TTriddles "Report"

TTriddles for Parashat Mikeitz

Last issue’s (VAYEISHEV) TTriddles:

And some Chanuka fun, too
[1] What bracha do you say on a dreidel?
This TTriddle works only with Israeli dreidels - shall we say S’VIVONIM. The letters on it - NUN, GIMEL, HEI, PEI, rearrange to spell HAGAFEN, the bracha for wine always and for dreidels, only on Chanuka - and only in Israel.
[2] Chanuka toy for high school juniors - where?
If you thought we were discriminating against dreidels from Chutz LaAretz with the first TTriddle, here’s one for the NUN GIMEL HEI SHIN variety. Take those letters and rearrange them to spell SHANA GIMEL, meaning third year (as in high school or college). So the toy for the junior is the dreidel. Where? Anywhere other than Israel.
[3] People from Triland count with triangular numbers. How many candles do they need for the whole Chanuka?
And their Square friends?
Then a Square woman married a Trilander and they decided on a diplomatic arrangement. How many candles do they need?
What’s wrong with the girl from Beit Shammai who married the fellow from Beit Hillel making a similar arrangement?
Think of the arrangement of the 10 bowling pins in bowling. A row of 1, then a row of 2, then 3, and then 4. The arrangement is in the shape of a triangle and 10 is known as a triangular number because of this. 1 is the first triangular number. Then comes 3, which is 1+2. Then 6, which is 1+2 +3. We’ve already met 10, which is 1+2+3+4. And so on. The 5th triangular number is found by adding all the numbers (natural numbers, that is) from 1 to 5. 15 is the next triangular number. The next would be 21 and then 28, and then 36. If the people from TRILAND count in triangular numbers only, then they would light 1 the first night, 3 the second night, 6 the third night… and so on, until 36 on the 8th night. Adding the first 8 triangular numbers, 1+3+6+10+15+21+28+36 gives us 120. Add 8 more candles for a SHAMASH each night and the TRILANDERS would need 128 candles for all of Chanuka.
The SQUARE friends of the TRILANDERS count with square numbers only. Square numbers have a geometric meaning - arrange dots in a 2x2 square. How many dots? 4. And a 3x3 square? 9. The word square is borrowed from its geometric meaning to also mean the result of multiplying a number by itself. 4 squared is 4x4, which is 16. And, in fact, 16 dots can be arranged in a 4 by 4 square. The SQUARES would light 1 candle the first night, 4 the second night, then 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, and finally 64 candles on the 8th night. Adding up the first 8 square numbers, 1+4+9+16+25+36+49+64, we get 204 candles plus 8 for the shamash, for a total of 212 candles.
Next. When the Trilander married a Square, they decided to count only numbers that are both triangular and square. 1 is both. The next number that is both triangular and square is 36. That’s how many candles they lit on the second night of Chanuka. We need the next six numbers that are both triangular and square. If you want to find them on your own, do not continue reading. More likely, you want to stick the task of finding them on a child or grandchild. In that case, “go for it”, and read on. The next 6 triangular square numbers (or square triangular numbers, if you prefer, are 1225, 41616, 1413721, 48024900, 1631432881, and 55420693056. That’s over 55 billion candles on the 8th night. Forget about it. Divorce would probably be an option as early as the third night. For the whole Chanuka, the total goes over 57 billion. Even if the couple didn’t divorce on the third night, they might both drown in hot wax a few nights later.
And finally, we come to the marriage of children from Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. If they tried a similar arrangement by lighting a number of candles each night that would satify both opinions, they would light 1 and 8 on the first night, 2 and 7 on the second night, and so on, lighting 9 candles each night. Their problem would be that each night is not distinguished from the others in an ascending number of candles, as is “required” by the mehadrin min hamehadrin practice which we all follow.
[4] Section in the journal of the Edison yeshiva on Plainfield Avenue
The Yeshiva in Edison, New Jersey on Plainfield Avenue is a branch of RJJ, Rabbi Jacob Joseph yeshiva since 1982. The original RJJ was established in 1903. The section on the history of the school in the journal of the yeshiva can carry the title borrowed from the beginning of Parshat Vayeishev - EILEH TOLDOT YAAKOV YOSEF.
[5] He qestioned his youngest son
The word questioned was purposely misspelled - no typo here, have a nice day! Because Yehuda’s youngest son (well, not counting Peretz or Zerach) was SHEILA, which can be seen as SH’EILA (question) with one of its letters missing.
[6] MazalPic
The Zodiac sign for Tevet is the G’DI, the Goat, known by its Latin name, CAPRICORN. Which sounds a lot like CAP or CORN, which is the choice being offered in the MazalPic.

This week’s TTriddles:

[1] He’s #1; his father is 176
[2] Par’o, Achashveirosh, Haman, HaShem, Bnei Yisrael
[3] No’ach, Yaakov, Par’o, Par’o, and who?
[4] Chukat , Chakarnuha, Chat’u, Chigru, and WHAT?
[5] when we read 1 through 12
[6] And you thought he was a harmless, friendly alien!
[7] First 3 nights: 1,10,11 - how many on the 8th night?
[8] The 5th of the 2nd and the 3rd of the 10th

• Other TTriddles "Report"
• TTriddles for Nitzavim Vayelech
• TTriddles for Parashat Ki Tavo
• TTriddles for Parashat Ki Teitzei