Adaraba

I've always loved this prayer written by R'Elimelech of Lizhensk, one of the founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement.  My translation of the prayer reads:

 God, rather, instill in our hearts the ability to see the positive attributes of our friends and not their faults. Let every person address his neighbor in a manner that is proper and desired by You. Let us not, God forbid, bear any hatred toward another individual. Strengthen us in our love towards You, as is apparent and known to You. God, let everything be pleasing before You. Amen, let it be Your will.

I translated the word Adaraba as "rather,"  which makes me wonder if there's a paragraph that precedes this well known prayer that says something along the lines of, "the baseless hatred that exists in our hearts is tearing our people apart.  Rather than this be our reality let us see the beauty in our fellow Jew and talk kindly to one another."

If there is no preceding paragraph maybe it was just R' Elimelech responding to the fighting going on between misnagdim and Chasidim.  Or perhaps it wasn't ideological fighting that R' Elimelech was referring to but rather a general call for Jews all over to not be petty and contentious but rather see the positive in each Jewish soul, love every Jew and use that love in the service of God.  Today, with all the different camps of Jews, protests and counter protests, maligning and name calling that sadly goes on within the Jewish world, I couldn't think of a more appropriate blessing and prayer to keep in the forefronts of our minds and hearts as we go about our day.  

What exists now doesn't have to be our reality...adaraba.  

   

The Beauty of Prints

I created this ketubah last summer for a couple in California who wanted a special custom made ketubah with real Italian gold leaf applied.  They contacted me two months before their wedding and were happy to pay the price that comes with a custom ketubah.  I've started scanning a lot of my artwork because I often get e-mails such as "I love the Spanish Ketubah on your website, we're getting married in two weeks, can it be done by then?  Also I see it costs $1,050...if you make it a little smaller could you do it for $300?"  Or even people who realize the impossibility of that request just don't want to spend so much on their ketubah when weddings are already so costly.

I have two printing houses I work with, one in New York and one in Jerusalem and they do amazing jobs reproducing my artwork and making the originals into giclee prints.  They're so good, you really can't even tell the difference between the original and the print.  So a week ago I received an e-mail from a man getting married in two weeks and he was interested in the Spanish Gold Leaf Ketubah.  Once I received the information from him regarding the actual ketubah text my printers had it ready the next day.  I love modern technology!  Here is a picture of his ketubah:

The only thing I added by hand was the border text which is the first line of Eishet Chayil and a beautiful poem by Yehuda Halevy:

דרשתי קירבתך

בכל ליבי קראתיך

ובצאתי לקראתך

לקראתי מצאתיך

ובפלאי גבורתיך

קדש חזיתיך

Part of this poem appears on my ketubah as well!  So now when I get phone calls or e-mails asking if can have a ketubah ready by next week for a couple of hundred dollars I can happily say, "Yes!"

The Divine Within

I entitled this piece, The Divine Within, as a play on the fact that the word "HaMelech" is encircled in several layers of design and pesukim from the books of Esther and Zecharya.  Through paralleling these two sefarim I wanted to highlight how to find the Divine within ourselves and others when God is hidden, just as He is in the Megillah.

I feel complimented that the Jewish Press chose to put this artwork on the front cover of their Purim issue.  Thank you Jewish Press!  Here is the article that accompanied the piece:

"Love Truth and Peace!”

Let's face it. How many of us really pay attention to the Megillah as it is being read? Unfortunately one of the side effects of learning these stories as children is that the level of understanding at which it was presented to us in our youth persists into adulthood and therefore our understanding remains unsophisticated. Due to an over-familiarity of the plot, the Megillah reading has an almost soporific effect and even the best intentions at concentration are often derailed as the significance and relevance of events that occurred over 2,000 years ago is lost on us year after year.

The Megilla is rife with allusions to other stories in Tanakh. One of my favorite aspects of studying Tanakh is noting word similarities between different passages and trying to understand the message conveyed through this textual interplay. Through my artwork I wanted to highlight a literary parallel that exists between the Megillah and a prohecy in Zecharya, whose message has always appealed to me on a moral and spiritual level.

In the book of Zecharya we are told of the following incident: The year is 355 BCE, King Acheshverosh of Megillah fame has died and Darius II, Esther's son has succeeded him. Two years into his reign, King Darius allows for the rebuilding of the Second Temple. In Darius's fourth year as king, a delegation of Jews arrives from Babylonia to ask a question of the prophets and kohanim in Jerusalem. Their question is as follows: Now that the Temple is being rebuilt is it still necessary to fast on the ninth of Av, the day the First Temple was destroyed 68 years prior? God reveals His answer through the prophet Zecharya who states that God Himself never decreed the fast days or various customs of mourning established by the Babylonian Exile. What God has declared through the mouthpiece of his prophets all the years leading up to the Babylonian exile is that His people “judge with truthful justice, and practice kindness and mercy to one another...speak the truth with one another, and judge in your gates with truth, justice and peace.”

The letter that is dispatched by Esther and Mordechai to all 127 provinces detailing the customs of the holiday of Purim and the Megillah is referred to as “divrei shalom v'emet - words of peace and truth.” The customs established on Purim; matanot l'evyonim, mishloach manot and feasting with family and friends were established as an antidote for the sins that had caused the Temple's destruction and subsequent exile. A significant portion of time is spent on Purim helping those in need, increasing feelings of brotherly love and rejoicing together as one nation. In the Megillah we are told how Esther and Mordechai hope that the hoilday of Purim will be kept for posterity just as the Jews have kept “tzomot v'za'akatam-fasts and cries” throughout their years in exile. Again an idea that parallels the prophecy in Zecharya when he says, “The fast of the fourth month (seventeenth of Tammuz), the fast of the fifth (ninth of Av), the fast of seventh (Tzom Gedaliah) and the fast of the tenth (tenth of Tevet) will be for joy and gladness to the House of Yehudah, and for happy festivals. Love truth and peace!” The message is clear, the road to redemption is paved with actions that are just and truthful and promote peace.

God's name does not appear in the Megillah. His absence is a punishment, alluded to in the name of the heroine, Esther, “v'anochi haster astir panai- and I will certainly hide my Face”. Our sins cause God to remove His presence from us. When God hides life becomes murky; we are left unprotected. The result is a national exile and a personal disconnect from the Divine. How do we fill that void? How do we go about convincing God we want a relationship with Him? Perhaps the answer is in the laws and customs of the Purim holiday. Fill the spiritual void in your life by finding the Divine in others. Turn fast days into festivals and mourning into joyous song by loving truth and peace.

Zecharya prophesizes how a spiritual revolution will sweep over the inhabitants of the world. Everyone will desire to ascend to Jerusalem to supplicate before God and seek out His presence. “In those days it will happen that ten men, from all the different nations, will take hold; they will take hold of the garment of an Ish Yehudi, saying Let us go with you for we have understood that God is with you.” The only other time in Tanakh the term Ish Yehudi is used is in the Megillah, describing Mordechai, “Ish Yehudi haya b'Shushan” a religious man, a leader, who himself was exiled to Babylonia shortly before God allowed His Temple to be destroyed. Mordechai realized the events that were transpiring were not happenstance but orchestrated by a God who although hidden was very much running the show. Mordechai is the Ish Yehudi described by Zecharaya, a man who serves as a beacon of spiritual strength and faith. Everyone recognizes God is with Mordechai. Along with Esther he establishes a holiday that will be celebrated even in messianic times. When all other holidays will be dissolved in the messianic era, Rambam tells us Purim will remain. Perhaps the reason for this phenomenon is as Rav Hutner explains, from the Purim experience we have learned to recognize God in the dark; and this skill once cultivated is never lost.

It is easy in our everyday lives to lose sight of God as our ego takes over, “V'anochi haster, astir” the “I” can easily hide God. However, if we work on recognizing God in the darkness of exile by loving truth and justice and acting benevelontly towards others it can have the effect of altering destiny, and filling the world with the light of God. This Purim may we all merit such brilliant clarity.

Mizrah

"Mimizrah, from the rising of the sun to its setting, the Lord's name is praised" (Psalms 113:3)

One of my first commissions when I started my business seven years ago was a painting entitled "City of Gold."  It was a cutout of Jerusalem's skyline painted gold with silver accents with Psalms 122 written in the center.  I made Jerusalem in a closed circle because of the third verse of that Psalm which states, "Jerusalem is built up like a city that is united together."

Over the years I recreated many versions of this piece with different texts written inside based on the customer's request.  The design has framed several ketubot as well.  Jerusalem was always painted in gold which is classy and lovely but secretly I kept hoping someone would order the piece and ask for Jerusalem to be painted in vibrant colors instead of the monochromatic gold.  When I have an urge to paint something I cannot rest until it's done, so one afternoon last May I decided to create a multi-colored Jerusalem.  I used gouache paint diluted with water so that the colors would run into one another and offer some nice shadings.  Two days later the painting was finished.  It was colorful and happy but the inside circle was blank and I wasn't sure what to write in that space.  The answer came to me later that summer when I was in of all places Jerusalem!  I decided the blank space would be filled with the word "Mizrah".

Mizrah, which is Hebrew for East, is a word often painted or carved out of wood or metal and hung in synagogues and homes on an eastern facing wall.  The Talmud (Berachot 30a) teaches us that one who stands in prayer outside of Israel should direct his heart eastward, toward Israel.  The first Biblical reference of facing eastward while praying is during the dedication ceremony of the newly built First Temple as King Solomon offers his heartfelt prayers to God (I Kings 8:22).  Another Biblical reference is in the Book of Daniel where the verses describe Daniel as having "...windows open in his upper story, facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he fell to his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God" (Daniel 6:11). 

Many scholars believe that the idea of turning toward Jerusalem during prayer probably began during the Babylonian Exile following the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.  Jerusalem was east of Babylonia and as verbal prayer became a substitute for animal sacrifice and communal synagogues replaced the Temple, facing East became a significant reminder to the exiled Jews of where the focus of their hearts should be albeit their physical bodies stood elsewhere on foreign soil.  Throughout the generations the most decorated wall of the synagogue has been the Eastern wall and until this day is the place where the Rabbi and prestigious members of the synagogue sit.

Our homes, meant to be mini sanctuaries and also places of worship, should have a wall decorated with the phrase Mizrah as a reminder of Jerusalem and where God once rested his Divine Presence among us.

This is the wall in my house where I pray, my personal reminder that in the comforts of my current home my real home lies elsewhere. 

(Oh yeah, and that's my Jerusalem painting hanging next to it...it wasn't intentional but the colors go really well together. I call this my "Jerusalem Wall," and it is my favorite space in my home!) 

The Glory of Gold

Anyone who follows my blog (namely my husband and my mom) knows that I love illuminated manuscripts. Much of my artwork is reinterpretations of well known medieval illuminated manuscripts. One of my favorite aspects of an old illuminated text is the gold leaf applied often to the first initial in the text and added into the details of the illuminated border.  An illuminated manuscript is not considered illuminated unless one or many of the illuminations contains gold foil or gold specks painted on it. In medieval times when illuminating texts was extremely popular, often (if not exclusively), the texts were of a religious nature so gilding them was a way of exalting the content within.  And even though they say diamonds are a girl's best friend, let's face it gold ain't too shabby either. In an effort for my artwork to have that authentic illuminated look, I would use several layers of gold paint to highlight different areas of the border. The gold paint looked nice and in a certain light practically glowed but alas I knew it was not the real thing.  For a while now I've been wanting to learn the art of gold leafing so my pieces could more authentically be described as illuminated artwork.

This past summer though I had the privilege of learning the art of gold leafing from an accomplished artist in Jerusalem who spends her days gilding the artwork of many well known artists in Israel as well as her own artwork.  The artist, Ronit, was so sweet and patient it was a pleasure learning from her.  Upon returning to my studio in NY, I had a ketubah order to complete and was so excited to implement my new skill of gold leafing.  Ironically the groom sells custom design furniture that is often gold leafed and asked that I use it in their ketubah.  (although as a sidenote the gold leaf used on furniture and the gold leaf used on paper/parchment is of a different nature.)

Here is my first gold leafing attempt, the enlarged initial letter "Bet" is made from 23 karat Italian gold.  I love the way the gold is raised and not flat like the paint used to be, it adds character and class to the artwork.

Here is the actual gold, you have to be so careful with this stuff if your finger touches the gold it will literally disintegrate, yet when applied to the glue base it lasts forever.  Pretty amazing.

Forever My Jerusalem

When I think of Jerusalem, I think of walking her quiet streets on Shabbat afternoon as I made my way from my home in Talpiot to visit my brother's family in Ramat Eshkol. I think of the stimulating Torah classes I took at Matan with brilliant teachers such as Dr. Aviva Zornberg and Dr. Mordecahi Sabbato; my own students at Machon Gold and Sha'alvim whose zest for learning and love for Eretz Yisrael reinforced my own. I think of the dance classes I took at Rachel Factor's dance studio, hip hop classes at the YMCA, Rosh Chodesh walks to the Kotel, and the beautiful melody of Lecha Dodi sung every Friday night at theYakar shul in the Katmon neighborhood. I think of Naomi, my 65 year old hippie art teacher at the Israel Museum, who would affectionately call me “Shira, Yafati, Tamati” a paraphrase from the book of Shir Hashirim. She was a secular Israeli but she was always quoting Rabbinic aphorisms and verses from Tanakh. I think of the hundreds of Shabbat meals and cups of cafe hafuchs I shared with friends, like minded olim, who left their formers lives and family to begin a new life in Israel. I think of marching through the streets on Yom Yerushlayim everybody dressed in blue and white waving Israeli flags spontaneously stopping to sing and dance, the joy in the air palpable. I think of my stepfather's kiddush on the first night of Sukkot several weeks after his first cousin and close friend Dr. David Applebaum was murdered, and the emotion that was felt as he reached the words “Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season.” I think of the Friday afternoons spent delivering food packages to the poor and elderly; the soup kitchen on Rechov Agripas in which I volunteered, where gratitude and respect were always on the menu and the cook, like a mother, knew all the customers by name and told them what they needed to eat. I think of the warm Mediterranean sun beating down on me as I would walk to work, down Rechov Yehudah, up Koveshi Katamon and then a left on Chizkiyahu HaMelech, all the street names rich with Biblical and historical meaning; and I think of the delicious mountainous breeze that would set in, in the late afternoon and bring relief from the heat of the day. I think of my own wedding at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, as I stood under the chuppah, a chorus of voices singing “Soon, let it be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride...” as I looked out at family and friends, their faces framed by the hills of Jerusalem.

The colorful personalities of Jerusalem; the combination of spiritual, intellectual and creative energies that give Jerusalem her unique vibe, filled my own soul in a way that made me feel complete and whole- shalem. Yeru-shalem- a city that brought me much inner peace.

These are my thoughts of Jerusalem as my paintbrush dances across the canvas, creating a colorful depiction of what was once my home. This is my Jerusalem. Forever my Jerusalem. My heart and soul longs for the day I can return to you.

Wherever You Go There You Are

The title of this post is actually borrowed from a book I read a while ago by Jon Kabbat-Zin.  The book is about practicing mindfulness in our everyday life.  Mindfulness as defined by Zinn is a practice where "we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.”  

The artwork above was commisioned by a woman as a gift for her husband upon his 40th birthday.  The wife knew what she wanted; a papercut mounted on a background painted in earth tones, an enlarged Hebrew letter "mem" and cut-outs of musical instruments since her husband is very musically talented.  And lastly, she wanted a verse from Sefer B'reishit "Ba'asher hu sham- in his present state." The last request puzzled me.  The verse is found in the story where Avraham Avinu sends Hagar and Yishmael away from his home.  The two wander in the desert of Be-er Sheva and when there is no longer water to drink and Yishmael is literally dying from thirst God hears Hagar's and Yishmael's cries of distress and an angel from heaven calls out to Hagar and says, "Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the youth in his present state."   Even though the angels in heaven tried so to speak to dissuade God from saving Yishmael based on the evil his descendants would perpetrate against Bnei Yisrael, God doesn't listen to the angels pleas and saves Yishmael based on who he is at that moment in time.  Why, I thought would she want this verse included in the artwork?

The wife answered that her husband often likes to tell this story and quote this verse as a basis for living a mindful life.  As a practicing psychotherapist he tries to inspire his clients to live mindfully as well as practice it in his own personal life.  At first hesitant, now I was all for including the verse.  After all, probably most people on their birthdays, especially the milestone ones, spend the day (or perhaps even weeks leading up to it) obsessing over their lives thus far and fearing what is yet to come.  "Should've done this, should NOT have done that!"  All those regrets and thoughts of missed opportunities mixed with fears of aging and the future can cloud and ruin a day that is meant for celebration. 

 How nice is it to receive on your birthday a piece of artwork that serves as a visual reminder to quiet all that noise in your head and the chaos that so often surrounds us and instead calmly and serenely enjoy the best gift of all: being fully aware and present to the very moment in which you are currently in.