| Blessing For The Home
May there be Peace within your walls,
And tranquilty within your home. -- Psalm 122:7
The text for this work seemed an appropriate one for a home. In this psalm, from which this verse is taken, the Psalmist prays fervently for the welfare of Jerusalem and seeks peace for all the homes of Israel, from small to great.
The style I selected for this piece was that of the lovely Byzantine mosaics that are found throughout the Land of Israel. Some of the most intriguing are those that were in the ancient synagogues. Typically in these synagogue mosaics we find a graphic reference to the ultimate Jewish home, the Bet HaMikdash—the Temple.
I included one of the most common of such elements here: the lulav and etrog used during the joyous Sukkot celebrations. Sukkot seemed especially relevant for a home blessing, since it is during this week, when we leave the apparent protection of our houses and live only under the protection of God, that we most appreciate and most deeply understand what home means.
The Meir Eynaim, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Chernoble, beautifully makes this point by comparing the covering of the Sukkah, the s'chach (from which Sukkah gets its name) to the way God's bounty, protection, and presence are both revealed and concealed in this world—like the glimpses we gain through the lattice pattern of the foliage of our sukkot.
There are several interesting Yemenite customs that connect the lulav and etrog to the home. Some families kept the lulav and etrog near the door of their homes after the holiday was over. Others kept them within the house all year. I made all the tiny squares of this piece—representing the many tesserae of a mosaic—with a traditional quill dipped in paint instead of ink. The original, made as a housewarming gift for a good friend, was considerably smaller than it appears in this print.
I pray this prayer for domestic peace expressed in this small, detailed work is fulfilled within all homes in Jerusalem, in Israel and in the entire world.
Size: 22.5x27 cm.
PRICE: $120
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