PARSHA-PIX D'varim

Click on image for enlargement

Parsha Pix
At the top is a speech-bubble which contains the main elements of what Moshe said to the People. He told them about the travels from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael and what happened during those travels, of the victories of the People in several battles they fought (that's the V for victory hand signal), and about Torah and Mitzvot that are the essence of Jewish Life. Also contained within that speech bubble is the letter D which is marked 24K which stands for one of the places Moshe mentioned - DI ZAHAV.
The judge's gavel flanked (above & below) by two negation circles, relates to the mitzvot in the sedra, against appointing judges for the wrong reasons - not because of wealth, nor out of fear or threats. A judge may not be afraid of threats (e.g. the gun).
The arrows indicating DO NOT ENTER to the right and the left, but only straight ahead, stands for the two instances, as related by Moshe, that we approached nations for permission to pass through their land.
The graphic of the spies carrying the cluster of grapes stands for one of the major elements in the sedra, namely CHEIT HAMERAGLIM.
The ghost with the San Francisco Giants logo is a play on the pasuk (2:11), The REFA’IM (ghosts in modern Hebrew; warriors or mighty people in the Biblical context) can be considered giants (or vice versa).
The silhouettes of the bull and donkey are from the pasuk at the beginning of the haftara in which the prophet contrasts us unfavorably with the animals. The bull knows his master and the donkey, his feeding trough.
The buttons (computer keys) emanating from a button represent D'varim 2:23.
The stars at the top represent the description by Moshe of the size of the nation: G-d has caused you to multiply and here you are as numerous as the stars of the heavens.
The blank face with a question mark is for LO TAKIRU PANIM BAMISHPAT (D'varim 1:17).
The compass pointing north, as in D'varim 2:3 - ...P'NU LACHEM TZAFONA, turn to the north.
The snowflake is for D'varim 3:9, which tells us that the Tzidonites called the Hermon Siryon and the Emori called it SNIR. Rashi says that SNIR means snow in Ashkenaz (early form of German?) and in the Canaanite language.
Moshe is telling the "new" generation about the previous 40 years. In D'varim 2:7, he mentions G-d's blessing... that going through the Midbar for 40 years... LO CHASARTA DAVAR, nothing was lacking. Literally, nothing was subtracted. Hence, 40 - 0.
That leaves two unexplained new elements of this ParshaPix Consider them 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 (MATOT-MAS'EI) TTriddles:
[1] consecutive places that explain "lions and tigers and bears..."
"Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!" is the singing chant of Dorothy (from Kansas), the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman in the Wizard of Oz. They start to sing it upon entering a dark, frightening forest. The Tin Woodsman told them that they are likely to encounter wild animals, and they in turn suggest lions and tigers and bears. They actually do encounter a lion, a cowardly lion - see further for the Mazal TTriddle. The consecutive places of encampment that suggest fear and singing are CHARADA and MAK-HEILOT, trembling and choirs.
[2] Efrayim, Shimon, and Naftai each had one
The answer is AMIHUD. In Parshat Mas'ei, the leaders of the tribes of the new generation are enumerated. For the tribe of Shimon, the Nasi is Sh'muel b. Amihud. For Naftali, the Nasi is P'dahh-el b. Amihud. (The HEI in P'dahh-eil has a SH'VA under it and is therefore sounded, in contrast to the unvoweled - and therefore silent - HEI in P'DATZUR, father of Gamliel, Nasi of Menashe of the earlier generation, the one that came out of Egypt. Speaking of which, the earlier Nasi of Efrayim was Elishama b. Amihud, giving us three Amihuds from the Torah. And from three different tribes. There are also two other Amihuds in Tanach, mentioned in Shmuel Bet and Divrei HaYamim Alef.
[3] Fleishig in kivrot hataava. Where milchig?
This one was kind of easy, but somewhat surprisingly, several solvers who got it, left out the other possible answer. The first answer (actually the second one) is YOTVATA, the name of a dairy company in Israel with a variety of dairy products and a chain of vegetarian-dairy restaurants. The other possible answer is Midbar Sinai, with Har Sinai also being called GAVNUNIM, with the play on words that relates it to G'VINA, cheese, which is one of the "reasons" for having dairy dishes on Shavuot. Of course we can also add R'FIDIM, where the people had no water to drink, to which some Marie Antoinette type might have said: "Let them drink milk."
[4] BNEI YISRAEL D'ZAGI - who are they?
This works only from the Hebrew and is an example of a purposely misleading (in addition to cryptic) TTriddle. The Hebrew letters are the initials of Binyamin, Naftali, Yehuda, Yissachar, Shimon, Reuven, Levi, Dan, Zevulun, Gad, and Yosef. Being the first letters of each of the Tribes of Israel, the answer to "who are they?" is they are the RASHEI HAMATOT. Levi and Yosef worked out better than Efrayim and Menashe, which is okay, because there are two ways to list the Tribes, this being one.
[5] Together they stir up the stone soup
The fable of Stone Soup has several variations and quite different morals, depending on who is telling the story. It could be a story of what can be accomplished by cooperation or it could be the story of a con artist to get food from people who would refuse a straight request. Regardless, for this TTriddle, we look to two of the Midyanite kings mentioned in the Torah reading: TZUR (meaning stone) and REKEM, an anagram of MARAK (meaning soup). The clue for anagram is the phrase STIR UP.
[6] Pick any three: DALET, CHET, YUD, YUD, KAF, LAMED, MEM, MEM, MEM, NUN, SHIN, TAV
Every once in a while, we end up with a TTriddle like this one - namely, one we don't remember the solution to. Hopefully, it will come to us, but for now, we'll pass on this one.
[7] SUN UP BAG CAFE
These twelve letters rearrange in a specific way, as follows:
Au, Ag, Cu, Fe, Sn, Pb - the symbols for the elements gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead, respectively - all from Bamidbar 31:22, ZAHAV, KESEF, N'CHOSHET, BARZEL, B'DIL, and OFERET.
[8] The Mazal TTiddle (Word of the Month)
Over the years, the Word of the Month box on page 2 had some form of the Zodiac symbol (MAZAL) for the particular month. For over a year now, the symbol has been replaced with some sort of riddle or wordplay. The Mazal of the month of Av is the ARYEI, Leo the Lion. The fellow in the picture on page 2 is the Jewish-American actor, Bert Lahr (b. Irving Larhheim). His most famous role was that of the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film - The Wizard of Oz. Last year, our Mazal-Pic for Av was Snagglepuss, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon lion created in 1959. His voice and mannerisms were influenced in part by Bert Lahr's portrayal of the Cowardly Lion. JTYLTK.

NachKwestion of the Week
Pasuk in Torah most often read
How many times in 5766?
In 5767?
Different answer for Minhag Yerushalayiim

Not-the-answer is the pasuk VAIDABEIR HASHEM EL MOSHE LEIMOR. This is the most common pasuk in the Torah, occurring 69 times as is. 10 times in Sh'mot, 27 in Vayikra, and 32 in Bamidbar. But that's not what was asked for in this NachKwestion. Not the most common pasuk, but the one pasuk most often read.
The answer is Bamidbar 28:3, from Parshat Pinchas. It is the pasuk that is doubled on a weekday Rosh Chodesh, in order to give each Aliya the required minimum number of p'sukim.
This year, 5766, it will be read a total of 30 times. That's twice each on two days Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, twice on Rosh Chodesh Kislev, not on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Tevet (Shabbat) and only once on the second day because Chanuka reading obviates the need to double the pasuk, twice on Rosh Chodesh Shvat, twice each on the two days of Rosh Chodesh Adar, twice on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, twice on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, not on the second day (Shabbat), twice on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, twice each on the two days of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, twice on Rosh Chodesh Av, and twice each on the two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul. Plus once on Shabbat Parshat Pinchas as part of the regular reading of Parshat HaShavua.
5767's total will be 31 - you count it.
35 is the most, BTW, and 27 is the least.
As for Minhag Yerushalayim, based on the opinions of the GR"A, Bamidbar 28:3 is not doubled on a weekday Rosh Chodesh, but 28:6-8 are. Those p'sukim share first place for the most frequently read p'sukim in the Torah; the numbers are the same.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] give under 800
[2] Very high scoring in the bottom of the first or top of the second
[3] Wise people, advice, 3 people per
[4] Yitro, Vayakhel, post-B'reishit
[5] The familiar one dot father-son team and only once for someone else
[6] Sort of like PagoPago, just more awake

NachKwestion of the Week
Common factor in each pair:Gid'on/Micha, Zerach/Yaakov, Shimshon/Aholiav, Dan/Bet El, Z'vul/Amon

[The Parshat D'varim Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]
 [www.ou.org]