
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Tazri'a-M'tzora

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Parsha Pix
Baby boy, 7+33 days for the mother
Knife for Brit Mila
Baby girl with 14+60 days
Dove and lamb, which are two parts of the Korban Yoledet, the offerings
of the woman who has given birth
Hand afflicted by a NEGA
Shirt, representing those garments and materials that are able to be
afflicted with NIG'EIHA BEGED
CHAMELION, noted for changing colors - a significant factor in the
determination of NEGA'IM
Razor, used by a M'TZORA on the day of his purification
Pair of eyes is missing one of its eyebrows, mentioned in the parsha
Two birds, the hyssop and the cedar tree are all part of the
purification process of the M'TZORA
House afflicted by a NEGA
3 parts of the body dabbed with the blood of the korban
2+1 lambs are part of the korbanot of NEGA'IM
Rav Kook with glasses stands for V'RA'A HAKOHEIN, an oft-repeated phrase
in T&M
Traffic light displays some of the colors involved in the topic of
N'GA'IM.
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 (Tzav-Pesach-Shmini) TTriddles:
[1] Instructed to do this in Tzav, Chukat, and Vayeilech (where it is
one of the 613)
The word HAK-HEIL (the command to gather the people) is a distinctive
word that’s a little tricky to pronounce properly, because the second
HEI is easy to swallow. HAKEIL is the wrong way to say HAK HEIL. Besides
that, HAK-HEIL is the 612th mitzva among the Torah’s 613 mitzvot and is
one of only two mitzvot in Parshat Vayeilech. Of TTriddle interest is
the fact that the word appears only in two other places in Tanach - in
Tzav and in Chukat (where it is V’HAK-HEIL. There is also one HAK-HEL
(with a SEGOL rather than a TZEIREI) - LI (gather to Me).
[2] Shmuel, Yechezkel, and Malachi all push him aside. Shmuel more so in
Jerusalem.
The regular haftara for Parshat Tzav is from the book of Yirmiyahu. He (Yirmiyahu)
is pushed aside by Malachi when Tzav is Shabbat HaGadol (which it is in
all regular, 12-month, one-Adar years. Sometimes Tzav is Parshat Para.
Then it is Yechezkeil who pushes Yirmiyahu aside. (There is nothing
personal in this business among the prophets themselves; it’s just their
books that occasionally pre-empt each other.) Tzav can also be Parshat
Zachor, in which case, Shmuel preempts Yirmiyahu. And there is also one
year-type when Tzav is Shabbat Purim in Yerushalayim, when Shmuel is
read for the haftara. Shmuel then, pushes Yirmiyahu aside, more so in
Jerusalem.
[3] Lux et Veritas
The breastplate (CHOSHEN) of the Kohein Gadol contained the URIM V’TUMIM,
thought to be a parchment with a special form of the Explicit Name of
G-d written on it. The URIM V’TUMIM gave the CHOSEN its prophetic
powers. By the way, the more common phrase in the Torah is ET HA’URIM
V’ET HATUMIM. (L’)URIM V’TUMIM appears only once in Nechemya. Among
English translations for URIM V’TUMIM are "lights and perfections" and
"revelation and truth". Quoting Wikipedia, “The Biblical Hebrew "Urim
and Thummim" is emblazoned across the open book pictured on the Yale
shield, a legacy of Yale College president Ezra Stiles. It is translated
in Latin on a banner below as "Lux et Veritas" ("Light and Truth").
[4] first/fourth; second/stop' third/triple
The word VAYISHCHAT (and he did Sh’chita, ritual slaughter) appears
seven times in Tanach (6 in the book of Vayikra and once in Yirmiyahu).
The three times in Parshat Tzav are distinctive because they have a
KAMATZ under the CHET rather than a PATACH. Tzav’s three VAYISHCHATs are
verbs in their intransitive form, i.e. without objects. With the PATACH
there is always an object. The TROP marks for the three occurrences in
Tzav are R’VI’I (fourth), ETNACHTA (a major stop-note), and the
SHALSHELET, the most distinctive of all TROP marks, which sounds like a
triple PAZEIR and which is made of three connected Vs rotated 90°
clockwise.
[5] We preview it; they celebrate it - when?
When? On Thursday, Isru Chag Pesach in Israel, which is the 8th day of
Pesach in Chutz LaAretz. While they (Jews who live outside Israel)
celebrate SH’MINI shel Pesach, we (in Israel) preview Sh’mini by reading
the first portion of the coming Shabbat’s Torah reading.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Enterprise's speed & Britain's dogfish
[2] They're in the sedras, but on vacation after that
[3] 2 in 1x and 1 in 2y. What are x & y?
[4] The big camel had a narrow escape - Prize for this TTriddle on its
own
[5] All 14 occurrences are in this week’s reading; 8 different TROP
pairs!
[6] The Mazal TTriddle
[7] A 3-letter hidden TTriddle
NachKwestion of the Week:
What is forbidden on Yom Tov and permitted on Shabbat.
[The Parshat
Tazri'a-M'tzora Homepage]
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