to sort of poorly rhyme with Gelfite feach in their jingle. The word following ROKEI'ACH is M'MULACH, which is variously translated based on different commentaries as "well-blended", "finely ground", or "salted". It is this last definition that precludes those on a low sodium diet from the gefilte fish of this TTriddle.
[6] What else besides the first set of Luchot? In retrospect, this was too vague to get only the answer that was originally intended. Several other answers were received, all equally valid, due to the vagueness of the TTriddle. For example, the first set of Tablets are described as being written B'ETZBA ELOKIM, with G-d's finger, so to speak. In addition to two references in the Chumash to the Aseret HaDibrot being written with G-d's finger, the phrase appears only one other place - in the comments of the wizards of Egypt about the third plague, KINIM, lice. Good answer. Moshe "sent" the Luchot from his hands when he saw the Golden Calf. VAYASHLEICH. The word appears 18 times in Tanach. That's too many times for a TTriddle, but if we resctrict the occurrences to the Chumash, we get a reasonal TTriddle solution. Aside from the first set of Luchot, the word VAYASHLEICH appears in two other contexts: Aharon threw down the staff in front of Par'o and Moshe threw the special piece of wood (thought to be fig, pomegranate, or oleander) into the bitter waters of MARA and they became sweet and drinkable. Good answer. EB had both of these (others had one or the other.) Another solver went for HEIM K'TUVIM. If you spell K'TUVIM without a VAV, then only one other thing fits besides the first set of Luchot, and that's SEFER DIVREI SHLOMO. If you include the K'TUVIM occurrences spelled with a VAV, then most of the 28 times the words appear they are followed by AL SEFER DIVREI HAYAMIM L'MALCHEI - YISRAEL or YEHUDA. The intended answer, but no better than those submitted, as above, is based on the word SHIBARTA, that you smashed (broke). Besides G-d referring to what Moshe had done, there are two references in T'hilim as to what G-d had done - broke the teeth of the wicked (3:8) and the heads of the Taninim (crocodiles?) in the water (when He split Yam Suf).
[7] And we come to the only unsolved TTriddle this week (which is a poor reflection on the TTriddle maker, not the TTriddle solvers. Usually, at least one solver is necessary to validate a TTriddle). This refers to the ECHAD MI YODEI'A song/poem at the end of the Pesach Hagada. One is HaShem, of which there are several references in the sedra. Two are the Luchot, a major theme of the sedra. Three are the Avot, referred to twice in the sedra - once as Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and once as Yisrael instead of Yaakov. The other three is the Three Regalim presented in the sedra. Four, five, and six do not appear in the sedra, but Shabbat for seven certainly does. Not eight or nine. Ten are the Dibrot (the sort of should not be there, because there is specific reference to G-d writing on the LUCHOT, the "words of the covenant, the Ten Statements". Eleven is sort of, because reference is made to KO-CH'VEI HASHAMAYIM, the stars of the heavens, and not specifically to the eleven stars of Yosef's dream. Some of twelve, the Tribes, refers to Yehuda and Dan, the tribes of Betzalel and Aholiav respectively, and to the Leviyim. And thirteen, of course, is the trigger to this whole TTriddle - the Divine Attributes, also from this sedra. Top honors this week to DAC. Please be in touch concerning your prizes.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] First Greek letter in Aramaic to Hebrew to Roman numeral
[2] 6-hook score: 15-12, what?
[3] Two ways of looking at it: 3335 • 4433 • 4454 or 344 • 344 • 335 • 543
[4] Approx. 96,288,061.50NIS as of Wednesday, March 17th
plus a cluster of pictures from the Parsha Pix Puzzle and the graphic with the 6,2 and plus sign

[The Parshat Vayaqhel-P'kudei Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]
 [www.ou.org]