by nvpadmin | Jan 1, 1970 |
“I am the Lord and there is none else. Beside, Me, there is no god. … So that they may know, from east to west, That there is none but Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, I form the light and create the darkness, I make peace and create evil, I am the Lord that doeth all these things.” Isaiah 45:...
by nvpadmin | Jan 1, 1970 |
Upon this 2500-year-old rock, the Wall, the last remaining outer structure of the Second Temple survives. Built in ancient historical Israel, it has withstood wars and natural disasters. Throughout time, Jews have worshipped at this Holy site. In the Diaspora, Jews face east, always toward the Wall and Jerusalem. Large and imposing, powerful and humbling, there is nothing, if it could speak out loud, that the Wall has not born witness to. If it could talk, what would it say? How many bodies has it felt against its face? How much history has walked past? Our fleeting lives are brief against the power and life of stone. Hard, as reflected in this barren rock. Animals make this place their home. Sacrifices were made against this Wall. Religious Jews obediently honor its role in their lives. It has become the religious icon and metaphor for the Jewish people around the globe. There is no greater symbol, image or reality. Like the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this stream of prayers flows downward, merging together into a larger waterway, as gathering prayers swim into its currents, moving them along into a swift, narrow and powerful force. In the top right hand corner, other water outlets, from an unseen source plunge larger prayers downward. How can prayers reach so high and still be seen? In the top far left corner, more prayers, little ones and large, long and short, intense and fast, move quickly, finding more outlets along its way. Merging and blending, swiftly unending, last minute pleas swell and flow, as together in mass, yet each sent alone, voices beseech as one...
by nvpadmin | Jan 1, 1970 |
The dark shadow emerges from the deep. It does not look attached but seems to move snakelike on its own, liberated and unconnected to the body. Why does the shadow flow as a dark and essential force, as an unknown unconscious element in each of us? The shadow is the center, the core and of primary importance. Why do we choose not to remember it? Connected to this shadow and underneath lies the Torah. Above rests the Rabbi’s hand as he makes the priestly blessing – two fingers together, space, and two fingers closed. Suddenly, a magnetic field, an invisible force, seems to pull from the black letters on the Torah page. Through the shadow and up to the hand, electrical current flows downward, then back, then upward and down, again and again, as the hand remains still. More revelation is revealed. In the lower left hand corner, above the scroll knob, the unwrapped Torah emanates an illuminating light. Alchemy emerges. Light coming not from a flash or an outer directed light but from a hidden inner one, bursts forth from inside demanding to be seen, mysterious and luminous. This unattached shadow, illuminated light and magnetic field all form a reality that is powerful, humbling, and utterly...
by nvpadmin | Jan 1, 1970 |
Historically, approaching a Torah has only been the prerogative of the male. Only in recent history have women obtained the freedom to stand in front of the Holy Torah. The significance behind this photograph is a contemporary idea that women are equal to learn and to study His Book. A feminine, manicured hand lightly graces the hand of the scribe. A lovely jeweled bracelet rests upon her wrist as her other arm extends in back, framing his arm and lending a maternal protective presence. Her soft, sensual womanly presence is projected through her dress and décolleté blouse, framed by Queen Anne’s lace. It reveals her form. A fitted skirt reinforces this image of femininity. This unknowingly creates a tension between the idea of a woman approaching a Torah and the ancient argument against it. The restriction that women are not to approach a Torah, and the sensual reality that this female presence projects, reveal visually the ongoing conflict between this modern practice and traditional...
by nvpadmin | Jan 1, 1970 |
“In my distress I called to the Lord And He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, And You listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:2
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