23 de junho de 2020

Sara



"Cries and Whispers: The Life of Sarah", Avivah Zornberg



'Full-page miniature of the twelve rods with the flourishing rod of Aaron in the middle'. 
from ‘The Northern French Miscellany’, France (1277-1286)

Medo



"Dybbuks, Golems, S. An-ski, and Jewish Legends in Times of Fear", Gabriella Safran

22 de junho de 2020

Hassidismo



"Space and Spirit, or How to Make a Historical Atlas of Hasidism", Marcin Wodziński

Vida



A mountain blue bird takes flight in the US
It is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada, and its breeding habitat is open country across western North America

Bob Dylan


"I've Made Up my Mind to give Myself to You"


"I'm sittin' on my terrace, lost in the stars
Listening to the sounds of the sad guitars
Been thinking it all over and I've thought it all through
I've made up my mind to give myself to you

I saw the first fall of snow
I saw the flowers come and go
I don't think that anyone ever else ever knew
I've made up my mind to give myself to you

I'm giving myself to you, I am
From Salt Lake City to Birmingham
From East L.A. to San Antone
I don't think I can bear to live my life alone

My eye is like a shooting star
It looks at nothin' here or there, looks at nothin' near or far
No one ever told me, it's just something I knew
I've made up my mind to give myself to you

If I had the wings of a snow white dove
I'd preach the gospel, the gospel of love
A love so real, a love so true
I've made up my mind to give myself to you

Take me out traveling, you're a traveling man
Show me something I don't understand
I'm not what I was, things aren't what they were
I'll go far away from home with her

I traveled a long road of despair
I met no other traveler there
Lot of people gone, lot of people I knew
I've made up my mind to give myself to you

Well, my heart's like a river, a river that sings
Just takes me a while to realize things
I've seen the sunrise, I've seen the dawn
I'll lay down beside you when everyone's gone

I've traveled from the mountains to the sea
I hope that the gods go easy with me
I knew you'd say yes, I'm saying it too
I've made up my mind to give myself to you"

18 de junho de 2020

16 de junho de 2020


Think that the letters of prayer
      are the garments of God.
What a joy to be making a garment
      for the greatest of kings!
Enter into every letter with all your strenght.
God dwells within each letter;
       as you enter it, you become one with God.

Tsava'at ha-Rivash, 108, p.50

Jacob


"Jacob’s Dream", Aert de Gelder (1710-1715)

11 de junho de 2020

Moisés


 
Miniature of Moses hitting the rock in the desert to bring forth water with two Israelites behind his back


The feeling of futility that comes with the sense of being useless, of not being needed in the world, is the most common cause of psychoneurosis.
The only way to avoid despair is to be a need rather than an end. Happiness, in fact, may be defined as the certainty of being needed

"Man is not Alone, Abraham J. Heschel, pp. 194-195
 

Vida



10 de junho de 2020

Nachum


Tomb of the Jewish Prophet Nahum in Al-qosh, Iraq

Bob Dylan



"Masters of War"


"Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion'
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead"

Moisés


"Moses", Vasilij Ivanovič Denisov (1912)

9 de junho de 2020

Criação



"The Triumph of Creation", Shai Held 



וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רְאֵ֛ה נְתַתִּ֥יךָ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹ֑ה וְאַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִ֖יךָ יִהְיֶ֥ה נְבִיאֶֽךָ

The LORD replied to Moses, “See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet.

Exodus 7:1

Aleppo


The Central Synagogue of Aleppo (before 1940)

7 de junho de 2020

Bob Dylan


"False Prophet"


Another day that don't end
Another ship goin' out
Another day of anger, bitterness, and doubt
I know how it happened
I saw it begin
I opened my heart to the world and the world came in

Hello Mary Lou
Hello Miss Pearl
My fleet-footed guides from the underworld
No stars in the sky shine brighter than you
You girls mean business and I do too

Well I'm the enemy of treason
Enemy of strife
Enemy of the unlived meaningless life
I ain't no false prophet
I just know what I know
I go where only the lonely can go

I'm first among equals
Second to none
Last of the best
You can bury the rest
Bury 'em naked with their silver and gold
Put them six feet under and pray for their souls

What are you lookin' at
There's nothing to see
Just a cool breeze that's encircling me
Let's go for a walk in the garden
So far and so wide
We can sit in the shade by the fountain-side

I search the world over
For the Holy Grail
I sing songs of love
I sing songs of betrayal
Don't care what I drink
Don't care what I eat
I climbed the mountains of swords on my bare feet

You don't know me darlin'
You never would guess
I'm nothing like my ghostly appearance would suggest
I ain't no false prophet
I just said what I said
I'm just here to bring vengeance on somebody's head

Put out your hand
There's nothing to hold
Open your mouth
I'll stuff it with gold
Oh you poor devil look up if you will
The city of God is there on the hill

Hello stranger
A long goodbye
You ruled the land
But so do I
You lost your mule
You got a poison brain
I'll marry you to a ball and chain

You know darlin'
The kind of life that I live
When your smile meets my smile something's got to give
I ain't no false prophet
No I'm nobody's bride
Can't remember when I was born
And I forgot when I died 

Czernowitz



Paul Celan



"Écrire pour rester humain" (2015)

3 de junho de 2020

Hassidismo


"Historical Atlas of Hasidism", Marcin Wodzinski (2019)

Vida


 
A pelagia noctiluca ( Medusa luminosa) - or mauve stinger - jellyfish drifts off the coast of north Lebanon


Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.
Say to them:  
   “May the Lord bless you and protect you.   
     May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
     May the Lord turn His face toward you and grant you peace.”’  
Let them put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Numbers 6:23-27
 

1 de junho de 2020


וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־תִּמְצָ֖א אֱכ֑וֹל אֱכוֹל֙ אֶת־הַמְּגִלָּ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את וְלֵ֥ךְ דַּבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל
He said to me, “Mortal, eat what is offered you; eat this scroll, and go speak to the House of Israel.” 

וָאֶפְתַּ֖ח אֶת־פִּ֑י וַיַּ֣אֲכִלֵ֔נִי אֵ֖ת הַמְּגִלָּ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת
So I opened my mouth, and He gave me this scroll to eat, 

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ בִּטְנְךָ֤ תַֽאֲכֵל֙ וּמֵעֶ֣יךָ תְמַלֵּ֔א אֵ֚ת הַמְּגִלָּ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן אֵלֶ֑יךָ וָאֹ֣כְלָ֔ה וַתְּהִ֥י בְּפִ֖י כִּדְבַ֥שׁ לְמָתֽוֹק)
as He said to me, “Mortal, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I give you.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey to me. 

Ezekiel 3:1-3

Israel


(around 830 BCE)

Vida



Long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas) are seen on a sunny day off the coast off Catalonia, Spain

21 de maio de 2020

20 de maio de 2020

A. B. Yehoshua




יוֹצֵ֥ר אוֹר֙ וּבוֹרֵ֣א חֹ֔שֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂ֥ה שָׁל֖וֹם וּב֣וֹרֵא רָ֑ע אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עֹשֶׂ֥ה כָל־אֵֽלֶּה
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah 45:7

Qumran



18 de maio de 2020


"Ostatnia Niedziela", Mieczysław Fogg (1936)


What a great wonder that we should be able to
     draw so near to God in prayer
How many walls there are between God and human beings!
Even though God fills all the world,
     God is so very hidden!
Yet a single word of prayer can topple all the walls
      and bring you close to God.

Likkutim Yekarim, 22, 4b

Hassidismo


"Historical Atlas of Hasidism", Marcin Wodziński (2018)

13 de maio de 2020

Vida


Red-footed falcons mate near Tiszaalpár, Hungary

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik




"The Lonely Jew of Faith: Covenantal Connection in an Age of Quarantine", Rabbi Meir Soloveichik 


וּלְכֹהֵ֥ן מִדְיָ֖ן שֶׁ֣בַע בָּנ֑וֹת וַתָּבֹ֣אנָה וַתִּדְלֶ֗נָה וַתְּמַלֶּ֙אנָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣רְהָטִ֔ים לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת צֹ֥אן אֲבִיהֶֽן
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock; 

וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָרֹעִ֖ים וַיְגָרְשׁ֑וּם וַיָּ֤קָם מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיּ֣וֹשִׁעָ֔ן וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־צֹאנָֽם
but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. 

וַתָּבֹ֕אנָה אֶל־רְעוּאֵ֖ל אֲבִיהֶ֑ן וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַדּ֛וּעַ מִהַרְתֶּ֥ן בֹּ֖א הַיּֽוֹם
When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” 

וַתֹּאמַ֕רְןָ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י הִצִּילָ֖נוּ מִיַּ֣ד הָרֹעִ֑ים וְגַם־דָּלֹ֤ה דָלָה֙ לָ֔נוּ וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־הַצֹּֽאן
They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 

Exodus 2:16-19
 

12 de maio de 2020

Lag Ba'Omer



Ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer
 in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem on May 11, 2020

10 de maio de 2020

Vida


Green Hairstreak Butterfly


וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה עֲלֵ֥ה אֵלַ֛י הָהָ֖רָה וֶהְיֵה־שָׁ֑ם וְאֶתְּנָ֨ה לְךָ֜ אֶת־לֻחֹ֣ת הָאֶ֗בֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה֙ וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתַ֖בְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָֽם

The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments which I have inscribed to instruct them.” 

Exodus 24:12

Paris


A Trip through Paris (late 1890s)

7 de maio de 2020


"Moses sees the Promised Land from afar", James Tissot (1896-1902)


"Go out of the ark,
you and your wife and your children."
Take yourself out of the words of your prayers
Let your prayer not be for yourself
or for your household,
but only for the sake of God and His Presence.

Torey Zahav, noah

Retorno


"The War of Return", Einat Wilf (2018)

6 de maio de 2020

Bruno Schulz


(1935)

Vida


A female chacma baboon pays a visit to a house in Cape Town, South Africa


בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת
You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, 

לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם
in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the LORD your God. 

Leviticus 23:42-43