ParshaPix Explanations

Parsha Pix

Lock & chain in upper left is for the “super-closed” nature of the beginning of VAYCHI (see Sedra Summary for details)
The bed is mentioned more than once at the beginning of the sedra
The crossed hands are Yaakov’s, as he put his right hand on Efrayim’s head and his left on Menashe’s. It should not escape our attention that the Book of B’reishit is FILLED with firstborn-second child issues. Kayin and Hevel. Yishmael and Yitzchak, Yaakov and Eisav, Yosef and his brothers. Reuven on the one hand and Levi, Yehuda, and Yosef on the other. Peretz and Zerach. Efrayim and Menashe
The crowned lion is for Yehuda, as is the lion cub. Yehuda’s bracha refers to him as a GUR (cub), ARYEI and LAVI (lions at different stages of their lives). Yehuda Leib is a common name-pair based on this bracha. And his kingship is symbolized by the crown, of course
The wolf is Binyamin. Binyamin Ze’ev Volf is also a common combination of names
The faucet is for Reuven (based on what Yaakov said to him)
The Israel Postal Authority emblem is for Naftali. Naftali Tzvi Hirsh, or two of those three names often come together
The snake is for Dan
The donkey is for Yissachar
The ship is for Zevulun
The bread is Asher
The math-like statement stands for Efrayim and Menashe are like (approx. equal to) Reuven and Shimon. Numerically, this is so too. E&M = 732 and R&S = 731
There is a Davka graphic of a father blessing his son (the words of the bracha come from Vaychi
The Pyramids in the hot desert sun remind us where the sedra takes place and where the end of B’reishit finds us. In Mitzrayim.
Chazak is for the conclusion of the book of B’reishit
The photo between the donkey’s nose and the boy being blessed is a picture of Kever David and refers to the haftara
So too, in the lower-right is the opening of Yoav’s tunnel in the City of David - IR DAVID, mentioned in the haftara as where David was buried
The cluster of grapes and Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh’s donkey friend are for part of Yehuda’s bracha (49:11) - OSRI LAGEFEN IRO… “He loads down his donkey with a [single] grapevine…”
There is a branch with two leaves on it and two eyes (the CBS logo) on the leaves. In Yaakov’s words to Yosef, we find: BEIN PORAT YOSEF, BEIN PORAT ALEI AYIN… A charming son is Yosef, a charming son to the eye. Or from a very different translation: Yosef is a fruitful son, [like] a fruitful vine by the fountain… In TTriddlese, ALEI AYIN are leaves of eyes
Surrounding the fingers of Yaakov’s crossed-over hands, as if emanating from them, are many of the symbol for the Zodiac sign of Pisces, the fish. In Yaakov’s bracha to Yosef is his blessings to Efrayim and Menashe. ...May He bless the lads, and let them carry my name, along with the names of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak. May they increase in the land like fish”
Logo of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. A traffic light showing green. A whale. and the letters (in Old English - purposely) OT. From this we get HAMALACH (the Angel) (ha)GO- WHALE (say it quickly and not so carefully and it comes out GO’EIL), then OT. As in HaMalach ha-go’eil oti (mikol ra)... An Old English T looks a lot like a C, so we also get HaMal-ach HaGo’el OSI (as in the Ashkenazic pronunciation
Along the right side are ME’ARAT HAMACH- PEILA, KEVER RACHEL, SHILOH (all from the sedra in one way or another), gavel for DAN
And two Unexplaineds for you to solve…

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