PARSHA-PIX Parshat Miketz
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ParshaPix
At the top you have the seven fat (and happy) cows and the seven full,
healthy stalks of grain. Right below them are the seven skinny (and
unhealthy) cows and stalks. They’re all from Par’o’s dream(s).
Mickey Mouse, in his famous role as the sorcerer’s apprentice, represents
the wizards of Egypt who were unable to satisfactorily interpret Par’o’s
dreams.
When the Wine Steward finally told Par’o about Yosef, he (Yosef) was
brought up from the dungeon and cleaned up. Tradition tells us that it was
Rosh HaShana when Yosef was brought before Par’o – hence, the Shofar. The
Torah tells us that he shaved for the occasion – hence the electric shaver
with the Shofar.
The scarab ring represents the one Par’o gave Yosef when he decided to
appoint Yosef “over Egypt”.
20% was part of Yosef’s plan for Par’o, to take that percentage from each
producer during the years of plenty, so that there would be enough to go
around during the years of famine.
10+1+? was the brothers' answer to Yosef's question about their family. We
are 10 brothers, son of one man. One other brother is at home and the
other's whereabouts are unknown. (True, but they thought they were lying.)
Botnim (now peanuts but originally pistachio) were part of Yaakov's gift
package.
The cup is Yosef's, used to frame Binyamin.
The double sacks is the double portion of money the brothers found
returned to their sacks.
The emblem of the State of Israel is based on the description of
Zecharya's prophecy, which is the haftara for Shabbat Chanuka.
In the lower-left is a scene from Megilat Esther, with Haman leading
Mordechai through the streets. There are many remarkable similarities
between that Megila scene and what was done with Yosef.
The bell (on the right side of the ParshaPix, just under the parched corn)
is for the word VATIPA'EM RUCHO, his (Par'o) spirit was troubled. The word
appears only one other place in Tanach, in the book of Daniel, where it
has the same context: being troubled as a result of a dream. Rashi in
Mikeitz explains it as having the feeling of a bell ringing inside (one's
chest or heart, perhaps).
The shirt with the 6 on it is a play on BIGDEI SHEISH, garments of linen,
that Par'o clothed Yosef with.
That leaves one visual TTriddle.
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. 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 (Vayeishev) TTriddles:
[1] The scrambled moon is his friend
[2] The two who could have been called Yosef
[3] Rivka, Tamar, Rachav, Mrs. Shimshon
[4] The "CHEF" switch can be accomplished by dropping the initial T in
English
[5] CCDCFE, CCDCGF...
[6] Gelukkig rusten-Y
[7] children, stars, days... and what?
[8] plus three unexplained items in the ParshaPix
And the envelope, please...
[1] The Moon = HAYAREI'ACH. Scramble the letters and you get CHIRA, a
friend of Yehuda's.
[2] After ER and ONAN were born, the Torah tells us VATOSEF OD VATEILED
BEN, and she (the daughter of SHU'A, wife of Yehuda) additionally became
pregnant and had a son whom they called SHEILA. But because of VATOSEF,
they could have called him YOSEF. The other VATOSEF LALEDET, and she
additionally gave birth, refers toCHAVA giving birth to HEVEL. So based on
the play on words in the pasuk, he too might have been named YOSEF. SHEILA
and HEVEL are the two who could have been named YOSEF, TTriddly, that is..
[4] This is a Chanuka TTriddle, not one from the sedra. CHEF is SHIN-PEI.
The CHEF switch is to change a DREIDEL from outside Israel to an Israeli
one; i.e. from NUN-GIMEL-HEI-SHIN to NUN-GIMEL- HEI-PEI. From There to
Here. In English, the change is accomplished by dropping the T of There to
leave Here.
[5] For those who tried to play this TTriddle on a musical instrument, and
had the right kind of musical imagination, the result was the first two
bars of the Happy Birthday song. This fit with the end of the sedra that
reported Par'o's birthday and the fates of the two royal prisoners, as
Yosef's dream interpretations showed.
[6] Could have done this one in English, but it wouldn't have been up to
the tricky, twisted, warped standards of TTriddles. In English it would be
Happy Rested-Y, Y being the 25th letter of the alphabet. That becomes a
play on CHANU KAF-HEI, they rested on the 25th (of Kislev). The TTriddle
did the same thing in Dutch.Why Dutch? No special reason.
[7] The answer to this TTriddle is ELEVEN (11). Yaakov arranged his 11
children to greet Eisav. Yosef's dream had 11 stars. Dvarim begins with
telling us of the 11-day traveling distance from Har Sinai to Arvot Moav
(shortened to three days and stretched into 40 years of wandering). And in
Melachim Alef, we learn of two K'ruvim that were each 11 amot tall.
[8] plus three unexplained items in the ParshaPix. Beneath the seal is the
symbol for the Zodiac symbol Gemini, the Twins. In this case, it refers to
Peretz and Zerach, the twins born to Tamar.
[9] The other two elements refer to the haftara. Amos 3:4 and 6 - Does a
lion roar in the forest... Shall a shofar be blown in the city...
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Mazal Tov Andy & Ayalah
[2] The ace TTriddle solver is...?
[3] This is a connection between Sukkot & Chanuka
[4] What a google was invented for
[5] Peleg and S'rug ___ at the same age that ___
[6] plus one element from the ParshaPix
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