Published December 24, 2009
Top row 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. So too are the bullets for this column covered wagons.
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 (90%) 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 pro- nunciation 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. Here it represents the tax Yosef imposed on the Egyptians.
Half a butterfly (PARPAR) is PAR attached to an O = PAR’O.
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