PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vai-chi
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ParshaPix
Lock and chain in upper left is for the "super-closed" nature of the
beginning of VAYCHI. To clarify an earlier statement: VAYCHI does not
begin at the beginning of a PARSHA, neither open nor closed; it begins in
the middle of a parsha. That makes it exceedingly CLOSED for the beginning
of a sedra.
The bed is mentioned more than once at the beginning of the sedra. HAMITAH,
the bed, has a G’matriya of 59. When Yosef came to visit his ailing
father, one sixtieth of his illness was removed, leaving 59 parts of the
original HINEI (60) AVICHA CHOLEH, your father is ill.
The crossed hands are Yaakov's, as he put his right hand on Efrayim's head
and his left on Menashe's.
The crowned lion is for Yehuda, as is the lion cub. Yehuda's bracha refers
to him as a GUR (cub), ARYEI and LAVI (lions at different ages). Yehuda
Leib is a common name-pair based on this bracha.
The wolf is Binyamin. Binyamin Ze’ev Volf is also a common combination of
names.
The faucet is for Reuven (based on what Yaakov said to him).
The Israel Postal Authority emblem is for Naftali. Naftali Tzvi Hirsh, or
two of those three names often come together. The snake is for Dan. The
donkey is for Yissachar. The ship is for Zevulun. The bread is Asher.
The math-like statement stands for Efrayim and Menashe are like (approx.
equal to) Reuven and Shimon. Numerically, this is so too. E&M = 732 and
R&S = 731.
There is a Davka graphic of a father blessing his son (the words of the
bracha come from Vai-chi). The Pyramids in the hot desert sun remind us
where the sedra takes place and where the end of B'reishit finds us. In
Mitzrayim.
Chazak is for the conclusion of the book of B'reishit.
The hard-to-make-out photo between the donkey's nose and the boy being
blessed is a picture of Kever David and refers to 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 issue’s (VAYIGASH) TTriddles:
[1] Chanoch, Teiva, Binyamin
[2] Part of the recipe for stuffed cheval?
[3] At first look, might go well with Parshat Korach
[4] Who is like the hyssop, the four species, and the fruit of the land?
[5] Aramaic double entendre
[6] Take before, during, and after
And the envelope, please...
[1] The answer is 300. The Torah tells us that Chanoch "walked with G-d"
for 300 years after he fathered Metushelach. The length of No'ach's Ark
was 300 Amot. And in Vayigash, Yosef gave Binyamin 300 pieces of silver
(in addition to five changes of garments). There are other 300s in the
Torah, but only with other numbers. These are the only three times the
number 300 exactly appears in the Torah. This TTriddle was solved by
several solvers.
[2] This is an example of the kind of TTriddle that comes from a phrase in
the sedra that strike you as funny if it is misread. And from there, a
TTriddle is born. The pasuk at issue is the one that tells us that Yosef
gave the people of Egypt food in exchange for their animals - this, after
their money ran out. The phrase out of context is, ...YOSEF LECHEM BASUSIM
- (from "and Yoesf gave them bread in exchange for their horses"). To be
misread as ADD BREAD TO THE HORSES. Sounded like part of the recipe for
stuffed horse. Couldn't leave it like that, so we used the French word for
horse - cheval. Silly, but that's how it is, sometimes. Someone got this
one, too.
[3] Some interesting okay answers for this one, but a little too serious.
The intended answer is based on the opening p'sukim of the haftara, where
branches are being taken and names are being written on them, and
something happens to them to make a point. This happens in Parshat Korach
with the flowering of the rod ofAharon. That's was the intention of "at
first look" in the TTriddle.
[4] This one was solved by several solvers, including at least one (DL)
who always reminds us that he finds these things without the aid of a
computer and a Torah-search program. ULKACHTEM... and you shall take...
The word appears only four times in the Torah. In rshat Bo, the people are
commanded (just for that one time)to take a bundle of EIZOV (hyssop) and
dip it into the blood of the Korban Pesach and smear some blood on the
doorposts and lintel. In Emor, we are all commanded to take for ourselves
the fruit of a Goodly Tree (etrog), et al. And in Shlach, the Meraglim are
instructed to take samples of the fruit of the land... Aside from these
three ULKACHTEMs of the plant kingdom, the other occurrence of the word is
in Vayigash, and refers to Binyamin being taken away from Yaakov. The
answer is Binyamin, which, as mentioned above, was correctly gotten by
several solvers.
[5] This one was not solved by anyone, and that too is a sign of a
not-so-good TTriddle. The good ones should stump most people, but be
solved by some. Anyway, the answer is the Targum for VAYIGASH. UKRAV.
K'RAV has two meetings: to approach and to do battle. The former
definition fits the plain meaning of VAYIGASH. Butthe latter definition
fits with the commentaries who tell us that Yehuda was prepared to fight
for Binyamin if necessary.
[6] This TTriddle is semantically related to [5], unintentionally. Here
the word in question is K'CHU (you) take. And the TTriddle is restricted
to before, during, and after our enslavement in Mitzrayim. The brothers
were told to TAKE wagons in order to transport Yaakov and their families
down to Egypt. That's BEFORE. During enslavement, the people were ordered
to TAKE straw on their own in order to make bricks. DURING. And after
enslavement, still in Egypt, Moshe and Aharon were commanded to take soot
from the furnace and throw it skyward, in order to bring about the plague
of SH'CHIN, boils. AFTER.
Did you notice the new symbol - TTR for TTriddle, in a negation circle.
This will announce which cryptic notes are NOT TTriddles, so that no one
need try solving a birthday greeting, and the like.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Finzi, Karo, Kluger
[2] anagrams in the closed opener
[3] 1 thru 19, skip 2, 22 & 23 plus only two more in NACH
[4] HIS GRANDSON AND HIS SERVANT, BUT HIS MASTER IS THE MASTER
[5] In the first's ultimate, Slytherin; in the last's ultimate, Gryffindor.
Who? (special prize for this one)
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