Torah Scroll

This piece of art was designed to resemble a Torah scroll, with its columns and calligraphy (safrut) style. There are stumot (closed paragraphs) and petuchot (open-ended paragraphs), as there would be in the text of a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll). This design will enable teachable moments about how a Torah is written in addition to the books and parshiot (weekly portions). This Torah scroll was designed to be used as an educational tool for all levels.

Each column is headed by the name of its sefer (book) with painted imagery from the sefer. These five images tie into each other, but each can also be appreciated as a single unit.

Beresheet - The tree represents the "Etz Hada'at" (Tree of Knowledge) in the Garden of Eden. One idea is that this tree was an etrog (citron) tree (the left most dot on the crown of the letter "shin" is an etrog). I chose the image of a tree to represent creation. Both the Torah ("Etz chaim he lamachzikim ba" Mishlei 3:18) and humans ("ki ha'adam etz hasadeh" Devarim 20:19) are likened to a tree. The separation of sky and water is also represented here. The Torah is also likened to water in many rabbinic sources.

Shemot - This image can be viewed in three ways.
1) The very end of Beresheet/beginning of Shemot - the brothers going down to Egypt. There are twelve lines making a path, with a gold dot at the bottom of each. This "path" also resembles the roots of a tree, as the twelve tribes are the root of our people.
2) As Bnei Israel (Nation of Israel) leaving Egypt and crossing the Yam Suf (Red Sea). There is a midrash (rabbinic interpretation) that they crossed the sea in twelve rows by tribe (Otzar Hamidrashim). In this case the twelve gold dots represent the head of each tribe.
3) Israel crossing the sea, heading to Har Sinai (Mt. Sinai).

Vayikra - The aron kodesh (ark) lies at the center of this painting, as it was the center point of the mishkan (tabernacle) and Israel's relationship with God after becoming nation. In light of this, we refer to the place we keep the Torah scroll in the synagogue as the aron kodesh. Gold flecks of the aron kodesh, and therefore our relationship with God, touch every part of this Torah scroll. Gold highlights the etrog, the twelves paths of the tribes, the tents of the tribes and footsteps in the desert, all of Eretz Israel (Land of Israel), and every crown on the letters of the Torah itself.

Bimidbar - There are twelve tents to represent the camp of Bnei Israel by tribe in the desert. The footsteps relate to the wandering through the desert and lead into Sefer Devarim (the Book of Devarim).

Devarim - The footsteps of Bnei Israel show continuity in the storyline from Sefer Bimidbar. Bnei Israel prepares to cross the Yarden (Jordan) river and enter Israel, which for now the people can only see in the distance. I chose to include the images of the Yarden and Israel here to invoke to continuation of the story - as our learning does not end with Devarim. In terms of our learning and reading of the parshiot on Shabbat, when we finish all five books, we start again. Here that renewal is shown with color. The green of Eretz Israel brings the eye back to the lush tree of Gan Eden (The Land of Israel is described in similar language as Gan Eden).

The use of color also connects the ideas visually across all five books. The blue waters of Beresheet carry through to Shemot, as the story of Yosef (Joseph) and the brothers finishes one book and starts the next. The blue then shifts to the top of the paintings and water returns in the last frame with the Yarden river. The green of Gan Eden reappears in the form of Eretz Israel - creating bookends for the five frames. The imagery of Beresheet reflects that of Devarim. Similarly, Shemot reflects Bimidbar - the tents of Bimidbar resemble the mountains/pyramids of the desert in Shemot. (Here is an opportuniy to teach about chiastic structure - ABCBA - to older children) Finally, gold is used to highlight throughout (see explanation in Vayikra).

Along the bottom of the scroll is a quote from the Talmud (Yivamot 117a) - Kemayim hapanim lapanim ken lev ha'adam la'adam...bdivrei Torah. The first part is a direct quote from Mishlei (27:19). As water reflects ones face, so too one's image- and heart- is reflected in interactions with another person. In the Talmud, Rebbi Yehuda says this is true of our discussion of Torah... the outcome of our learning will reflect our efforts. A sefer torah is often compared to a person (and water as well), so much so that we bury a pasul (damaged) sefer Torah as if it were a human. I chose to put this quote at the heart of our Torah to anchor this piece both visually and philosophically. This quote also continues the learning to include Torah She Ba'al Peh (Oral Law).

The last word... These are my ideas and what I see in this Sefer Torah. Feel free to find new meaning and new connections. The intention and hope is that this piece of artwork will have pedagogic value on many levels, and will teach children as well as adults.