PARSHA-PIX Parshat Va'eira

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Parsha Pix
7 of the 10 images from the Davka Judaica graphic of the 10 plagues. The final three are in next week's sedra. (BO = BET+ALEF = 2+1 = 3 final plagues.)
Notice the Staff, prominent in the middle of the ParshaPix.
Above it is a sword. This can represent Z'RO'A N'TUYA, the "outstretched arm" with which we were to be taken out of Egypt. Also, the sword is prominently mentioned in the Haftara as that which will befall Egypt.
Next to the staff and sword is a shovel used by the Egyptians to dig for water - only way to get a drink during the plague of Blood.
The oven is what some frogs went into, producing a Kiddush HaShem and a lesson to us that G-d is still in charge of nature - He renews, every day, the acts of Creation. (Each element of nature that was used by G-d in the process of the Plagues and Exodus sanctifies G-d's name because we see His control and involvement in this world. Famous re the non-barking dogs, but frogs, etc. too.)
The Staff is burping from its recent meal of Wizard Staffs (see Sedra Summary for details).
Four cups of wine corresponding to the Four Terms of Redemption, which we find at the beginning of the sedra.
Triple-S J, Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, slogan was Let My People Go.
Pictorial representation of Par'o's heart strengthening, as is mentioned in several places in the sedra and next week's.
Upper-right corner - the emblem of the Hogwarts School. Par'o's wizards might have been dropouts from Hogwarts since they were not able to cope with the plague of KINIM.
Below BARAD (hail) are the standing wheat and the broken barley in the aftermath of that plague.
That leaves five unexplained elements, which are visual TTriddles. And the Mazal TTriddle. And the special one held over from last week.
Also, there was a hidden TTriddle in plain site on the front page of last week's TT. It's still active.

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 (SH'MOT) TTriddles:
[1] 34 to 4 but it means they're equal
[2] For openers, who (female) and what?
[3] Father-in-law, son and grandson of Y's son and brother, and whose father?
[4] all of a sudden it's a supply center
[5] 5th and then first
[6] ma, mama, mama
[7] one visual TTriddle in the ParshaPix
[8] Special visual TTriddle, Separate prize for its correct solution, Personal challenge to the great PPP solvers of the past (including MS) or anyone wanting to join their ranks (see hard copy of TT, or website)

NachKay Jewish Trivia Question:
Tanach names in the regular weekday Amida - CDs from Noam Productions for the best lists

And the envelope, please..
[1] The phrase MOSHE V'AHARON occurs 34 times in the Tanach. AHARON U'MOSHE occurs 4 times. The first time AHARON is mentioned first, Rashi points out that sometimes Moshe comes first and sometimes Aharon does, to teach us that they are equal to each other.
[2] The give-away clue was "for openers". This leads to the word VATIFTACH, and she (female is specified) opened. The word VATIFTACH occurs only 4 times in Tanach. The first instance is in Parshat Sh'mot. Bat Par'o opens the basket in which Moshe was placed. Twice in Bamidbar there is reference to the Earth opening her(its) mouth to swallow Korach and co. And in Sho'f'tim (the book, not the sedra) it is Ya'el who opens the flask of milk to give to Sisra.
[3] R'U'EL is Yitro, Moshe's grandfather. Next we have another R'U'EL, who is the son and grandson of Y's (i.e. Yitzchak) son and brother. Meaning the son of Yitzchak's son (i.e. Eisav) and the grandson of Yitzchak's brother (i.e. Yishmael). R'U'EL was son of Eisav and Ba-s'mat. Whose father? Obvious answers, but disqualified because they just repeat the two R'U'ELs so far, would be Tzipora and her sisters (daughters of Yitro) and Nachat, Zerach, Shama and Miza, sons of Eisav's son. The "correct" answer is another R'U'EL, father of ELYASAF, tribal leader of GAD.
[4] Simple play on words. All of a sudden is PIT'OM. A close sound-alike is PITOM (and RAAMSES), supply city that Bnei Yisrael were forced to built in the beginning of Sh'mot. And remember, that's RA-AM-SES, in contrast to the city they lived in, RA- M'SES. Same spelling, different vowels.
[5] The FIFTH word in the Torah reading of Sh'mot is HABA-IM. Then, when we (Ashkenazim) read the haftara, it is the first word.
[6] ma = one mother; mama = 2 mothers. The p'sukim at the beginning of Sh'mot that name the sons of Yaakov list: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda (all from Leah). Yissachar, Zevulun, Binyamin (Leah and Rachel). Dan, Naftali, Gad, Asher (Bilha, Zilpa).
[7] The visual TTriddle in the ParshaPix was an envelope or postcard with 57.6cm on it. That is the measure in centimeters of an AMA according to the Chazon Ish measurements. This stands for VATISHLACH ET AMATA, and she (Par'o's daughter) sent her maiden, or stretched out her arm. Or in TTriddlese, posted an AMA. And her connection with Helen Parr?
[8] Special visual TTriddle is being held over for another week. Hint: The insignia is British - not, as guessed by several attempted solvers, Israeli or Egyptian. And not the fire department, as they might have been called to extinguish the SNEH. (DM)

And now... the NachKup Jewish Trivia Question: Tanach names in the regular weekday Amida
It has been tough evaluating the many solutions we've received so far. Here's what we are going to do. We will set the bar (as in a high jump or pole vault) at the list of names we received from Zevi Reich of RBS. He receives a CD from NOAM (call to arrange pick up or other method of receipt). His list follows. The NKJTQis hereby extended for another week, Monday noon the official deadline, for TTreaders to send in more names not on this list. Your comments and challenges to our decisions are welcome too. We will be flexible in judging solutions. Prizes will be awarded to the best extension of this list. Got it? We are looking for Tanach names not on the following list or mentioned in by the way comments. Here goes.
The obvious ones:
[Avraham], [Yitzchak], [Yaakov], [Yisrael] (although he is the same person as Yaakov, we will accept ZR's comment that the NKJTQ said names, not people). [David] and [Yehuda] (from Elokai, Nitzor... - even though it is technically an add-on to the Amida) are the other obvious ones. Some of the following might be obvious to some people, but we are not including them in the obvious section, because they are not used as names in the Amida. That, in itself, makes then harder to find. Top of the list: [Adam] and [Enosh] from ATA CHONEIN. [Baruch], scribe and trusted companion of Yirmiyahu is mentioned more often in the Amida than any other name. There are three other Baruchs in Tanach, by the way, but that is irrelevant to this NKJTQ. Will accept [Asher], even though in the Amida it is part of the word KAASHER, and the ALEF has a CHATAF-PATACH rather than a KAMATZ. [Chanun] (KAMATZ rather than PATACH) is mentioned in Shmuel Bet several times. Chanun b. Nachash was an Ammonite king. [B'racha] (male) was a warrior from Binyamin who fought with King Shaul, then deserted to join David's forces. [Tzur] was Kozbi's father, a Midyanite leader. [Tzemach] seems to be another name for Zerubavel in the book(let) of Zecharia. [Melech] was a son of Micha, descendants of Shaul HaMelech. [Sachar] was the fourth son of Oveid-Edom. [Tov] - we'll accept this one with an asterisk - according to some commentaries was the name of the GO'EL, redeemer mention in Megilat Ruth. And here's a real tough one: [Arba] According to Rashi on Yehoshua 14:15, Arba was the name of the father (or possibly grandfather) of the giants Achiman, Sheishai, and Talmi.
If you want to count the names on this list, the [brackets] will be of help. There are 18 names on this list. As mentioned above, the best list of other names not on this list will win a CD.
Names we have disqualified are Moshe and Aharon from Birchat Kohanim, Mordechai, Esther, and Haman from Al HaNisim for Purim, and so too Yochanan (Matityahu is not in Tanach) from the Chanuka Al HaNisim. Not the same Yochanan, but we're not counting him anyway, because he isn't mentioned in the "regular weekday Amida".
There are more names in the Amida - we're not saying how many. That's for you to find.
Some solvers tried for Yerushalayim, since we did not say names of people, just names in Tanach. Yerushalayim definitely qualifies. But let's keep it to people, anyway. That will leave G-d's names off the list, which surprisingly no one submitted (yet).

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Forefathers of all kohanim except one
[2] mouth, tongue, heart, and 4 plagues
[3] person, company, city, street
[4] the alliterative Levi
[5] his name and birth-sedra have the same g'matriya... and so does his great-(x5)-grandfather
[6] pledge his father to help non-date
[7] 42,44,45,46,47,48,49,84,85,87,88
[8] Torah's common term (sort of) for army and covey
[9] tended victim of fire; was almost a victim of fire (separate prize)
[10] Also in ALARCACTINKYMANHNJNYOHUTVA
[11] Special visual TTriddle from last week's issue. Separate prize for its correct solution, Personal challenge to MS and all TTriddle solvers. Hint: British insignia - (see hard copy of TT, or website)
[12] - [16] That leaves five unexplained elements, which are visual TTriddles. And [17] the Mazal TTriddle.
[18] Also, there was a hidden TTriddle in plain site on the front page of last week's TT. It's still active.

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