Opening to TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general.
Holy One,
bring us to that mountain
where we all once stood,
our souls opened
like the buds of newborn flowers,
open to receive Your holy Torah,
written on the canopy of stars
that You created.
Torah Unfolding
Holy One,
You extend Your Hand,
and out drops a flower bud,
the petals open to reveal
Your Torah unfolding.
I am a Painter
I am a painter
not of pictures but of words –
Bereishit, Shemot, Bemidbar, Vayikra, Devarim.
Five words…five books…a scroll.
I etch these words
which contain You
forever on my soul.
