
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayishlach

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ParshaPix
Silhouettes of the animals Yaakov sent as gifts to Eisav. Each animal has
the number of males and females sent. The second 30 on the camel is not
mentioned in the text, but is based on Rashi, that there were an equal
number of males that accompanied the "nursing camels". This Rashi got from
a Midrash. The plain reading (assisted by the TROP notes) is that female
camels and their male offspring together totalled 30.
Another note about the animals in Yaakov's gift to Eisav. In reference to
donkeys, the Torah mentions 20 ATONOT. ATON is a female donkey. And AYARIM,
10 of them. AYAR is a male donkey. Plural, AYARIM. When the connecting VAV
is added to it (see B'reishit 32:16), the VAV gets a PATACH and the
CHATAF-PATACH of the AYIN changed to a SH'VA, rendering the word a little
difficult to pronounce. First syllable is VAV/PATACH and AYIN/SH'VA NACH.
For Ashkenazim who don't give any sound to the AYIN, the syllable seems to
be open, but it is really closed.
One the lighter side of this word for male donkey, one can wonder if there
is a connection between the Hebrew word and the name of Winnie the Pooh's
donkey friend EEYORE.
The ribbon bow among the silhouettes represents the gift aspect of the
animals.
The two ancient-looking jugs are the small vessels that Yaakov went back
for after he brought his family across the YABOK river.
Notice between the SOLD sign and the tree is the emblem of the WWF. We do
not know if Yaakov and/or the Sar shel Eisav were members, but see if your
kids can identify the emblem and make the connection.
The SOLD sign over the FOR SALE sign is for the purchase of the land in
the Sh'chem area by Yaakov Avinu for 100 K'sita.
D'vora (the bee) was buried under the crying tree.
The baby carriage is for Binyamin.
Kever Rachel is Kever Rachel.
The sword was used by Shimon and Levi to avenge what happened to Dina.
The die with six dots, for the six dots over VAYISHAKEINU. (In past years
it was a visual TTriddle - but now we give it away. You can still use it
on your children and guests (if they don't read TT) and see if they can
figure it out.
That leaves us with two unexplained elements, which are this week's visual
TTriddles.
By the way, we haven't pointed him out in a while, but the Pink Panther is
the mascot of ParshaPix because they have the same initials. Maybe we'll
let Peter Pan take over the job for a while. And maybe not. Every so often
we wonder how many things get past the readers of TT without raising their
curiosity.
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 (Vayeitzei) TTriddles:
[1] Lavan gave, Yaakov got and gave Who got from Yaakov?
[2] Prominent common verb of the BASH p'sukim of the sedra
[3] Plymouth ball? No, that's not it
[4] His uncle and first-cousin-once-removed each had these
[5] [6] [7] 3 elements from the ParshaPix
And the envelope, please...
[1] VAI-CHABEK, and he hugged... There are other variations of this root,
which are not part of this TTriddle, but the word VAV-YUD-CHET-BET-KUF
only occurs twice in Tanach (both in B'reishit). Lavan gave Yaakov a hug
(in Vayeitzei) and Yaakov gave a hug to Efrayim and Menashe in Vaichi.
[2] The BASH p'sukim, as in AT-BASH, are the second and next-to-the-last
p'sukim (as BET is the second letter and SHIN is the penultimate letter of
the ALEF-BET. The verb that appears in both of those p'sukim is VAYIFGA
and VAYIF-G'U. Same root.
[3] Didn't want to give this away so easily. Decided to make it a two-step
TTriddle. Not Plymouth (nor Buick, Potiac, Chevrolet...) but Dodgeball.
That's similar enough to MACHANAYIM.
[4] The Torah tells us in Vayeitzei that Yaakov's maternal uncle, Lavan,
had SH'TEI VANOT, two daughters. The only other person that is described
as having two daughters is LOT, Yaakov's first- cousin- once removed.
(Yitzchak and Lot were first cousins.)
[5] Three unexplained elements from the ParshaPix. One is old, but
special. The Torah Tidbits logo reminds us that Lavan gave us an
unexpected endorsement when he said, "TOV T.T."
[6] Later in that same statement, we find the word MITITI, which is what
is written in musical notes - MI (E), TI (G), TI (G).
[7] The laughing girl is a variation of one of last years visual TTriddles.
She is HA-GAL, referring to the mound of stones made by Lavan at the end
of the sedra. What is noteworthy is the repetition of the word HAGAL - it
appears six times with in B'reishit 31:46-52 - and nowhere else in all of
Tanach.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Yaakov twice; Bnei Yisrael once - but different
[2] 32 of the 48 occurrences are in Vayishlach. The word can be described
as 1006 (how so?)
[3] Battle of Pampeluna antagonists make an appearance this week
[4] Twins each had grandsons with the same name
[5] He gets this regardless of his son's behavior
[6] This week's connection to the 44th
[7] Yaakov __ __ Beit El; who __ __ whom?
[8] Avraham, Eliezer, 2Lavan, Eisav, ?Gershom, Aharon
[9] 20 in the first; 7700 in the last
[10] G-d, Rivka, and Yaakov
[11] plus two unexplained elements from the ParshaPix
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