Published February 04, 2010
This week’s TTriddles:
[1] This week, not 5 but 6 times!
[2] Gold: HaShem (by far!); Silver: David; Bronze:Moshe, Shaul (tie)... also ran: Yitro
[3] male and female form are both female
[4] TAV heads 60%
[5] He did it without CHET; he without REISH. Who with both?
Last issue’s (B’SHALACH) TTriddles:
[1] 185 barred in the past; 6 coloned to come
This one is like a Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading column. G-d tells Moshe to raise his staff above the sea and the waters will part, and Bnei Yisrael will go through the sea on dry land. Then HaShem says that Par’o will go in after them in pursuit. Twice, the word for “And they will go” is used - future tense. Then it happens as G-d said, and the Torah switches tense to the past - “And Bnei Yisrael went… and Par’o went in pursuit. YAVO-U means “they will go”. V’YAVO-U, with a SH’VA under the initial VAV, means “and they will go”. VA-YAVO-U, on the other hand (or on the other tense) means “And they went”. The PATACH under the initial VAV switches the tense of the verb from future to past. Throughout Tanach, there are 185 occurrences of the word VAYAVO-U. The TTriddle refers to that word as barred in the past, because the PATACH is like a bar under the VAV. V’YAVO-U, occurs only 6 times. The SH’VA under the VAV looks just like a colon - coloned to come.
[2] This year: 8, 10, 13, and 15 of the 11th, 14 & 15 of the 12th, and 21 of the first
Only one solver got [1], but several got this one. These are the dates on which we read part of Parshat B’shalach. The 11th (month) is Sh’vat. This year, we read the first part of B’shalach at Shabbat Shabbat Mincha - that was the 8th of Sh’vat. On Monday and Thursday morning - the 10th and 13th of the month, and Shabbat Shira was the 15th. On the 14th and 15th of Adar (the 12th month), we read the end of B’shalach - VAYAVO AMALEIK, the Purim Torah reading. And we read the bulk of B’shalach on the last (7th) day of Pesach, the 21st of the first (month, Nissan).
[3] First, fifth, seventh, eleventh, twelfth
Rabbi Macy Gordon inadvertently gave the answer to this TTriddle away in his Friday night talk at our Shira - TU Bishvat Shabbaton. These are the months that have something on their 15th day. Nisan - Pesach. Av - TU B’Av. Tishrei - Sukkot. TU Bishvat (Sh’vat is the 11th month). And Jerusalem (a.k.a. Shushan) Purim in the 12th month. Rabbi Gordon added the 15th of Iyar on which (at night) the Korban Pesach Sheni was (and will be) eaten. And on the 15th of the first of two Adars, the 15th is Shushan Purim Katan.
[4] After singing and postmortem
This one was a bit obscure. After Miriam took the women and sang at the sea, the Torah records that we had no water to drink. After Miriam dies (recorded in Parshat Chukat), the people are again thirsty for water.
[5] Advanced Military Training Academy will lead to this
From the haftara of B’shalach, we read of Sisra, the SAR TZAVA of YAVIN, the general of King Yavin’s army. Play on the name YAVIN, which also means “will understand”. Graduates of the Advanced Military Training Academy will learn.
[6] The rabbi who certifies that we can carry in our location on Shabbat
Many got this one too. It is a play on the words EIREV RAV, the Egyptians who left Mitzrayim with the Bnei Yisrael. Sounds very close to the EIRUV RAV.
[7] Two that had tough pre-dawns
The final blow came to Egypt B’ASH- MORET HABOKER. That’s either very early in the morning, or pre-dawn. There is only one other use of the phrase. It’s in Shmuel Alef, when Sha’ul HaMelech defeats AMON. The answer then is MITZRAYIM and AMON.
[8] Place commercial for Michelin here
One of the very dramatic p’sukim in the Torah is the one that describes the mighty and arrogant Egyptian elite army corps panicking when their chariot wheels get bogged down in the sea and their wheels fall off. They all received a miraculous “puncture”.
[9] Was Willie Saunders from Omaha?
Only 11 racehorses have won the Triple Crown. One of them was a horse named Omaha. His jockey was Willie Sauders. They represent SUS V’ROCHBO - horse and rider, mentioned twice in the Torah reading of B’shalach.
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