PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayakhel-P'kudei

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Parsha Pix
Upper-left corner: the first three p’sukim of Vayaqhel that deal with Shabbat. All the rest of Vayaqhel and all of P’kudei deal with the Mishkan. The negated match is the prohibition of kindling fire on Shabbat. But the Shabbat candles make an important point. The halacha does NOT require us to sit in the dark, as some warped versions of Judaism have claimed. It is a mitzva to have a brightly lit pleasant atmosphere in our homes on Shabbat. We just have to achieve that in a “kosher” manner
The set of pictures in the upper-right are: Rabbi Sholom GOLD, the Lone Ranger and his horse SILVER, and a British policeman known as a COPPER
Top-center is a collection box for voluntary donations to the Mikdash, as described in the sedra
Under the candles are rolls of fabric, representing the different dyed wools, linen, goat’s hair fabric used in the Mishkan for various purposes
Under the Tzedaka box is a drawing of a tree known as acacia albida, the tree that might have been (probably was) the SHITIM tree used for the wall planks, Aron, and other purposes in the Mishkan.
Under the fabric is a graphic of a woman looking into a mirror, representing the gifts of the copper mirrors from the women to the Mishkan
Under the tree is a gemstone, representing the 14 stones used in the garments of the Kohein Gadol
The photo of a HaZorfim b’samim box stands for the b’samim used for the K’TORET and the anointing oil
Doll figure mid right is Olive Oyl of Popeye fame, representing the olive oil used for anointing and lighting in the Menora
Lower-left is an adding machine to help in the counting of the materials collected in such enthusiastic abundance that Moshe Rabeinu had to tell the people to stop bringing materials
Lower-right is the Mishkan with a Cloud over it. This prevented Moshe from entering as well as preventing the the Mishkan (and the People) from traveling
Lower-right is a muscular arm with barbell. This represents CHAZAK, CHAZAK, said at the conclusion of the reading of P’kudei and the closing of the Book of Sh’mot. Of course, the strength intended in that exclamation is spiritual, but ParshaPix and what they are
The final element of the ParshaPix is the calendar set on the first of the month. This refers to the Maftir of HaChodesh and the mitzva to sanctify the first of each month
Again, we suggest using the ParshaPix with your children and guests...

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 (KI TISA) TTriddles:
[1] Named once in this Torah Tidbits and found only once in Tanach - this week's sedra
This TTriddle came about by looking in the Chumash and then up at the computer screen and realizing that the name/word NATAF was in/on both. Rabbi Nataf is giving a shiur at the Cardozo Academy Shabbaton that was advertised in Torah Tidbits 708. NATAF is mentioned only once in all of Tanach - in Parshat Ki Tisa. It is one of the ingredients of the Ketoret. There are different opinions as to what NATAF is. The majority opinion seems to be BALSAM, either the resin of the tree or the tree itself.
[2] Playground bosses: Main swing, head slide, and the top teeter-totter, a.k.a. what?
This was a variation on an old TTriddle or three. The top teeter-totter is also known as the KEY SEESAW, as in KI SISA (Ashkenazic pronunciation of Ki Tisa). That's all there was to it.
[3] Monday was both typical and atypical
The Monday before Purim was typical, in that we read part of the upcoming Parshat HaShavua at Shacharit. Typical, because we do that on most Mondays (and Thursdays). Atypical, though, because we did not read the first portion of the upcoming sedra, but rather part of Sheini, all of Chamishi, and the first pasuk of Shishi- the Torah reading for a fast day. Also atypical, because we read the Torah at Mincha too.

NachKwestion of the Week
Find a chapter in Tanach in which all but one pasuk begin with a VAV
One warning: Most of the facts and numbers in the following report have been checked, but not double checked, and therefore might on occasion be slightly off.
Let's start with an email from DL, which, as you will see, contains an answer and a comment.
Dear Reb Phil,
There is a chapter in last week's sedra in which all but one pasuk begin with a VAV - Sh'mot 33 [this is correct; the chapter has 23 p'sukim]. I also found another one - B'reshit 28 [Also correct; 22 p'sukim] - and I would not be surprised if there were a few more, [nor will anyone else who reads this report to its conclusion], considering the Torah's narrative style by which innumerable p'sukim start with a verb having a conversive VAV. [Statistics on this shortly.]
Having said that, however, I didn't like the question because it is somewhat un-Jewish. As you well know, the chapter divisions in Tanach were instituted by Christians and they have no significance for us as dividers of the text. We adopted them as a useful means of reference only.
Bivracha, DL
Point well taken, but let's say that we, the Jewish people, have not only adopted the PEREK designation as "a useful means of reference", but also for statistics, especially the fun kind. Like TTriddles and NachKwestions.
There are 6004 chapters (p'rakim) in Tanach - 187 in Torah, 380 in Nevi'im, and 362 in K'tuvim. B'reishit has the most in Torah, 50. Vayikra, the least - 27. Trei Asar has 67, the most in Navi. Shoftim has the least, 21. Of course, if we separate the 12 booklets usually combined in Trei Asar, then Yeshayahu goes to first place in the Navi with 66 p'rakim, and Ovadya is undoubtably the smallest number of p'rakim, 1. T'hilim is the big winner in K'tuvim and all of Tanach with 150 chapters, and fewest number of chapters honor goes to the book of Ruth with 4.
There are 23,205 p'sukim in Tanach or thereabouts. That means that more than 25% of all p'sukim in Tanach begin with a VAV. That's a very high percentage, and it will not surprise us to find many p'rakim with mostly VAV-p'sukim, and the occasional perek with all but one pasuk beginning with a VAV. So far, we mentioned two. Let's continue.
Several TTriddlers (we use that term for solvers of NachKwestions too) went for the 10th (and last) chapter of Megilat Esther. Since two of its three p'sukim start with VAV, it too is a correct solution. But not as impressive as the very first chapter in Tanach (and Torah), B'reishit Bara Elokim... Except for the first pasuk, the following 33 p'sukim all start with VAV. So B'reishit 1 counts, 31 p'sukim.
Now we hit the big time. ZR/RBS sent a list of 13 p'rakim which fit the bill. The new ones are Ruth 3, Esther 5, Esther 7, Divrei HaYamim Alef (DHY-A) 18, 19, and 20, DHY-B 3, 10, 19, 23,31.
Several others sent in one, two, or three p'rakim that satisfied the NachKwestion. Two readers also pointed out that chapter 4 in the book of Ruth has 22 p'sukim, ALL of which begin with a VAV. Had we found that in the first place, the NachKwestion would have been slightly different, and have only one answer (apparently).
And that's about it... except for HC. In addition to solving the 3 TTriddles, he submitted a list of - ready for this? - 58 p'rakim in Tanach in which all but one pasuk begin with a VAV. Blew us all out of the water. 14 in Chumash, an amazing 12 in Shmuel (both of them) - full list some other time. It's not only exhaustive, it's exhausting. Haven't double- checked all of them - eyes are glazing over already, but HC is the undisputed winner this week. Kol HaKavod to all the rest of you who tried for these p'rakim.

Correction: Some of the STATS above got really mixed up. There are 929 p'rakim (chapters) in Tanach (not 6004).
There are 6004 p'sukim (verses) that begin with a VAV. These VAV p'sukim account for 25.9% of all p'sukim, a very disproportionate percentage, since VAVs account for 10.4% of the letters in the Torah.
D"Ts points out that besides Ruth 4 with no non-VAV p'sukim and ch.3 with only one, ch. 1 has 5 non-VAV p'sukim and ch.2 has 2. Meaning that the Book of Ruth (smallest full sefer of Tanach - some of Trei Asar are smaller) has only 8 p'sukim that do not start with a VAV. i.e. 90.6% of the p'sukim in Megilat Ruth begin with a VAV, way over the overall average of 25.9%.

Speaking of VAVs... It is well-known that most Sifrei Torah today are written so that there is a VAV at the top of every column except for 5 columns. The average Sefer Torah has about 245 columns (AMUDIM, they are called), so almost 98% of the columns in a Torah scroll begin with the letter VAV. This is a Scribal Tradition; it is not a requirement. The Tradition for the five columns referred to above, and one more column that begins with a VAV is strong. Other than these 6 columns, there are no rules about how a column must begin. Because of the standardization of from what new Torahs are copied, there is much more uniformity from Torah to Torah.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Shabbat new YK - unhooked
[2] Bent Elipses vs. Lying Colons Final Score: 33-8
[3] Where we did it again in Yehoshua
[4] At first glance, it looks like someone got his holidays mixed up. Who?

NachKwestion of the Week
Find 5 consecutive words in davening, four of which are names of G-d. (submitted by EB)

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