A re-post of a friend’s 3-year old child, one that I couldn’t resist doing for them.
Tag: tradition
menorah giving light
Sometimes I try a different style, and do it quickly to see where it leads. Starting with the earlier idea of light being ethereal, this was done on rough paper using crayon to pull out the highlights before applying watercolor– a wax resist technique. I envisioned it through a water-soaked lens as the lights played on reflections. Eventually I gave it as a wedding gift for friends.
menorah and light
The menorah … “is to be made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold. See that you make them according to the design being shown you on the mountain.” Sh’mot (Exodus) 25:39-40.
On one level the construction of the menorah is exact, and drawing an image of it is relatively easier than drawing light — for light is not static, it is a phenomena, its ethereal; it has an effect on what it shines on. Hence when we realize that the Shekinah of G-d — represented as the menorah’s light — is present, we cannot avoid it having a profound effect on us.
These two paintings were done in May-July 2015.
G-d’s lamp
Since the time I took up the pen and brush again I have been drawn to the menorah as a subject, and studied the Torah for its description — mainly in Exodus 25, and Exodus 37. Here is a concise entry of the menorah by Tracey R. Rich at Judaism 101.
I found it intriguing that the almond blossom is used to describe the bulbs and branches. The almond staff of Aaron that budded a branch has great significance. While there is no longer a temple in Jerusalem for the menorah to rest, one enduring purpose is to give light to humankind of the presence of Hashem throughout the world.