PARSHA-PIX R'ei

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Parsha Pix
Har G'rizim (right) and Har Eival, represented by hills, one of which has a lush tree, the other a barren tree.
Negated plus or minus is the prohibition of adding to or subtracting from the Torah - Bal Tosif and Bal Tigra.
Negated eraser is the prohibition of erasing any of G-d's names.
Tzedaka box is for the mitzva of giving tzedaka and for several other mitzvot from R'ei related to that topic.
CI is an old visual TTriddle for R'EI ANOCHI. C=see, I=ANOCHI.
101 is also CI, from the Roman numerals.
The giraffe gets two thumbs up for chewing its cud and having split hooves. It is kosher. The camel, on the other hand, is in the negation circle, indicating that it is a b'heima t'mei'a.
Meanwhile, the locust has a question mark above it, because some types are kosher, but most Jews do not have a tradition as to which they are. Yemenites are known to have a Masoret as to how to identify kosher locust. B'TEI'AVON.
The slab of meat represents meat we are allowed to eat (as opposed to sacred meat of korbanot, which is very strictly regulated, and as opposed to meat we may not eat - EIVER MIN HACHAI, N'VEILA, T'REIFA, B'HEIMA T'MEI'A, non-kosher fish, non-kosher birds...
In addition to the prohibitions of non-kosher food, we have a positive command to check for the kosher signs of our food. Since the mitzva counted in R'ei relates to birds, the bird-watcher was chosen to represent this mitzva.
Checking the kashrut of food we buy and restaurants we eat in is within the spirit of these mitzvot.
The hands taking money from a wallet represent the mitzvot related to lending money to our fellow Jews.
The stalk of wheat repesents the mitzvot related to agricultural produce. That it is standing straight up is meant to resemble the numeral 1. With the dot before the one we have .1 or one tenth, 10%, representing Maaser Sheni, one of the mitzva-topics in the sedra.
The burning trees represent the destruction of AVODA ZARA which we are commanded in Eretz Yisrael.
The sword is used to kill the people of an IR HANIDACHAT, a city that goes astray towards idol worship.
In the lower left are symbols of the three Regalim, dealt with at the end of the sedra.
The smiley guy is for the mitzva of SIMCHA on Yom Tov.
The wine and milk are on sale in the haftara, at 100% off their regular prices. i.e. free of charge.
Perry Mason represents (yes, he always did) the mitzva to meticulously examine and cross-examine witnesses. Objection, your honor, irrelevant, immaterial, and calls for a conclusion of the witness. How's that, Della?
The Omer counter is for the other Omer mitzva in R'ei - namely, counting weeks. Counting days was commanded back in Emor.
That leaves two unexplained items. They are 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 (EIKEV) TTriddles:
[1] Up, up (last week)... and all around (this week)
Kind of brought the Uncle Moishy song to mind. The answer is "what to do with your eyes?" In last week's haftara (Nachamu), the final pasuk says: Lift your eyes heavenward and see Who created these. In Eikev's haftara, the Navi (same one, Yeshayahu) says: S'I SAVIV EINAYICH UR'I... Lift your eye all around...
[2] This one was never Leningrad
Leningrad was St. Petersburg's name from 1924 to 1991. From 1914-1924 it was called Petrograd. It was the capital of Russia until Moscow took the title away. It's been called Peterburg too. But all this is way beside the point. Because the TTriddle called for the St. Petersburg that was never Leningrad. That's the one in Florida. And its area code is 727, like the issue number of last week's TT. Don't get too upset with the TTriddles that point to issue number rather than sedra content. Especially because there are more of those than usual this time. Read on.
[3] Followed by V'ATA, ASHREI, and BARUCH
The last pasuk of the haftara of Eikev is KI NICHAM HASHEM TZION... It also is borrowed twice on Tish'a b'Av - once at night and once in the morning. In fact, it is the last words of the Kinot both at night and in the morning. So on Leil Tish'a b'Av it is followed by V'ATA KADOSH, in the morning by ASHREI, and on Shabbat Parshat Eikev by the word BARUCH, which is how the brachot following the haftara (and many other brachot) begin.
[4] 7 from it and 7 it, too
What is IT? Answer: ERETZ (Yisrael). 7 of it refers to the Seven Species mentioned in D'varim 8:8. 7 it refers to the fact that the word ERETZ (once as HAARETZ) appears in the p'sukim of the same portion as the Seven Minim, D'varim 8:7-10).
[5] "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too shall rejoice."
This quote is the English translation of a pasuk in Mishlei (23:15):
The g'matriya of the whole pasuk is 727 - told you there'd be other issue number TTriddles.
[6] Dan Cooper's point of departure
Speaking of which... here's another. Dan Cooper is/was a famous skyjacker who disappeared in 1971 after he parachuted from a plane he skyjacked. The official word is that "he might have gotten away with it". No one knows for sure. He took over a plane with the threat of a bomb he was carrying, released all passengers at its scheduled destination, took off again towards Mexico with his demanded $200,000 and 4 parachutes. He let down the rear steps of the plane and jumped somewhere over Washington state, never to be found. After two later copy-cat skyjackings (with the skyjackers jumping from the plane), the airplane company installed a device that prevented the rear stairs from opening while the plane is in the air. The device is called the Cooper Vane. And the plane was a Boeing 727.
[7] a herd of 1 to 1000 champion cows
Among the blessings G-d promises for our following His mitzvot, is blessed increase of our herds and flocks. The young of cattle are called SH'GAR ALAFECHA. ALEF-LAMED-FEI means herd, as ALEF, means one, as ELEF, means 1000, and as ALUF means champion.
[8] MAYIM TZELULIM
Here's another TT #727 TTriddle. MAYIM TZELULIM means clear water. Clearwater, Florida is als on area code 727.
[9] 4 of 5 are auditory; the fifth is Kalev
The word EIKEV occurs in Tanach 15 times, including 5 times in the Chumash. It is these 5 occurrences that this TTriddle addresses. Four of the five times, the word is used in connection to hearing (and understanding), as in V'HAYA EIKEV TISH-M'UN, that begins the sedra. Twice it is Avraham that is the subject of listening to G-d. And later in EIKEV it is in the negative - LO TISH-M'UN. The other time, it is G-d telling us that KALEV was of a different mind set of the Meraglim, and therefore he will receive land in Eretz Yisrael.

NachKwestion of the Week
Common factor in each triplet:
Ben Shemen, Baal Hamon, Ein Gedi
Bitya, Izevel, Maacha
Shoval, Salma, Chareif
Zimri, Tirtza, Rekem
The common factor of the first triplet is KEREM, vineyard. Check out Yeshayahu 5:1 and Shir Ha- Shirim 8:11 and 1:14 respectively.
The next triplet are all daughters of kings. Bitya was Par'o's daughter. People call her Batya, but she is called Bitya in Divrei HaYamim. Izevel was the daughter of Etbaal, king of Tzidonim. Maacha was the daughter of Talmai, king of G'shur.
Each was the father of a yishuv: Shoval, father of Kiryat Y'rei'im; Salma, father of Beit Lechem; Chareif, father of Beit Gader (same verse as Salma).
Zimri b. Zerach and Tirtza are each one of five children in the same family. Rekem is also one of five, of the five kings of Midyan killed (Matot).

This week's TTriddles:
[1] 2 Sh'mot, 18 D'varim, 43 rest of Tanach - stay away from them all
[2] Mix the sea and the wind and get?
[3] Curse & mall places are also sons of whom?
[4] For 5 in Boro Park, not Bnei Braq
[5] Once each in the two firsts, twice in Eikev, once in R'ei
[6] Two-word phrase that can imply an equation between one prohibition in R'ei to all mitzvot
[7] See when you come how happy you can be

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