
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Mishpatim

Click on image for enlargement
Parsha Pix
Upper-left is really the starting point, the scales representing JUSTICE.
In this case, MISHPATIM. In addition to the broad idea of justice, see
what else can be found in the sedra, for which the scales of justice would
be an appropriate representation.
Upper-right is the "fist" referred to as one of the weapons that can
injure or kill.
An eye for an eye, literally, an eye UNDER an eye, is depicted here as
money under an eye, based on Rashi and all other commentaries. The Vilna
Gaon pointed out that the letters of the word AYIN are each followed in
the ALEF-BET by the letters of the word KESEF. AYIN-PEI, YUD-KAF, NUN-SAMACH.
A very nice graphical representation of the fact that monetary
compensation on several levels is the correct understanding of an Eye for
an Eye.
The bull and the fire are two potential causes of damages - one of the
many key topics of the sedra.
The pit is missing from this ParshaPix. But we have the bull with horns,
the tooth, the feet of the bull, the fire.
The sneaking thief was caught in the cellar. Under what circumstances is
one held blameless for killing him? Under what circumstances would one be
held accountable? And how much does the caught thief pay to the victim?
The guard at his post represents the whole topic of the FOUR SHOMRIM.
The hands pulling the money out of the wallet are about to lend money at
0% interest. Or, perhaps, they are about to offer a bribe. Which will
blind the judge receiving it, as in the image of the blindfolded head.
The witch on the broomstick stands for the 3-word pasuk which requires
Sanhedrin to rid society of witches.
Down the lower-left side are images of the Three Regalim, Pesach, Shavuot,
and Sukkot.
The Har Sinai pix for Shavuot also corresponds to the end of Mishpatim
where the events of Matan Torah are presented with other details not
presented in Yitro.
The quill and scroll is for Moshe writing down "all of G-d's words" (Shmot
24:4).
There is milk & meat for the first of the three occurrences of LO
T'VASHEIL G’DI...
Lower-right is the TZIR'A (wasp) that G-d will send into the Land to help
slowly drive out some of the nations there.
The cloud is covering Har Sinai (end of the sedra).
The tooth is referred to in the mitzvot related to injuring an EVED
K'NAANI and being required to free him. It is also one of the forms of
damages. Also, there is a tooth for a tooth.
The knitting reminds us of the prohibitions of Shabbat, as commanded with
a positive mitzva in Mishpatim.
That leaves two unexplained elements in the Parsha- Pix which become
visual TTriddles.
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 (YITRO) TTriddles:
[1] What else besides what's in 10?
[2] Usually 5 on a Shabbat; this Shabbat - 6
[3] Brit, Birthdays, Shavuot, dirty guy with torn clothes, Pesach
[4] 747 + dove + hockey team
[5] Describes part of the Sinai Experience, as well as a Plague Ender and
an illness
[6] Initial upper/lower mirror-image marks
[7] plus one element from the ParshaPix
And the envelope, please...
[1] Tricky, but someone got it. The TTriddle does not say "The 10", just
10. It was referring to the 10th commandment, not the whole Ten. LO
TACHMOD, Thou shalt not covet. The phrase appears twice in #10. Your
fellow's home, his wife... The phrase occurs only one other time, in
D'varim 7:25, and it refers to silver and gold (that we might find in
Eretz Yisrael during conquest.
[2] In the course of a Shabbat, we say KADOSH, KADOSH, KADOSH... 5 times.
Shacharit: first bracha before Sh'ma and in the Kedusha. Musaf: Kedusha.
Mincha: U'VA L'TZIYON and Kedusha. On Shabbat Parshat Yitro we also read
it in the haftara. 6 times.
[3] Could have been worded more cleverly. VAI-HI BAYOM HASH'LISHI... And
it came to pass on the third day... The phrase only occurs 6 times in
Tanach. So it had to be a TTriddle. Brit of the people of Sh'chem, when
they were weak... Paro's birthday, Matan Torah (Shavuot), after Shaul was
killed in battle and someone arrived from the battlefield to report to
David, one of the women before Shlomo HaMelech told that the other had a
baby on the third day after she (the teller) had given birth (this makes
the Birthdays in the TTriddle plural), and Esther appeared before the
king... it was on Pesach.
[4] A 747 has two wings. A dove has two wings. A hockey team has two
wings. Angels are described in the haftara as having six wings,
specifically 2+2+2.
[5] The sound of the Shofar at Har Sinai is described as CHAZAK ME'OD,
very strong. So is the wind that removed the ARBEH (locust) from Egypt,
and so is the illness of the son of the BAALAT HABAYIT (Melachim Alef 17).
[6] Several people got this one. The initial word of Aseret HaDibrot -
ANOCHI - has a TIPCHA under it in TAAMEI HATACHTON and a PASHTA above it
in TAAMEI HA-ELYON. These two TROP-notes are mirror images of each other.
[7] This is another ASERET HADIBROT TTriddle, specifically an UPPER/LOWER
TROP-notes issue. The single pasuk with the four short commandments has
slight differences in the two formats. The differences are 4 TAVs (with
dots) instead of 4 TAVs (without dots), and TIRTZACH instead of SIRTAWCH.
The differences are 4 dots and a |
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Not only the product, but its holiday too
[2] V1-2-3 • V2-1-3
[3] The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
[4] Egyptian, no money, slaughtered the ox
[5] Before you...and before what?
[6] ... 7/5 • 3/1 6/4 9/7 12/10 • 3/1 6/4 9/7
[7] The connection between 2319 and 3426
[8] plus 2 elements from the ParshaPix
[The Parshat
Mishpatim Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]
[www.ou.org]

|