| The Tree of Life Shtender: Tefillin Box
The entire Tree of Life Shtender began as an idea – the notion of creating a comprehensive piece of art that would encompass the wonderfully organic and comprehensive nature of Judaism. The Shtender was conceived to unite the Jewish heart at prayer, the Jewish mind in study, and the Jewish hands in practice.
As the concept evolved, it was decided that objects would need to be included to represent the full spectrum of Jewish practice and values, and that each object would be primarily of wood, decorated with plant motifs in realistic carvings, and that the Shtender and all its objects would be fully functional and of a useable size.
From this point on, the working out of each individual object began and was a fascinating interplay between the constraints they had placed upon themselves and their research, imagination, and design. This process caused some of the objects to almost suggest and create themselves. It also ensured that other objects would become innovations in the history of Jewish ritual art.
Such is the case of the Tefillin Box. After checking with museum curators and experts on Jewish art, we discovered that we have created the first Tefillin Box ever! In the long history of Tefillin (and ancient Tefillin have been discovered actually dating back to antiquity) they have apparently always been contained in a sack or pouch. Of course, once the decision to make every piece of fine crafted wood had been made, the notion of a wooden Tefillin Box became obvious.
Carved into the Tefillin Box are sprigs of apple trees, with leaves and blossoms. The apple is very significant in Jewish liturgy. The mystical apple orchard is a beautiful and common reference. (“Under the apple tree I awakened you†– Song of Songs.) In that apple orchard are hidden all the secrets that we dare not plumb. As the apple orchard represents the Torah, the hidden and the revealed, our Tefillin case is the Shtender’s symbol of the Torah.
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