
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Emor

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Parsha Pix
Kohen Gadol (upper-right). The whole first section of the sedra deals with the sanctity of the kohanim in general, and the Kohen Gadol in particular.
The broken foot is representative of the invalidating defects of a Kohen (some permanent and some transitory).
Look closely at the lamb the foot is pointing to. It's missing an ear. That's a blemish which invalidates the animal for the Mizbei'ach. Note that blemishes that disqualify an animal for the Mizbei'ach do not necessarily make the animal a TREIFA.
In the lower-left are a mother sheep (ewe) and her newborn, which may not be taken from its mother to be used as a korban until it is at least 8 days old. AND, the sheep and lamb also represent OTO V'ET B'NO, the prohibition of slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day. Note that the 8th day rule is specifically for korbanot while the two-generation rule applies to holy animals and to profane animals.
Upper-left is a negation circle, indicating the prohibitions of building, sewing, writing - representative of all forbidden Melacha for Shabbat, Yom Kippur, and Yom Tov.
The counting of the Omer is a mitzva from Parshat Emor.
So too are the mitzvot of dwelling in a Sukka for the seven days of Sukkot, and the taking of the Four Species on Sukkot.
And there are the Two Loaves of Shavuot.
There is a wine bottle with Y/N on the label. Y is for YES, yes have wine on Shabbat and the holidays for Kiddush and havdala. Not only that, when you say Kiddush on Yom Tov day, recite one or both of two p'sukim that come from Emor. But N is for NO. No, a kohein may not drink wine when he has service to perform in the Beit HaMikdash. No one may enter the Mikdash "under the influence". Nor, may a poseik render a halachic opinion after having drunk wine.
The is a MOOSE with an arrow pointing to his nose, which is AF in Hebrew. So this friend of Bullwinkle, Tuke and Rutt represents the MOOSE-AF, MUSAF of each holiday, as commanded by the Torah, partly from Parshat Emor and partly from Parshat Pinchas.
There is a needle and an eye right under the eye of the needle, representing AYIN TACHAT AYIN.
And that leaves two (unexplained) 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 (Acharei-K'doshim) TTriddles:
[1] 5 doubles (out of 20), 4 singles of >1000
The word ISH (man) occurs well over 1000 times in Tanach. Just 40 of those occurrences combine to make the 20 two-word phrase ISH ISH. 5 of those ISH ISH are in Parshat Acharei (Mot). Only 4 other single ISH are in the sedra.
[2] They are at 10 Belilius Street
This is the address in Jerusalem of the organization that claims - We are world leaders in three areas: Training high-level, Russian-speaking Jewish educators for the Russian community; Publishing Jewish educational resources (books, cassettes,etc.) in the Russian Language; Providing Jewish educational programs in Israel and in the Former Soviet Union to communities where comparable programs are not currently available. SHVUT AMI, whose name is found in the haftara for Acharei-K'doshim.
[3] This week's haftara & next week's Torah reading
In the haftara (Amos 9:11), we find: On that day I will raise up the Sukka of David that is fallen... This wording is used in the Harachaman in Birkat HaMazon during Sukkot. Which, of course, is commanded in Parshat Emor.
[4] K'doshim, Iyov, Mishlei, Yechezkeil, 1 First Street NE
MOZNEI TZEDEK, scales of justice. (The ALEF in MOZNEI is totally silent and does not contribute anything to the pronunciation of the word. The phrase appears only three times in Tanach: Our sedra of K'doshim, and in the books of Yechezkeil and Iyov. An additional time, we find UMOZNEI MISHPAT in Mishlei. Among many other buildings, we find a Scales of Justice in front of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
[5] Anagrams: on it and in front of it
The lid of the ARON is the KAPORET (with the two K'RUVIM). In front of the ARON in the Beit HaMikdash is the PAROCHET, dividing the main room of the Mikdash into the HEICHAL and KODSHEI KODASHIM, the Holy of Holies, a.k.a. D'VIR. KAPORET and PAROCHET are anagrams.
[6] Spring & Katy
This was a Footer TTriddle, referring to the issue number, rather than the weekly sedra. These are two small cities in Texas. Their area code is 713.
[7] The woman gossips with them
The well-known pasuk which prohibits gossip (and Lashon HaRa) begins with LO TEILEICH RACHIL B'AMECHA. LO TEILECH appears only two other times in Tanach: Besides in K'doshim, in Chayei Sara, when Eliezer says that he asked his master (Avraham) what would happen if the woman LO TEILEICH with him... And when G-d told Bil'amLO TEILEICH with them (the emissaries from Balak). Note that twice TEILEICH is masculine second person, and once it is feminine third person. That's it. Only three times. Seems kind of rare.
[8] Yearly on Yom Kippur; who took the first pair on a Pesach long before?
Yearly on Yom Kippur refers to the taking of two goats by the Kohein Gadol, upon which lots were to be drawn as part of the Avoda of Yom Kippur in the Beit HaMikdash. It was many years earlier, on Pesach - according to Tradition, that Rivka instructed Yaakov to take two of her goats and bring them to her so that she could prepare a special dish for Yitzchak, which Yaakov would bring to him, in order to receive the bracha.
NachKwestion of the Week
Two items - one is permitted to eat and the other is forbidden to eat. When combined, it is forbidden to eat them. When separated again, the one that was forbidden is now permitted and the one that was permitted is now forbidden.
Apparently, this is a well known halachic riddle - based on the number of correct responses.
Kosher meat that has not yet undergone the process of KASHERING may not be eaten. Koshering salt is permitted to eat. Combine the two, i.e. salt the meat, and the combination is forbidden, until it is rinsed. Then, the salty bloody water is forbidden, and the meat is now permitted to eat.
HOWEVER...
The prize this week goes to the one of the many correct solvers who also pointed out that there is something wrong with the question and the supposed answer.
YP/London correctly points out what is a generally unknown (or forgotten) rule from the Talmud and codes. (Generally unknown refers to the average Jew, not to the more learned individuals among us.) Freshly slaughtered meat is permitted to be eaten raw. Although this is not recommended because of health considerations, halachically, unkashered meat is only forbidden when cooked (or otherwise prepared). Blood within meat (in contrast to blood in blood vessels) is not per se forbidden. Since cooking a piece of meat will draw that blood out, the meat will become forbidden when it reabsorbs the blood. Hence, the requirement of soaking and salting (and draining) the meat first. But technically, a dish like steak tartare, made with raw, fresh, finely ground beef, various spices, and topped with a raw egg, as unappetizing as that might sound to you, and as potentially unhealthy it might be, may be eaten even if the meat had not been kashered first. Therefore, the NachKwestion is flawed, as are all the "correct" answers.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] 7 different ones; 2 female (1 in Emor), 5 male
[2] Who actually carried this title? (Aharon did not)
[3] OJO/KIJKER
[4] Most immediate compliance - 31
[5] Don't work new blood and fat on Yom Kippur
[6] Washington Melville, NY3
[7] 2 visual TTriddles from the ParshaPix
Not a TTriddle; a CHALLENGE (with prize):
Sum of all numbers uttered in fulfilment
NachKwestion of the Week:
Women in Tanach:
Name 3 beautiful sisters
3 women who dismounted animals
The wife of which Navi is referred to as a prophetess?
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