PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayigash
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Parsha Pix
Across the top of the ParshaPix, from right to left, are the TRUP marks for
the first six words of Vayigash. See the comment in the Sedra Summary
The basketball player is labeled CHI for Chicago, as in the Bulls. The
football player is labeled DET, for the Detroit Lions. Together they
represent the clash between Yehuda(Lion) and Yosef (Shor).
The square knot stands for V’NAFSHO K’SHURA V’NAF- SHO, and his soul was
tied up with his soul (Yaakov and Binyamin).
To the right of the knot are five shirts, standing for the five changes of
clothes that Yosef gave to Binyamin. He also gave him 300 silver pieces,
represented by the money sacks marked with the Egyptian hieroglyphics symbol
for 100. 3 sacks, 300 silver pieces.
There are two of the wagons that Yosef sent to Yaakov, to bring the family
down to Egypt... and to remind him of the Torah topic they last studied
together.
The noble steed, a.k.a. Donkey with 10+10 above him stands for the donkeys
(10 CHAMORIM and 10 ATONOT) that Yosef sent to Yaakov with provisions for
their trip to Mitzrayim. The dreidel, purposely a Chutz LaAretz one, with
SHIN. The letters of the dreidel rearrange to spell GOSHNA, to Goshen. This,
from Vayigash, which is almost always the post-Chanuka Shabbat.
Next we have the number 70, marked with an asterisk, and an arrow pointing
downward. This represents the 70 souls who went down to Egypt. The asterisk
reminds us that one had gone down much earlier (Yosef) and two others were
born in Egypt (Efrayim and Menashe), but are still counted among the 70.
In the lower-left corner is a picture of Orde Wingate, British general,
ardent Zionist, trained Jewish youth military tactics. Was removed from
Palestine when the British decided he was potentially acting against British
interests. Anyway, his first name was Orde, very similar (especially in the
Ashkenazic pronunciation of a KAMATZ) to the name of Binyamin's youngest
son.
Next to Wingate is an albatross, a.k.a. gooney bird. Sounds like GUNI, one
of Naftali's sons.
The two sticks are from the haftara.
This leaves a TTriddle, 25.6 fl. oz.
Have fun with this ParshaPix... and every week.
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 (MIKEITZ-CHANUKA) TTriddles:
[1] The match, sort of, to Par'o's cows
[2] How many and what are homographs?
[3] They achieved strength and (different) royalty at the same age
[4] 3 for 2 and 2 for 3 and it's the sky chair (T-shirt TTriddle)
[5] Two olive trees, not two women
[6] Besides Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, there are two other opinions -
Beit Fibonacci and Beit Lucas. How many more candles does Beit Lucas require
than Beit Fibonacci? Why do Fibonacci candles tilt?
[7] If the first two nights were the same but the progression were
geometric, how many candles would there be in a box?
[8] So have another 34/49 of a latke - (Get this one and win a separate
prize)
Nachman K's Jewish Trivia Question:
24 words in a row in one of our T'filot ending with the same letter
And the envelope, please...
[1] The words SHEVA PAROT, 7 cows, occur four times in the Tanach - all in
Parshat Mikeitz. Turns out that there are four occurrences of SHIV'A PARIM,
7 bulls, a match - as in SHIDDUCH - for the 7 cows. Would you not agree? Of
course, half of the cows are thin, emaciated ones, but we can match them to
the bulls of Bil'am and Balak. That is two occurrences; the other two are in
Iyov and Divrei HaYamim. Note that the TTriddle said "sort of". Because the
14 cows of Parshat Mikeitz are from a dream. They aren't real. So there is
no real potential for a match. And the PARIM, for that matter, are
sacrifices - also not suitable for a match.
[2] Homographs (at least by one definition) are words that are spelled the
same but pronounced differently - like WIND (air that flows) and WIND (as in
to wind a watch - remember when we used to do that regularly?) Borrowing the
term for Hebrew (which really doesn't work the same, because spelling
doesn't include vowels- but this is a TTriddle), we find SHEVA SH'NEI HASAVA.
There were seven years of plenty. How many (SHEVA) and what (SAVA) are
spelled the same - homographs.
[3] As it says in Pirkei Avot - BEN SH'LOSHIM LAKO'ACH, at the age of 30,
one attains strength. In all of Tanach, the phrase BEN SH'LOSHIM SHANA, 30
years old, is found only twice. In Mikeitz, telling us that Yosef was 30
when he stood before Par'o and achieved royalty - 2nd to Par'o. David
HaMelech began 40 years of reigning as king at the age of 30 (Shmuel Bet).
Different royalty, at the same age of strength. Yosef and David.
[4] 3 for 2 and 2 for 3 refers to mixing up the readings in the second and
third Torah, this past Shabbat. There is a general rule that the haftara
follows the last piece of Torah that was read. The normal order of the three
Torahs was Mikeitz, Rosh Chodesh, Chanuka. Therefore, the haftara is the one
for Shabbat Chanuka. If Rosh Chodesh is read last, the haftara is switched
to the one for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, which is known as HASHAMAYIM KIS'I, the
heavens are My chair (throne). However, there is another opinion that we
would stay with the CHanuka haftara anyway, because of Pirsumei Nisa,
publicizing the miracle, which would supersede that general rule mentioned
above.
[5] Two olive trees refers to the special haftara of Shabbat Chanuka. The
two babies of the story with Shlomo HaMelech is in the "regular" haftara of
Mikeitz. Last Shabbat, we read of the two olive trees - not of the two women
and their babies. Mikeitz's haftara is RANI V'SIMCHI (with the Menora and
two olive trees) 71.5% of the time. We read of the two babies only 10.1% of
the time. The other 18.4% of the time, Mikeitz goes along with the haftara
of the second Shabbat Chanuka, VAYAAS CHIROM.
[6] Chanuka math. The basic Fibonacci series is 1,1, 2,3,5,8,13,21... After
starting with 1 and 1, each successive term in the series is the sum of the
two previous terms. 1+1=2. 1+2=3. 2+3=5. And so on. The 9th term (which we
are not concerned with for the Chanuka question) would be 13+21=34. The sum
of the first 8 terms of the Fibonacci series is 54, to which we add 8 more
candles for the SHAMASH each night for a total of 62 candles. The Lucas
series works the same (since it is a Fibonacci sequence too), but begins
specifically with 1 and 3 as the first two terms. The first 8 terms of the
Lucas series are 1,3,4,7,11,18,29,47. The sum of these 8 terms is 120, plus
8 gives 128 candles, which is 66 more than the 62 for Beit Fibonacci. Why do
the candles of Beit Fibonacci tilt? Because Fibonacci's real name (Fibonacci
was his nickname) was Leonardo of Pisa. (As in the Leaning Tower of.)
Several correct answers were submitted for this one.
[7] The arithmetic sequence beginning with 1,2, is 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 for the
nights of Chanuka. The geometric sequence beginning with 1,2 is 1,2,4,8,
16,32,64,128, which add up to 255 candles, plus 8 gives 263 candles all
together.
[8] Based on an old g'matriya joke. We eat kugel on Shabbat because the
g'matriya of KUGEL equals that of SHABBAT. No it doesn't, objects anyone who
takes the time to calculate the g'matriyas. Okay, so eat more kugel, is the
wise-guy answer. Similarly, we eat LATKES on CHANUKA because L'VIVA has the
same g'matriya as Chanuka. No it doesn't. So eat more LATKES. How much more?
L'VIVA is 49. Eating another 34/49 of a latke will bring the total to 83,
the g'matriya of Chanuka.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] Name of more different people in the Chumash than any other name
[2] Sad contrast of first and last of Sedra-trio
[3] number/word play mammal-bird link (A11-D3)
[4] Useful, strong, reliable, square (in Vayigash);fool's variation (in
Mishlei)
[5] What's the haftara's choice for a snack?
[6] first cousins • king and successor's father
[7] plus one element from the ParshaPix
Nachman K's Jewish Trivia Question
Last week's NKJTQ was:
24 words in a row in one of our T'filot ending with the same letter
No one sent in a correct answer to this question. Rather than give you the
answer and ask another question, we are giving a hint and the question
stands for this week. First correct answer wins a CD from Noam Productions.
The hint: We say it monthly
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