
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayeira

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Parsha Pix
On the right is the thermometer with kipa, glasses, and stethoscope,
wishing someone who is sick a REFU’A SH’LEIMA. This is one of the
lessons we learn from G-d, Who visited the ailing Avraham.
Upper-right are the UGOT that Sarah LUSHIed - if they look like
matza, that’s because the angels’ visit was on Pesach.
Upper-left is one of the three BEN BAKAR that Avraham ran to, in
order to prepare the most sumptuous dish for the visitors, tongue in
mustard sauce.
In the middle of the ParshaPix is Braille writing, reminding us of
what the angels did to the people of S’dom who demanded of Lot that
he send his visitors out to them (blinded them). The Braille message
is probably something the blinded S’domites graffitied on Lot's door
(when they finally found it). It says, "NO GUESTS".
The skull is the symbol of acid-rain, a good description of that
which destroyed S'dom and the other cities.
Wine? Lot was given wine to make him drunk...
The alarm clock set for very early in the morning, is to remind us
of the many times the Torah tells us that Avraham got up early, to
enthusiastically do G-d’s bidding. (Avimelech too.)
The baby in the cradle represents the birth of Yitzchak.
Drawing of a metal shield is used by many mohalim in their set up
for Mila.
Father and son walk hand in hand, VAYEILCHU SH'NEIHEM YACHDAV. Of
course, there is an Akeida graphic (from Davka) and a Shofar that is
connected to the story of the Akeida.
Dorothy and Co., the chef, the bottle of liquor, the sea cow are for
some of Yitzchak's cousins, mentioned at the end of the sedra.
The olive oil is from 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. 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 (Lech Lecha) TTriddles:
[1] Source of AM-bracha and Shabbat Day Z'mira
[2] He's the THOU of the well-known threesome
[3] Confused hotel is the sedra's penultimate and count
[4] Targum proves which way he was facing
[5] Except for Avraham and Yosef, no one said it
[6] Last week's twins were identical; this week's aren't
[7] Kalamazoo's starting team divided up for a game that became
known as:
And the envelope, please...
[1] The 14th bracha of BIRCHOT HASHACHAR (the AM brachot) is ...HaNotein
LaYa'eif Ko'ach. Similarly, in the Shabbat Z'mira YOM SHABBATON, we
find BARUCH HANOTEIN LAYA'EIF KO'ACH. The source of both is
Yeshayahu 40:29, from Lech Lecha's haftara - NOTEIN LAYA'EIF KO'ACH...
[2] The well-known threesome is, "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine,
and thou". The answer then is the THOU is MALKI-TZEDEK, king of
SHALEM, who brought out bread and wine following the conclusion of
the war of the 4 kings and the 5 kings.
[3] Hotel is MALON. Confused is the cryptic crossword clue keyword
for mix up the letters. The letters of MALON rearrange to spell
NIMOLU, which is the next-to-the-last word in Lech Lecha (that's
what penultimate means), and it is numerically equal to 126, the
count of the p'sukim in Lech Lecha. In those older Chumashimthat
give a count of the letters at the end of each sedra, the count of
p'sukim is followed by a word with the same g'matriya. For Lech
Lecha, the word is NIMOLU.
[4] When Avra(ha)m and Lot part ways, Avraham tells Lot that he can
choose direction. If you go left, I'll go right and if you go right,
I'll go left. Targum Onkeles renders left and right as north and
south, attesting to the fact that Avra(ha)m was facing east when he
gave Lot his choice.
[5] BIL'ADAI, a hard word to translate. Avraham said that not him,
but only those that helped him in battle should receive compensation
from the king of Sedom. Yosef said, not him, but G-d has the
meanings of dreams. The words "no one" in the TTriddle were an extra
clue to the solution. There are two more BILADAIs in Tanach, but
only these in Torah.
[6] In the opening pasuk of Parshat No'ach, we find the twin-words
NO'ACH NO'ACH. They are identical twins. On the other hand, LECH and
LECHA are also twins, being spelled the same way, but they are not
identical, vowel-wise.
[7] The Kalamazoo Kings are a professional independent baseball
league team. Starting teams consist of 9 players, so the game they
play among themselves can be called: The battle of the four kings
against the five.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] TTriddle connection between Yitzchak and his tonsils
[2] Indicates that the Greek capital is very hot
[3] For sure, the free-loan society of 1948 is like the nation
[4] Avraham, Yaakov, Yehuda - to whom?
[5] Avimelech's grand gesture
[6] Avimelech's household,Yosef's brothers, and who?
[7] He offered it; he asked for it
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