Parsha Pix This ParshaPix combines "regular" graphic representations of different items in the sedra (TZAV) with more off-beat (fun) images for Purim. Fire (upper-left) represents the fire of the Mizbei'ach that was to always remain lit. If the Menora ever went out, it was relit from the Mizbei'ach's fire. The Ner Tamid in shuls commemorates both the eternal lights of the Menorah and the fire of the Mizbei'ach. The prohibition on the other side of the "Fire Always" coin is represented by the negation circle over the fire extinguisher (lower-right). It is forbidden to extinguish the fire of the Mizbei'ach. An example among many of a positive command and a prohibition addressing the same issue from both sides. Yes, matza; no, chametz is not just a Pesach rule. It is the rule for most Menachot, as stated in the sedra. However, because we read Parshat Tzav on Shabbt-Purim this year, we can find in the sedra's references to Chametz and Matza a reminder of the "rule" that 30 days before Pesach, we begin reviewing the laws of Pesach. Ear, thumb, big toe - application of some bloods and some oils in various rituals in the Mikdash. Oven and frying pan - two of several methods of preparing Menachot. Turtle with poor spelling - in Hebrew, TZAV (TZADI-VET), a misspelling of Parshat TZAV. Who knows five? In the Hagada, the answer is the Five Chumashim of the Torah. But for Parshat Tzav, we find the phrase ZOT TORAT blank 5 times (namely - HaOlah, HaMincha, HaChatat, HaAsham, Zevach HaSh'lamim). The piece of chain is for the rare TROP-note, SHALSHELET, appearing 3 times in B'reishit (Vayeira, Chayei Sara, Vayeishev) and this one time in Vayikra (Tzav). Winnie the Pooh, known in Hebrew as Pooh HaDov, and in short in both languages as POOH. p=a+b+c is the formula for the perimeter of a triangle. We can call the perimeter a rim. So we have PU-RIM M'SHULASH. The boxes of Reynold's aluminum foil stand for the G'LILEI CHESEF, as in the description of Achashveirosh's palace. Raggedy Ann and a telephone makes DOLL-PHONE, DALFON being one of Haman's sons. The logo of Hadassah Medical Center represents Hadassah. CH3COOC2H5 is the molecular formula for ethyl acetate, a colorless volatile flammable liquid, used in perfumes, flavorings, lacquers, pharmaceuticals, and rayon and as a general solvent, which is an ESTER. The baseball bat and then the dodo bird, giving HADASSAH, she is ESTHER BAT-DODO (his cousin). [12] The ear in the upper right corner had its connection, to the sedra, with the thumb and big toe, as mentioned earlier. Additionally, there are at least three connections to the Purim and Megila. Hamentashen are known in Hebrew as Oznei Haman, Haman's ears. Secondly, the mitzva to hear the reading of the Megila (with or via one's ears). And thirdly, the word IR (Hebrew for city) occurs 12 times in Megila, including three times the phrase IR vaIR (every city). 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 (VAYIKRa) TTriddles: [1] Oswego has one; so does Havana And so do a lot of other places. The TTriddle refers to a shul with the name ADATH ISRAEL or Adas Yisrael, of any variation thereof. The two word discription of the people of Israel occurs 11 times in Tanach - four times in the book of Sh'mot, once in Vayikra - in the sedra of Vayikra, hence a TTriddle on Adat Yisrael in the Vayikra issue of Torah Tidbits. The Oswego (NY) Adath Israel is the only shul in the town of less than 18,000 people and a very, very small number of Jews. The shul is on land rented for 99 years from some Indian (oops, Native American) tribe for the sum of 3 peppercorns [which I've seen! - Phil]. Adath Israel in Havana is the only Orthodox synagogue in Cuba and it is the only shul that offers daily services. It serves breakfast after Shacharit and a snack at Mincha. And it buses people to and from shul on Monday and Thursday mornings. It has a mikve, historical library, and a pharmacy... among other facilities. [2] If the Purim Pull-Out had another four pages, how would they be numbered? This was our way of challenging the math lovers among the TTreadership to follow up on the numbering system of the 8-page pull out. As you might have noticed, the pages were numbered 1 through 8, but each number was a mathematical expression that used the numbers 5, 7, 6, 8 - in that order (in honor of the year 5768) and whatever match symbols it took to reach the desired results. The pages were numbered thusly: (-5+7+6)/8 = 8/8 = 1 -5-7+6+8 = 2 5x(-7+6)+8 = 5x(-1)+8 = -5+8 = 3 -5+7-6+8 = 4 For the next four numbers, we used the symbol :: which means "the average between the two numbers". 5::7 = 6 and 6::8 = 7. 5+7-6::8 = 5+7-7 = 5 5+7/6::8 = 5+7/7 = 5+1 =6 5::7/(-6)+8 = 6/(-6)+8 = -1+8 = 7 5::7-6+8 = 6-6+8 = 8 This TTriddle challenged you to get the numbers 9-12 in a similar manner 5::7/6+8 = 6/6+8 = 1+8 = 9 (5+7)/6+8 = 12/6+8 = 2+8 =10 (-5+7)/.6+8 = 2/L+++8 = 3+8 = 11 (5+7)/.6-8 = 12/.6-8 = 20-8 = 12 There is often more than one way to arrive at the desired number. [3] Moshe (2), Avshalom, Yochanan, Geichazi The words VAYIKRA EL occur 13 times in Tanach. 5 of those times, they are followed by the name of a person. Twice, that person is Moshe Rabeinu. The other three people that are called by name are Avshalom, Yochanan (b. karei'ach), and Geichazi. [4] This word goes on its anagram The word is a significant one in Vayikra - MELACH, salt. Every Korban requires it; our practice of salting bread derives from that mitzva. An anagram of the word MELACH is LECHEM, bread, upon which we put salt. [5] The Divine Subpoena Not only are we prohibited from "bearing false witness", we are also duty-bound to offer testimony when we have first-hand knowledge that would be useful before the court. This Mitzvat Asei, positive command, is our Divine Subpoena. [6] In the ParshaPix... there was one element we did not explain - and if we forgot to do that (rather than not explaining it on purpose) then it would be quite ironic that we forgot that particular element in the PP. It was the pink elephant with a knot in its trunk. There is the famous expression, "elephants never forget". That would be a reference to the prohibition in Parshat Zachor of LO TISHKACH - thou shall not forget. The knot adds the other mitzva, the first one of ZACHOR, remember. Remembering and not forgetting are two different things. Not forgetting is something internal to us, in our minds and hearts. ZACHOR is considered to be the requirement to verbalize the remembering - as with the public reading of Parshat Zachor. Speaking of knots and remembering... Found this on the web: "Tying a string around your finger originated from the Anglo-Saxons among others who thought that tying a string around ones finger kept an idea from escaping, in effect, tying the idea to ones self." However, we need only look into the Torah, Parshat Sh'lach in particular, the last portion, which is our third passage of the Sh'ma - Parshat Tzitzit. We see there that tying the Tzitzit is accompanied by the command to thereby remember ALL the Mitzvot of HaShem, and to do them. The color of the elephant in the PP has no special significance, unless we relate it to becoming inebriated on Purim until we see pink elephants and cannot distinguish between BARUCH MORDECHAI and ARUR HAMAN (who was a descendant of Amalek - hence the further connection to ZACHOR). [7] The bullet of the ParshaPix explanations The bullet for the Vayikra-Zachor issue was a sheep. Sheep are mentioned 5 times in Parshat Vayikra (once as KEVES, the other four times as variants of KESEV). The Haftara inclues Sha'ul neglecting the killing of the animals of Amalek and returning home from battle with sheep, supposedly for sacrifices to G-d. CLARIFICATION In the Vayikra-Zachor issue (804), it stated: There are other things we are commanded to remember, but these five things come with the word ZACHOR: the day we left Egypt, the Shabbat, what G-d did to the Egyptians, what happened to Miriam, and Amalek. This was referring only to the Torah's use of the word ZACHOR. Not Z'CHOR nor any other form of the word. This "list" was not meant to match the list found in many siddurim of the "6 Remembrances" after the weekday Shacharit. That list includes a Z'CHOR and don't forget how we angered G-d in the Midbar. And, a command never to forget, PEN TISHKACH, the day we stood at Sinai. There is a longer list of 10 items found in various sources. This TT statement referred only to the word ZACHOR and only in the Torah (not the rest of Tanach). This week's TTriddles: [1] Chatat/Asham; born-Jew/Ger [2] Different readings - common thread [3] 414 big, 707 small [4] Could Mordechai's great-grandfather have been the original owner? [5] First three, last, first [6] Who was r-ready? [7] What was the Persian credit card of choice? [8] Mordechai, 58 times in the Megila; Haman 54 + Zeresh 4 Purim challenges for you, your family, and guests: 1. Two consecutive words in the Megila - a Hebrew word and its translation 2. Find a scrambled candle kugel in the Megila 3. At least 8 sedras and 2 near-sedras in the Megila 4. Name the Megila's two rhyming conspirators (one male & one female) 5. What was the bird of choice of the women who came before the king? Answers: 1. When Esther tells the king that someone is plotting to kill her people, the king demands to know MI HU ZEH... The Hebrew word MI (pronounced as the English word me) means WHO, so you find in the Megila two consecutive words - a word and its translation. 2. A candle kugel translates to NER PASHTIDA. If you mix up the Hebrew letters that make up these two words, they can rearrange to spell PARSHANDATA, one of Haman's sons. (That is, provided you slightly misspell PASHTIDA.) 3. In going through the Megila, the following sedras can be found: NO'ACH, VAYEITZEI, VAYISHLACH, MIKEITZ, VAYIKRA, EMOR, B'HAR (as in B'HAR'OTO - this was the sneaky one), D'VARIM. (There might be more.) Near sedras include SH'LACH (SHALACH) and KI TEITZEI (KI YEITZEI). 4. TERESH (male) co-conspired with BIGTAN to poison the king. Mordechai overheard them... but you know all that. ZERESH, Haman's wife, was his co-conspiritor, giving him "invaluable" suggestions which just got him into deeper trouble - B"H. 5. The turtle-dove in Hebrew is the TOR. The Megila tell us about TOR NAARA V'NAARA, indicating that not only Esther (TOR ESTEIR BAT AVICHAYIL...) but all the maidens had a TOR. [The Parshat Tzav Homepage] |
