Parsha Pix

The major component of the Parsha-Pix for Bamidbar is/are the flags – 12 of them – representing the flags of the tribes, as they camped and as they marched.

The flags here do not represent any specific tribes, but the one with the crown could be for Shevet Yehuda.

And the one with a bunch of carrots marked 2.50 is our whimsical suggestion for the flag of Machane Yehuda.

The one with the flower could be for Reuven, perhaps. Don’t try to figure out others – they were not meant to specifically represent the Tribes. (Of course, if you do come up with a connection between a flag and a Shevet, by all means, let us know and we’ll share it with the TTreadership.)

The compass stands for the different sides of the Mishkan the different groups camped, both among the Leviyim and the 12 Tribes.

The parking meter represents the encampments, since the modern Hebrew word for parking has the same root as to encamp. LACHANOT.

Abacus is for the various countings.

The skull with the 5 on it comes from Bamidbar 3:47 in the portion of the exchange between firstborns and Leviyim (who were not themselves firstborns). We would say, 5 shekel a head. The Torah uses the term GULGOLET, skull.

Desert scene with the cactus and blazing sun is for MIDBAR, even though our Midbar is better translated as Wilderness, rather than desert, but there’s plenty of desert too.

The three diamond engagement rings are for the final two p’sukim of the haftara, the words we say when winding the T’filin strap around the middle finger of the left hand (or right hand, for lefties), symbolic of our betrothal to G-d.

Garlic and the chemical formula for sugar. The Sugar formula is raised to the third power, or CUBED. These then represent the sugar cube and garlic clove that are a common “gift” to those at a Pidyon HaBen. In the sedra, we find a mass Pidyon of the first-borns of the 12 tribes. One explanation given for this minhag is that it gives those in attendance something from the Seuda of the Pidyon to take home and use in their next kugel (or whatever calls for garlic and sugar), thereby “stretching” the festive meal of the Pidyon beyond its location and its day.

HI in Morse code is 4 dots and 2 dots and represents the 6 dots above the name AHARON in Bamidbar 3:39, indicating that he wasn’t included in the count.

The Ashkelon emblem is for the sports club there, Elitzur (the word appears in Hebrew across the middle of the emblem – you might have missed it). Elitzur b. Sh’dei-ur was the Nasi of Reuven.

The pair of T’filin are for the last two p’sukim of the haftara – as explained earlier.

The two fellows in the picture… we’ll leave them Unexplained for you to figure out.

The logo below the two brothers (a hint, but not a strong one) is also going to remain Unexplained.

The two images in the lower-right are related to each other. One is the emblem of a town and the other is a photo of the same town. We’ll tell you this one – it is Itamar, as in Itamar ben Aharon HaKohein, mentioned in the sedra.