PARSHA-PIX Parshat Sh'mot
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Parsha Pix
Pyramids, of course, represent our descent into Egypt.
The head of lettuce is MAROR from the Seder table. It relates to the pasuk
in the beginning of the sedra which describes the Egyptian’s embittering
the lives of Bnei Yisrael. Lettuce, explains the Yerushalmi, is a kind of
vegetable that is tasty when picked ripe. The longer it stays in the
ground, the more bitter it becomes. Lettuce, therefore, is very
appropriate for the Seder table, even more so than horseradish, which is
only bitter and misses the extra commemorative feature that lettuce has.
That pasuk continues to specify the work with bricks (see the trowel and
bricks) and the field work (see the planting of the seedling).
The ball and chain represents enslavement in Egypt.
Davka Graphics of baby Moshe floating on the Nile with sister Miriam
watching over him.
Another Davka Graphics of Moshe at the Bush.
Point the sheep out to your children and ask them if they know any of the
stories about sheep. Don’t restrict the discussion to Moshe; extend it
back to the Avot.
Along the left side of the Pix is the MATEH, Moshe’s staff.
Now in the middle of the top of the ParshaPix, you find the three signs
that G-d gave Moshe to catch Paro’s attention.
The snake, the hand that turned leprous like snow (represented by the
snowman), and the turning of water into blood (symbolized by the 4 common
bloodtypes: A, B, AB, and O).
The goal of the Exodus: the land flowing with milk and honey (lower-right
of the Pix.
There are 2 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 (VAI-CHI) TTriddles:
[1] the intelligent hand motion
[2] Why would this week's haftara go with Tazri'a, TTriddly speaking?
[3] Should Daniel get the last Aliya this Shabbat?
[4] Bracha, Hagada, Bracha and opp.
[5] What is common to 40 days and 12 months?
[6] The pair within the dozen. Of what?
[7] Eliezer/Avraham, David/Shim'i, who&who/Yaakov
And the envelope, please...
[1] The unusual hand-motion in Parsha Vai-chi is Yaakov's crossing his
hands to put his right hand on Efrayim's head... SIKEIL ET YADAV. SIKEIL
can be read with different vowels as SEICHEL, hence the intelligent hand
motion.
[2] Vaichi's haftara told us that David reigned for 7 years in Hevron and
33 years in Jerusalem. The same numbers, 7+33, are mentioned in Tazri'a
concerning the Tum'a/Tahara status of a women having given birth to a boy.
[3] The words CHAZAK V'CHAZAK were said to Daniel, Ish Chamudot. On the
other hand, CHAZAK (once) V'NITCHAZAK (not V'NITCHAZEIK) comes from Shmuel
Bet, so he can get that Aliya too.
[4] BAYOM HAHU LEIMOR, on that day - saying... The phrase appears three
times in Chumash. In Vaichi, it is used to describe when Yaakov blessed
Efrayim and Menashe. It also appears in the command to tell the story of
the Exodus on Seder night. And again in the description of the Brachot and
curses to be pronounced on HarGrizim and Har Eival.
[5] KI CHEIN YIML'U Y'MEI... for thus is the full time required for
embalming (40 days) and for the beauty treatments of the women in
Achashveirosh's harem (12 months). The phrase is ear-catching and only
appears twice in Tanach. That's what makes it TTriddle-worthy.
[6] You should know that all seven TTriddles were solved - this one was
vague enough to produce a few acceptable solutions, with no one hitting
the originally intended solution. The "official" answer is Shimon and Levi
who are called ACHIM, as are all 12 brothers, hence they are the pair of
BROTHERS within the dozen.
[7] VAYISHAVA LO, and he swore to him... The phrase (exactly as is)
appears only four times in Tanach. Eisav swore to give the B'chora to
Yaakov and Yosef swore to bury Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael.
EB and YYW share the honors this week. BTW - there is a recurring type of
TTriddle that very few have even commented about and no one has solved.
This week there are several forms of that same TTriddle.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Pinchas or Matot are like S'fardi names
[2] He took them out; they got them on their way out
[3] Yishma'el, Le'ah, Bnei Yisra'el
[4] Only Moshe and Eishet Mano'ach with these words
[5] First: HaShem, Yehuda, Moshe; Last: Kayin, Eliezer, Rachel, Moshe
[6] Rivka, Batya, Avigayil, Ruth
[7] plus 2 elements from the ParshaPixPuzzle
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