PARSHA-PIX Parshat Ki Tisa

Click on image for enlargement

Parsha Pix
The sedra begins with the command to count the people. The abacus is for keeping tally, and the half-shekel (NIS) coin represents the half-silver- shekel that was used for the count. (At today's price of silver and the NIS value relative to the dollar, the original half silver shekel was worth about 15NIS.)
The faucet stands for the washing basin and the kohein’s requirement to wash hands and feet before doing service in the Mikdash
To the right of the faucet is a mortar & pestle, used to grind the spices for the incense (K’TORET) and the special anointing oil
In the upper-right is a bottle of olive oil for that same SHEMEN HAMISHCHA
The two fellows checking the blueprints represent Betzalel and Aholiav, the two chief craftsmen in charge of the construction of the Mishkan
Finally completing the topics of the first Aliya of Ki Tisa, we have Shabbat candles, representing the reminder of the command to keep the Shabbat
Lower-right is an edited version of Davka’s Golden Calf graphic, and to its left is another Davka graphic of Moshe holding the Luchot high (perhaps just before he smashed them and/or upon his return to the people with the second pair)
The hatchet can be that which Moshe used to destroy the Eigel, or the tool used to fulfill the commands at the end of the sedra to destroy the Avoda Zara in the Land of Israel upon our entry and conquest
Above Moshe and the Luchot is a graphic of a slab of meat together with an ice cream pop in a frying pan over a camping stove. This, of course, stands for the prohibition of MEAT-IN-MILK
Below the bottle of oil is a welder’s mask, which might be the most appropriate method of shielding the people from Moshe’s radiance
The quill and feather remind us of the command of G-d to Moshe to write the Written Torah down for the people
Matza is matza, as in a reiteration of the command to eat matza on Pesach
The ear with the gold earring refers to the stalling tactic of Aharon which resulted in the Golden Calf
The eraser, below the abacus, stands for Moshe's powerful statement to G-d: If you don't forgive the people then erase me from the Book which You wrote
The black goblet was used to give the people the Golden Calf potion that Moshe prepared from the remains of the destroyed calf. But that isn't really it. Look again at the goblet. It is a famous optical illusion. Focus on the white on either side of the stem of the goblet and you will see two face-to-face profiles, as in PANIM EL PANIM, the description of the direct communication between G-d and Moshe Rabeinu.

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 (T'TZAVEH) TTriddles:
[1] Moshe/the people, Yehoshua/Kohanim - verbs please
V'ATA T'TZAVEH... And you command... The phrase occurs only twice in all of Tanach: The opening words of Parshat T'tzaveh and in the book of Yehoshua. Perhaps, at least in the first case, the unusual wording is a substitute for, And G-d said to Moshe saying: Command the people of Israel... The use of V'ATA T'TZAVEH keeps Moshe's name out of the sedra, which is something commentaries point out and explain. The verb in Moshe's commanding the people is V'YIK-CHU, and they shall take (bring). Yehoshua was to command the Kohanim who were carrying the ARON to stand (stop) when they got to the edge of the water of the Jordan River (Yehoshua 3:8).

[2] Question about or demonstration of?
This is based on an old observation. In the haftara for Parshat Zachor, Sh'muel approaches Sha'ul HaMelech when he returns from the battle with Amalek and asks him (sarcastically?) about the sound of sheep (and cattle) that he hears (since there wasn't supposed to be any animals of Amalek left alive). The phrase U-MEH KOLHATZON, and what is the sound of sheep is curious. First of all, the word for WHAT is usually MAH. It usually changes to MEH (SEGOL under the MEM rather than PATACH) before an AYIN, HEI, CHET - with certain vowels. (Before ALEF and REISH, the PATACH changes to a KAMATZ.) The point is, there are exceptions to the various rules for the voweling of the MEM of MAH. The words from the haftara that we are talking about have one of the exceptions. The word MEH (which really should be MAH) sounds like the sound that sheep make. Especially in this case because the TROP-note is a T'VIR, which really makes the word MEH sound like the sound of sheep. Hence, the TTriddle: was the word U-MEH asking a question about the sound of sheep or was it demonstrating that sound?

[3] 11 of this species and 14 hitters of a different species wore three each; in Tanach, one of the former and two of the latter species wore one each. Explain. (based on BT's submission)
This TTriddle as submitted by BT was a lot simpler than we made it to be. But that's the way things happen with TTriddles. We get carried away some- times. The TTriddle addresses the Megila rather than the sedra, maftir, or haftara. It all revolves around the word KETER, crown. The word only appears three times in all of Tanach, and all three occurrences are in the book of Esther. And all three times, the phrase is KETER MALCHUT. Once it is Vashti's, once it is Esther's, and once it seems to belong to the horse upon which the king rode. (At least that's how the words COULD be understood). Only 11 of this species (horse) have worn three crowns, by winning the Triple Crown of Horse Racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes). 14 baseball hitters of the human species have won the Triple Crown (batting average, home runs, RBIs). Even if you didn't get this TTriddle, we hope you enjoyed the answer. Again, KETER only makes three appearances in Tanach, all in Megilat Esther. Any wonder it is probably the most popular accessory for Purim costumes?

[4] plus one element from the ParshaPix
This graphic was ruined in the printout for the hard copy; it was corrected for the email versions and website. What was supposed to be there were four double-6 dominoes, three standing and one lying down. That would give eight sixes all together. In Parshat T'tzaveh, the word SHEISH occurs six times and SHISHA occurs twice. The six times for SHEISH are very different from the SHISHA, since they don't refer to the number 6, but rather to linen, which is called SHEISH. The visual TTriddle was supposed to portray six SHEISH and two SHISHA, differently.

NachKwestion of the Week
Find three consecutive words in davening, Tanach, or Shas, where none of the three is between the other two. (Winner will receive a CD of Nachman Kay singing the Moroccan National Anthem from the gate of Har HaBayit)
We hope it was obvious that this was a Purim spoof at the expense of in honor of Nachman Kupietzky, who got us started on this feature with many suggested questions. He is one of our top-notch guides, is currently advertising a trip to Morocco and often takes people onto Har HaBayit, hence the prize offered for this PurimKwestion.
But seriously folks... Several readers have submitted questions and we are always looking for more. So please, keep them coming.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Named once in this Torah Tidbits and found only once in Tanach - this week's sedra (based on an ad in the hard copy of TT)
[2] Playground bosses: Main swing, head slide and the top teeter-totter, a.k.a. what?
[3] Monday was both typical and atypical

NachKwestion of the week
Find a chapter in Tanach in which all but one pasuk begin with a VAV

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