PARSHA-PIX Parshat Chukat

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Parsha Pix
The cow, of course, represents the PARA ADUMA. In past years, we had a hammer & sickle to identify it as RED, especially for readers of the hard copy of TT where the ParshaPix are B&W. Since that symbol is long passe, we have switched to the range of visible light frequency that is designated as red.
Following Miriam's death, the Well dried up and there was no water for the people (the faucet with the spider's web at the spout).
Although Moshe was commanded to speak to the Rock (its ear indicates that it was ready to listen), he struck it with the MATEH twice and water gushed forth from the rock(s).
The Kohen Gadol is pictured, with the garments that were transferred from Aharon to Elazar. Following Aharon's death.
The people panicked and a plague of serpents attacked the people. G-d told Moshe to put the form of a snake on a rod (which he did, making the snake from copper) and anyone bitten by a poisonous snake who looks at the snake-on-the-stick would live. The symbol of the medical corps is a serpent (or two) wound around a staff. Known as a caduceus, dictionaries and encyclopedias give it an origin in Greek mythology. One wonders if the Torah is its original source...
The sedra mentions SEFER MILCHAMOT HASHEM, some kind of written record of the battles. It is represented by the open book with a tank on one page and the HEI-apostrophe on the other.
DO NOT ENTER sign has a double-double meaning. Edom and Emori both responded to Israel's request for safe passage through their territory with DO NOT ENTER. Moshe and Aharon, as a result of the "hitting the rock rather than talking to it episode", were given DO NOT ENTER orders for Eretz Yisrael.
The bottle of water marked 2NIS represents the offer Bnei Yisrael made to pay for the water they would use while passing through Edom's land.
The well with the musical clef stands for the Song of the Well.
Mathematical expression equals 256+44+1, which is 301, the g'matriya of fire. That is what the expression is equal to in the ParshaPix, and altogether it represents the phrase,"For a fire has come out of CHESHBON..."
The epaulet is of the rank of lieutenant-general in the IDF. This is the rank of the chief of staff. It has a sword crossing an olive branch and two leaves (known affectionately as falafels). This represents Yiftach (from the haftara) who was asked to be ROSH and KATZIN, head and officer.
MELECH CHESHBON, the king of Cheshbon. That is, the math king. Sichon, the king of the Emori, is also referred to as MELECH CHESHBON, as in the haftara of Chukat. (In Chukat, there is reference to Sichon Melech HaEmori, who sits in (the city of) Cheshbon). For the title of Math King, we've selected Leonhard Euler (pro-nounced oiler) - that's his picture in the ParshaPix. He is considered by many to be the most significant mathematician of all time. Born in Basel in 1707, he contributed to areas of both pure and applied mathematics, including calculus, analysis, number theory, topology, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytical mechanics, hydrodynamics, and the theory of the moon's motion.

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 (KORACH) TTriddles:
[1] choice of representation is a good play on words in Hebrew (works in English too)
The choice of a stick, rod, staff for each tribe can be seen as a play-on-words, since MATEH means rod and it is another name for SHEVET. In English, the word staff is used for a rod as well as a group of people (although not with the same connotation as in Hebrew).
[2] Named 39+13 times in one book. Second name appears once in A and in "cleaned up" version in B
Gid'on is named 39 times in the book of SHO-F'TIM. He is also called YERUBAAL another 13 times in that same Book. He received this additional name after he destroyed the altar to Baal that his father had built. Outside the book of Shoftim, there are only two references to Gid'on. One is from Shmuel Alef (A), where he is mentioned as Yerubaal, one of the Judges that preceded Shmuel HaNavi. He is referred to as YERUBESHET in Shmuel Bet (B), which replaces the part of the name which is an idolatrous diety with the word for shame, thereby "cleaning up" the name, so to speak. Neither Gid'on nor his other names appear anywhere else in Tanach.
[3] Home of (Mork &) Mindy
The situation comedy of the late 70s and early 80s with Robin Williams and Pam Dawber took place in Boulder, Colorado. Its areacode is 720, as was the issue number of Torah Tidbits last week. Mork is in parentheses, because although he lived in Boulder on Earth, he came from the planet Ork, the area code of which is unknown.
[4] could also connect with Shavuot or Vayeitzei
The haftara for Korach contains the rare phrase K'TZIR CHITIM, telling us that the episode with Shmuel HaNavi occurred in the season of the cutting of the wheat. The term also appears in Parshat Vayeitzei, which describes the DUDA'IM that Reuven cut for his mother Leah, and that Rachel bargained away from Leah so that she might benefit from its supposed fertility-promoting properties. So too, the book of Ruth makes a point of the same season, which is one of the reasons we read Ruth on CHAG HAKATZIR. Therefore this haftara might have fit with Shavuot or Vayeitzei as well as Korach. (At least in the world of TTriddles.)
[5] At least maybe he had nachas from his father's cousin's namesake
The answer to this TTriddle is ELIAV, father of Datan and Aviram. We assume that he had no nachas from those two sons, but perhaps he did have some nachas (we don't really know) from his other named son, NEMU'EL, who was not a partner in Korach's rebellion. NEMU'EL has the same name as ELIAV's father's (PALU, son of Reuven) cousin (i.e. Nemu'el b. Shimon).
[6] This time, they send and we take
Simple one: This time, meaning this Shabbat (this past Shabbat, that is) they (the Jews of Chutz LaAretz) read Parshat Sh'lach - THEY SEND. And we (in Eretz Yisrael) read Vayikach Korach - WE TAKE.
[7] She didn't want him to follow one side or the other, but to be his ____ person
This too was simple, but an irresistible pun (in honor of Menachem P, a punster extraordinaire). The phrase is to be one's own person. The TTriddle refers to the wife of ON b. PELET, who dissuaded her husband from participation in Korach's rebellion, arguing that he would gain nothing from following Korach (or anyone else).
[8] The Mazal TTriddle of the month
Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz solved the Zodiac Mazal symbol in the Word of the Month box on page 2 (front page in the PDF version). Fiddler on the Roof represents FIDDLER, which is a type of crab, which is the mazal of Tammuz. He included in his response some facts about the fiddler crab, which we share with TTreaders in the style of the MA RABU column. (see Misc. section [8] Torah from Nature

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Moti Brill? Not quite
[2] Concerning this person <flip> was he one?
[3] This time without the choir master

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