Torah tidbits
PARSHA-PIX Parshat Vayigash

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’NAFSHO, 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.
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.
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 their 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.
25.6 fl. oz. is the quantity of liquor in a bottle known as a "fifth". It is a fifth of a gallon. But here it represents the tax Yosef imposed on the Egyptians.

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) TTriddles:
[1] Joins some of Yishmael's sons, some afflictions, and more on Motza"Sh
In some siddurim - the ones we used to call SuperSiddur because of all the "extra" material they contain - there is a section of the Motza'ei Shabbat z'mirot and readings that contains several sets of p'sukim to recite. (Before you find this in your siddur and start reciting them, check out the fine print for the opinions NOT to say them.) Among the sets of p'sukim are 13 (maybe 14, if you count part of a pasuk that contains a parsha-break in it) p'sukim of three words each. One of them is in Mikeitz; it is the solution to this TTriddle. One of the other 3-word p'sukim lists three of Yishmael's sons - MISHMA, DUMA, and MASA. (They answered a previous TTriddle also.) Two others - the only consecutive 3-word p'sukim in a row, list NEGA'IM (from Parshat Metzora, Vayikra 14:55,56). Yissachar, Zevulun, and Binyamin share a 3-word pasuk. Chushim b. Dan is in one, and so is Eliav b. Palu. First of the 3-fold bracha also is only three words long, as is the bracha for a blessed foodbasket and store. And others.
[2] homonyms linking Par'o's cows and RCh's lambs
Of course, the number that links Par'o's cows and Rosh Chodesh's lambs (of the korban musaf) is 7. But this TTriddle is looking for homonyms to link them even more. One definition of homonym is a pair of words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings, such as bank (where one puts his money) and bank (at the edge of a river). In our case, the homonym is OLOT, as in the seven cows were OLOT (rising) from the river, and OLOT, the complete "burnt" offering of the two bulls, ram, and seven lambs of Rosh Chodesh Musaf.
[3] 2 kings (8th & 12th) and French writer and philosopher AC?
In the classic editions of Chumash, at the end of each sedra, is a count of the number of p'sukim in the sedra, followed by a "siman" for that number, which is a name, word, or phrase whose g'matriya is the same as the number of p'sukim. For Mikeitz, we find the number of p'sukim, 146, in Hebrew letters - KUF-MEM-VAV. Those letters (that number) can be pronounced KAMU, which brings to mind the French writer and philosopher Albert Camus. There are two simanim given for that number (usually there is only one), and both are names of kings of Yehuda: the 8th one YECHIZKIYAHU and the 12th one AMATZIA. G'matriya of each of these kings is 146. (For your information: YECHIZKIYAHU's name occurs also in these forms - CHIZKIYAHU, YECHIZKIYA, CHIZKIYA.)
[4] “on the day” and “after”
ZOT CHANUKAT HAMIZBEI'ACH <word> HIMASHACH OTO. B'YOM and ACHAREI each fit the phrase.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] My festival is one of 7; my festivals is one of 12
[2] The pillar among Ohad's brothers
[3] would Binyamin's daughter be called Mollie?
[4] The forefather at his appearance; his forefather at his third
[5] Eisav, Yaakov (2), Yosef (7) and who in Tanach?
[6] The Schubert’s 8th sedra


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